Role: UX Designer | Concept, Research, Design, Frontend, QA
Overview
Churches spend thousands annually on printed bulletins—documents that are read once and discarded. As someone with deep ministry experience, I recognized the gap in digital solutions that complement church websites by providing dynamic, accessible weekly bulletins for attendees, staff, and visitors.
Happy Bulletin was born as a solution to replace static PDFs or images with a fully responsive, browser-based digital bulletin, accessible on any device the moment someone walks through the door.
Goals
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Create a mobile-first, device-agnostic interface
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Reduce bulletin printing costs for churches
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Streamline bulletin creation for staff and volunteers
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Offer centralized, easily accessible communications
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Support archiving and access to past bulletins
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Make bulletin sharing simple via QR codes
Tools
- HTML, SASS/CSS (Flexbox + Grid)
- Figma (Wireframes, Visual Design)
- Zoom (Usability Testing)
- Google Forms (Surveys & Feedback)
Problem
There was a clear lack of affordable, easy-to-manage tools that allowed churches—large and small—to transition their weekly bulletins from print to digital. Existing solutions either duplicated the church website or required technical overhead that wasn’t sustainable for churches with limited staff or volunteers.
In addition to cost, churches needed a better way to:
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Communicate effectively with members and visitors
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Archive and manage past bulletin content
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Simplify workflows for volunteer administrators
The original application design.
Users
Happy Bulletin was designed for three distinct user types:
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Church Administrators
Handle backend creation and distribution of bulletins. -
Church Members
Access and interact with weekly bulletins via mobile or desktop. -
Church Visitors
View announcements, service details, and church events without needing to navigate a full website.
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My Role
As the sole creator, I wore multiple hats:
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UX Researcher (interviews, questionnaires, testing)
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UX/UI Designer (wireframes, prototypes, and coded frontend)
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Developer (HTML, SASS/CSS, responsive design)
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QA & PM (testing, prioritization, feedback cycles)
Process
Research
To validate the problem and opportunity, I asked:
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Why create a digital bulletin when a website exists?
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Is there real demand from churches of various sizes?
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How much cost and time could digital bulletins save?
I sent questionnaires to church communication directors across different church sizes (small to mega). Their responses confirmed the pain points and highlighted the need for something simpler than a full CMS, but more dynamic than a PDF.
Key Insights:
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Surveys & Interviews:
Gathered qualitative and quantitative feedback from church leaders and admins. -
Usability Testing:
Conducted remote sessions over Zoom with admins aged 18–90, walking through early wireframes and live coded flows.
Frontend: Bulletin View
The goal was to design a clean, responsive bulletin that:
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Highlights the weekly sermon title, summary, and speaker
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Lists announcements, prayer requests, and events
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Includes a top-right QR code popout for easy sharing
Challenges
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Smaller churches wanted features like birthdays/anniversaries; larger ones didn’t.
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I had to design a scalable yet customizable layout that served both ends of the spectrum.
Tech & Design Solution
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SASS for scalable CSS
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Flexbox and CSS Grid for responsive layout
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Designed mobile-first, but functional across tablets and desktops
Initial redesign
Initial redesign
Backend: Admin Dashboard
A clean and intuitive admin panel was critical. Admins ranged from tech-savvy 20-somethings to elderly volunteers. The dashboard needed to be friendly, forgiving, and clear.
Testing Process
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Recruited a diverse group of church communicators
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Walked through real admin tasks (e.g., adding a cover image, managing announcements)
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Used their actions and feedback to refine flows and UI
Final Features
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Contextual help shown inline with each section
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Welcome overlay with tooltips and basic tutorials
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Easy form-based content management (covers, events, announcements)
Outcomes
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Cost Savings: A digital solution drastically reduces printing costs, offering a clear value-add for budget-conscious churches.
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Streamlined Communication: Centralized, real-time updates reduce the need for printing delays and announcements from the pulpit.
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Faster Workflows: Volunteer admins can now create and update bulletins in a fraction of the time.
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User Access Anywhere: Members and visitors alike can access the bulletin from any device via a simple QR code—no login or app install needed.
Final approved redesign.
Reflection
Happy Bulletin was more than a design challenge—it was a deeply personal opportunity to bridge tradition and technology in a way that respects church culture while embracing digital efficiency. Designing for such a wide age and tech comfort range taught me to think more inclusively, and it reaffirmed the value of iterative, user-informed design—even on passion projects.