Sandbox
Project Type: Venture Builder Program
Duration: 8 months (2 semesters)
Role: Product Designer (UX/UI, branding, marketing, no-code dev)
Team: Project Manager, Developer, Researcher
Tools: Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Wix, Google Slides
// CONTEXT
The Sandbox Program
A university-integrated venture builder program pairing interdisciplinary student teams with real startup challenges. I collaborated with product managers, developers, and researchers to ideate, prototype, and launch startup solutions.
I worked across three early-stage startups in a university-led venture incubator. Each pivot taught me the value of validating real user problems before building solutions. My final project focused on teen digital wellness, where I led design, branding, content, and no-code development.
// PROBLEM
Early-Stage Pivots
Attempt 1: Solving the Uncertainty of Queue Times
Jumped into building without validating the core user need → low demand.
🧠 Lesson: Validate before building.
Attempt 2: Modernising Loyalty Programs
Jumped into building without validating the core user need → low demand.
🧠 Lesson: Validate before building.
Attempt 3: ACH Payments
Explored a fintech solution without domain knowledge → couldn’t define a clear user problem.
🧠 Lesson: User research and domain fluency are critical.
Final Pivot: Teen Digital Wellness
The Problem:
Teens are increasingly affected by social media overuse — feeling overstimulated, isolated, and burnt out. Our team wanted to reduce screen time and promote meaningful, real-world connections.
We validated this problem space through:
User surveys
Discussion groups
Feedback loops with educators and parents
// SOLUTION
Phases of Digital Wellness Initiative
We approached the problem in two distinct phases, Ignite V1 and Ignite V2, refining our solution based on implementation challenges and user feedback.
Ignite V1: Pilot Program for Teens
Developed an interactive digital wellness education program for pre-teens and teens.
✅ Successes:
Partnered with Campfire to deliver 3 in-person modules over one month.
Validated interest and engagement through successful pilot sessions.
❌ Challenges:
Faced challenges scaling due to:
Parental consent requirements
Inconsistent buy-in from school leadership
Pivot: Narrowing the Focus
We realized schools presented too much red tape for fast, scalable impact and shifted the target to a more accessible, self-directed audience: Gen Zs
Ignite V2: Digital Wellness Community for Gen Z
Rebranded Ignite into a digital wellness community for Gen Zs to encourage Gen Zs to reduce screen time and form better digital habits.
Brand & Marketing Assets
Created a distinctive brand identity using:
Print materials: zines, stickers, flyers
Social media posts with ironic, relatable Gen Z humor
Built a website + Slack channel to foster accountability and peer support.
✅ Successes:
Successfully reached and engaged participants through design-first storytelling.
In a month, we had 203 people sign up and commit to the challenge
//CONTRIBUTIONS
My Role:
As the sole product designer, I wore many hats, from UX design to content strategy, branding, and no-code development. Here’s a breakdown of what I worked on:
1) Branding & Visual Identity
Created a brand system in two phases:
Phase 1: A sub-brand of Campfire (the host platform), using similar colours and styles
Phase 2: Independent identity with bold, teen-forward black-and-yellow palette
Designed logos, posters, course graphics, stickers, and campaign visuals
Ensured visual cohesion across print, web, and slide-based assets
2) Course Design: 5-Module Teen Workshop
Designed the layout and visuals of a 5-part educational series
Collaborated with the researcher to ensure evidence-based, teen-relevant content
Hosted via Campfire, an online workshop platform, in partnership with local school districts
Format: Google Slides + live virtual workshops
3) Summer Campaign: Summer Off Socials Challenge
Designed a digital + print campaign to promote offline activities
A landing page (Wix)
Social media teaser posts (ironically, to catch the lurkers)
A newspaper reintroducing analogue habits
A Slack community hub for teens to share offline wins
Focused on building a community of non-social media users (a radical but positive shift)
4) Website Development (Wix)
Built a multi-page site showcasing the initiative, sign-up flows, course info, and campaign materials
Prioritised usability and long-term sustainability (easy for non-designers to update)
Tools Used:
Figma: wireframes, user flows, visual mockups
Illustrator & Photoshop: logo design, illustrations, campaign materials
Wix: no-code site build
Google Slides: course building
Campfire: workshop hosting platform
//RESULTS
The Impacts
Launched 3 modules of our course via Campfire to a partnering school
203 Teens committed and participated in the “Summer Off Socials” challenge via Slack
Received qualitative feedback from educators, teens, and parents
Assets and the site are still in use and editable by the team
// REFLECTIONS & LEARNINGS
My Reflection & Learnings
This journey wasn’t linear; it was winding, unpredictable, and real. That’s why it was valuable. It taught me to think critically, design intentionally, and create experiences that matter, even in chaos. This experience was more than a series of design tasks, it was a bootcamp in iteration, failure, and creative leadership. Here are some of my key takeaways:
Validate before building:
Early failures taught me not to skip the discovery process.
Design is a system, not just surfaces
In hindsight, I would have invested more in aligning branding, platform, and campaign into a more cohesive product system.
Empathy is a design superpower
Designing for teens requires understanding their world, not just telling them to “get off their phones,” but inviting them into something better.