AT&T's Dream in Black initiative recognizes 25 outstanding HBCU students annually — students making tangible impact in their communities and campuses. The challenge was creating a digital platform that matched the weight and importance of the recognition. The submission hub needed to invite talent submissions via video, provide an experience worthy of the AT&T brand, and handle a multi-phase campaign lifecycle: open submission, close, and winner announcement.
The technical scope included a video submission system with user database management, a responsive experience that worked flawlessly across mobile (where HBCU students primarily browse) and desktop, and a platform architecture that could transition through three distinct phases without requiring a rebuild. The collaboration with AT&T and Translation required rigorous client communication — understanding brand guidelines, approval workflows, and the sensitivity of the program's mission.
I led the client discovery sessions with AT&T and Translation, translating program requirements into a digital experience architecture. The Rising Future Makers program carries significant cultural weight — the platform needed to feel aspirational and celebratory, not bureaucratic. I defined the three-phase content and interaction model: Phase 1 (Submission Hub) invites and guides submissions, Phase 2 (Closed) maintains momentum while voting/selection occurs, Phase 3 (Announcement) celebrates the 25 winners.
The submission experience was the most user-critical flow. HBCU students needed to understand the eligibility criteria, feel confident uploading their talent video, and receive clear confirmation. I designed a guided, step-by-step submission form with inline validation and a real-time preview of their submission before final submit. The database architecture handled user accounts, submission status tracking, and content moderation readiness.
Each platform phase required a different emotional register. The submission hub was active and inviting. The closed state maintained energy while communicating the selection was in progress. The announcement phase was celebratory — showcasing the 25 winners with their stories and impact. I designed content templates and interaction patterns for each phase, ensuring the transitions felt intentional rather than like maintenance changes.
The primary audience — HBCU students — skews heavily mobile. I designed the platform mobile-first, with the desktop as a showcase layer for AT&T's broader campaign presence. Video upload on mobile required particular attention: file size guidance, progress indicators, and clear error states for slow campus networks.
Building the platform to support three distinct phases — rather than launching, then rebuilding for each phase — kept the brand experience consistent and eliminated re-launch risks. Each phase was a content and interaction layer on the same foundation. This also simplified AT&T and Translation's content management: they updated content fields, not site architecture.
Designing mobile-first for HBCU students wasn't just a responsive checkbox — it was a strategic choice that shaped the entire information hierarchy. Features that worked beautifully on desktop but created friction on mobile were redesigned or removed. The video upload flow was tested specifically for real-world campus network conditions, not just fast Wi-Fi.
The Rising Future Makers platform could have felt like an application portal — functional but cold. I pushed for an editorial, magazine-quality feel that matched the prestige of being selected as one of 25 outstanding HBCU students in the country. The content hierarchy led with inspiration before instruction.
The Rising Future Makers platform launched as the digital home for AT&T's annual HBCU recognition program, successfully managing the full lifecycle from video submissions through winner announcement. The platform provided AT&T with a scalable, brand-consistent experience for one of its most culturally significant initiatives.
Working on culturally significant projects carries additional responsibility. The design decisions weren't just about UX — they were about whether a student from an HBCU in Mississippi felt as seen and welcomed by the platform as a student from an Ivy League city campus. That context shaped every accessibility decision, every copy choice, and every friction point I tried to eliminate.