Upside website supporting youth mentoring

Upside works with young people who have experienced challenging circumstances, connecting them with volunteer mentors to build strong, supportive relationships. Over time, the organisation had grown and evolved, including a shift in identity from Brothers in Arms to Upside.

The website needed to reflect this change, both in how it looked and how it communicated. It also needed to better support the people engaging with Upside, including potential mentors, supporters, and the wider community.

The existing site did not fully support these needs. There was an opportunity to simplify how people understood the organisation, improve key journeys such as becoming a mentor, and create a clearer, more engaging experience.

The challenge was to align the new brand with a website that worked in practice and supported Upside’s ongoing growth.

We began with a codesign session with the Upside team, using the opportunity to step back and understand what the website needed to achieve.

This included mapping key user journeys, identifying how people engage with Upside, and exploring how the website could better support those connections. We also defined goals and success signals to understand how the site would perform over time.

From there, we developed low-fidelity wireframes and drew on exemplar sites to explore possible directions. These formed the foundation for the information architecture and design work that followed.

By aligning early on structure and intent, the design and build process was more focused, reducing rework and ensuring the final result stayed true to what was needed.

The new site makes it easier for people to understand what Upside does and how they can get involved. Key journeys, such as becoming a mentor, are clearer and more accessible.

The platform also supports Upside’s growth, allowing new campaigns, locations, and content to be added as the organisation expands beyond Auckland.

Content is easier to manage and update, giving the team more control over how they communicate and engage with their community.

Overall, the website provides a stronger foundation for connecting young people, mentors, and supporters, while reflecting the organisation’s identity and purpose.