OVERVIEW
Designing for Trust: A Privacy-Conscious Kindergarten Website
ROLE
Research, UX, UI, Branding
TOOLS
Illustrator, Photoshop, Wordpress
Privacy-First School Website
about.
Knuddelmonster is a parent-run kindergarten in Germany that needed a modern website to better connect with families and support its rotating volunteer administrators. I redesigned and rebuilt the site to be mobile-first, emotionally engaging, and easy for non-technical staff to update, while respecting strict privacy guidelines around children’s imagery.
challenge.
The previous website was dated, hard to navigate on mobile, and challenging for new staff to maintain. The main design challenge was to create an inviting, professional site that reflected the spirit of the kindergarten without using photos of the children’s faces. The website dashboard also needed to offer a simple editing process for future content managers with no web experience.
action.
I redesigned the site from the ground up, beginning with wireframes and prototypes that prioritized mobile usability. I worked with the teachers to create a clear and streamlined content and page hierarchy. To evoke warmth and personality, I drew quirky new icons and used a playful font and colors. To build the site, I selected a lightweight WordPress theme and custom-coded a flexible CSS stylesheet to align with the new branding. I carefully cropped the photographs to imply the feeling of the kindergarten and the happy kids, while playfully hiding their faces. I also created documentation and provided onboarding support to empower future administrators.
result.
The new site is responsive, intuitive, and emotionally resonant. Parents can easily find information and apply online, while staff members can confidently manage content. The redesign contributed to a 30% increase in potential student applications, and received positive feedback from both parents and staff.
final thoughts.
This project reminded me how deeply I care about creating systems that live beyond any one person’s time with them. Halfway through the build, I paused and changed course. The first WordPress template I chose had an editor that felt needlessly complicated (I could already picture the headaches!). That wasn’t the experience I wanted for future parents and staff.
So I pivoted. I started over, determined to keep the design’s warmth and heart intact while making every update feel effortless.
Then another hiccup: I originally used photos with kids' faces and got sign-off from their parents, but I wondered: what if parent's changed their minds? And how does this make new parents feel? Is there a way to imply joy, without needing to show smiles? Again, I got creative and found pics that oozed fun but could be creatively cropped to respect privacy.
For me, design isn’t just about how something looks, it’s about how it feels to use, how it supports people, long after I’ve stepped away. Legacy matters.
