Parent Portal
Accessible Information System for 3,000+ Families
The Problem
COVID-19 forced Matrix Human Services to pivot their early childhood education program from in-person to remote delivery—overnight.
Communication broke down immediately:
- Parents received conflicting updates across email, text, and social media
- Staff were overwhelmed by repetitive questions
- No mobile-friendly hub existed for families juggling work, childcare, and remote learning
- Content needed to reach families in English, Spanish, and Arabic
This wasn't a website problem. It was a systems problem—and solving it meant designing for stress, scale, and non-technical operators.
Constraints
- 3,000+ parents across mobile and desktop
- WCAG accessibility compliance required
- Trilingual support (English, Spanish, Arabic)
- Non-technical staff needed to publish updates without developer support
- Launch timeline: weeks, not months
System Interface Gallery
The Solution
I designed the portal as a dynamic dashboard, not a static site. Key decisions:
Content architecture: Tag- and category-driven system that controlled layout, styling, and visibility without manual intervention.
Information hierarchy: Clear separation between time-sensitive updates and reference content.
Mobile-first design: Reflected actual usage patterns—most parents accessed via phone.
Governance model: Structured templates let staff publish updates without breaking the system.
Accessibility: Built into the foundation, not retrofitted.
The Outcome
- Centralized communication reduced support burden on staff.
- Parents reported increased clarity and confidence during peak uncertainty.
- System scaled without requiring developer intervention.
- Foundation persisted beyond the pandemic as a permanent operational tool.
What This Shows:
Designing under constraints—accessibility, multilingual support, non-technical operators, crisis timelines—requires systems thinking from day one. The portal worked because the architecture anticipated real usage, not ideal conditions.