The African Kinship Reunion
UX RESEARCH | UX DESIGN | UI DESIGN
The African Kinship Reunion (TAKiR) connects families of African diaspora populations with Ghanaian relatives impacted by the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It combines DNA testing with traditional genealogical methods to infer genetic relationships between individuals: genetic genealogy. Collaborating with Dr. LaKisha David’s team, based out of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, we created TAKiR’s digital platform, enabling users to learn about and participate in the project, share DNA data, access genetic genealogy results, and connect with family around the world. I led the creation of all design assets, from information architecture to annotated wireframes and interactive prototypes, ensuring the platform would meet immediate needs and evolve with future iterations.
APPROACHING THE PROBLEMSupporting existing processes through user-centered information architecture
Through interviews and working sessions with the client, community representatives, and genomics researchers, we identified key technical constraints for the platform. These included gathering user consent, providing legal disclosures, collecting and analyzing sensitive DNA data, and administering research surveys – processes that were previously spread across disjointed platforms. Additionally, TAKiR needed to serve a diverse set of users: some invited to participate, others joining organically, some with existing DNA profiles, and others new to genetic testing. Early user stories and flows informed the information architecture, enabling us to address these complex needs. These assets became foundational references, guiding prioritization and ensuring alignment as we iterated on the features and requirements.
Early iterations of information architecture and user flow diagramming.
CHALLENGECreating visualizations that focus more on relationships and less on racial constructs
A significant challenge was designing data visualizations that emphasized genetic relationships without reinforcing racial constructs. Existing tools such as Ancestry.com and 23andMe have documentation on this topic, but it is not always accessible to the average user given its technical nature. Since the display of users’ genetic genealogy results would constitute the core of our platform, we began collaborating with the TAKiR research team in co-design sessions early on, in order to develop multiple iterations of our data visualizations. We focused the designs on emphasizing individual and familial connections, paired with clear, scientifically accurate language about ancestry and reference populations.
Ancestry results are always presented in the context of individual relationships instead of making stand-alone comparisons to broad population groups, such as in the “Ancestry Connections” view pictured here.
DESIGN-TO-DEVDeveloping a design system that plays nicely with complex data visualizations
Given TAKiR’s complex data and visualization requirements, I worked with our development team early on to identify a design system that could meet these technical needs. We selected shadcn, a flexible component library that would allow for easy customization, but its sparse documentation required us to expand on it significantly. I created a scalable design system that included basic token-based components and domain-specific elements such as genealogical data displays, modular charts, and interactive timelines. Together with clear documentation and sandboxing sessions during our design-to-dev handoff process, this expanded design system helped to bridge the gap between visual and interactive consistency and the complexity of scientific data presentation, while also setting TAKiR up for scalable growth in the future.
A subset of the components and variables comprising the TAKiR design system.
USER INSIGHTIdeating on designs in order to center user safety and education
User interviews and usability testing revealed two primary themes: (1) users wanted to understand the privacy and security protections in place before participating in TAKiR; and (2) users struggled to understand some of the scientific terminology within the genetic genealogy data visualizations. To address these needs, we incorporated multiple entry points to access privacy and security information, and created an FAQ section to address the most common user questions. For the results visualizations, we added user support touchpoints such as hover-over tooltips and detailed “tips” modals. These features provided users with in-context educational resources, enabling them to explore and interpret their genetic data on their own terms.
The public site incorporates multiple entry points to access privacy information, such as on the landing page, pictured above.
An example of a “tips” modal, which provides users with additional scientific context for interpreting their results.
DESIGN OUTCOMESCreating actionable, sustainable designs
To meet both immediate minimum viable product MVP goals and future scalability, I created a suite of design assets that supported user needs, development efforts, and the client’s vision. Annotated wireframes and high-fidelity mockups laid the groundwork for aligning design and development, while sandbox sessions with developers enabled rapid iteration on complex data visualization interactions, such as hover states for edge cases in the family tree. I documented out-of-scope features and future ideas, creating diagrams and wireframes for many of these concepts as well. These assets, along with the design system and reusable component library, will help TAKiR scale and adapt as the platform and user base grows.
The family tree allows users to explore one-to-one connections and visualize pathways between relatives.
Documentation such as tables and decision trees will guide the rollout of key forms for different user types, as the collection data pipeline is further integrated.
Designs for features such as a relatives map view, in-app messaging, and detailed relative profiles will support future implementation.
NEXT STEPS & LEARNINGSMoving toward better data, user, and team support
As a key part of TAKiR’s future vision, I’d like to see our platform integrate additional data sources, such as census records and user-input relationships. As functionalities requested by many of our users, this would help TAKiR compete with industry-leading tools such as Ancestry.com and 23andMe.
The development of more robust educational resources would support user understanding and lower the barrier to entry for new users. Future materials could include anything from tutorials to articles to videos, as a part of a larger learning “hub” – another concept common in consumer genetic genealogy tools.
Finally, as new ideas and requirements emerged throughout the project, I was challenged by the natural tendency of scope creep. This highlighted the importance of more proactively managing scope and priorities, as well as facilitating consistent and open communication to ensure team expectations and deliverables are aligned.