Mission-led or user-first?

The mistake

When we first began designing our agency’s website, we had a strong sense of purpose. We knew the kind of work we wanted to do, the clients we hoped to reach, and the values we wanted to reflect. We treated the site as an extension of ourselves—our early drafts were filled with bold statements, expressive layouts, and stories about who we were.

As we moved forward, we realized something important. The site told our story before it addressed the people we were trying to reach. It assumed visitors would care about our mission before they knew whether we could help them with theirs.

That realization made us pause—and start again.

A shift in perspective

We began thinking seriously about our users. What were they looking for? What problems were they trying to solve? What language did they trust? What did they need to do quickly?

We asked ourselves: how could we show—right away—that we understood and could support their mission?

Reordering the story

We didn’t throw our story away. We simply changed the order in which it was told.

We simplified the navigation, clarified our services, and made outcomes visible. Every line of copy was revised to speak to the user’s needs and motivations first. Only after those pieces were in place did we reintroduce our story—how we work, what we believe, and why we do this at all.

Purpose and usability go hand in hand

This process taught us that mission-driven design and user-centered design aren’t opposites. They strengthen each other.

Mission gives your work meaning. A user-centered approach ensures that meaning is actually communicated—clearly and effectively.

Serving people tells the story best

This is especially true for our clients—schools, nonprofits, and ethical businesses that exist to serve others. For many of them, the mission and the user are deeply connected. Being user-centered is one of the clearest ways to show what they stand for.

When you serve your users well, you’re not hiding your story—you’re telling it in action.

Final thoughts

Your values still shine through. But they do so in a way that meets people where they are—not where you are.

That’s what turns a site from a statement into a conversation. And that’s the kind of design that drives connection, builds trust, and makes real impact possible.