connects retired professionals with individuals or startups seeking expert guidance, enabling purposeful, valued mentorship across generations

End to End product design / 100 hours / May 2025

Problem

Retirees often feel disconnected from their field after retirement despite their willingness to contribute. Learners struggle to access practical, field-tested advice without paying for expensive consultants or relying on unreliable online forums.

Context

2.1B in 2050

According to the UN, by 2050, 21.5% of the global population will be 60+

1 in 3

of older adults report feeling lonely, according to AARP

76%

believe mentors are important, yet only 37% have one, according to Mentorloop

54%

of workers aged 66+ have desire to stay mentally active and seek opportunities to remain productive and useful, according to AARP

$100-$350+

per an hour for consulting rates, which are varied for the positions

Challenges

in online forums are information overload and a lack of trust and credibility, according to Linkedin

Solution

AdvisorLink empowers retirees to stay engaged, earn income, and feel valued. At the same time, it provides learners with accessible, one-on-one insights from real experts—saving them time, money, and uncertainty.

I developed AdvisorLink through a scenario-based design approach grounded in research and user personas. With a clear understanding of both user groups—retired professionals (Advisors) and startups or independent creators (Learners)—we framed the problem around meaningful, low-barrier consulting and/or mentorship that fits the real-life context and motivations of both sides.

Scenario

User Persona 1

Daniel, 35 years old, A healthcare startup founder

Daniel Capri is a startup founder building a digital health program for cardiology patients. Like many early-stage entrepreneurs, he often finds that traditional consulting is out of reach—too expensive, too formal, and rarely grounded in lived experience. He needs practical, field-tested guidance that you can’t find in a blog post or Reddit thread.

User Persona 2

Grace, 64 year old, a retired nurse

Grace Lopez is a retired nurse practitioner who spent over three decades working in cardiology and primary care. After retiring, she found herself missing the sense of purpose and connection that came with her work.

From the Advisors’ perspective, we focused on their desire to stay connected, contribute meaningfully, and feel valued after retirement, without taking on the complexity of traditional consulting. We saw an opportunity to create a platform that requires minimal setup or administrative effort. Advisors like Grace, a retired nurse practitioner, can simply set their availability and wait to be matched with someone who needs their guidance. All communication, scheduling, and payment processing are handled within the app—allowing Grace to share her expertise without worrying about logistics.

From the Learners’ perspective, we addressed key goals such as affordability, access to real-world expertise, and flexibility. Startups and creatives like Daniel, a healthcare startup founder, often need short-term, practical advice that is hard to find in forums or costly consulting. Through AdvisorLink, Daniel can search for professionals in relevant fields, send a short project brief, propose a rate, and schedule quick one-on-one sessions with people like Grace, who’ve “been there.”

Grace receives a newsletter from the American Retirement Association featuring a story on staying professionally active. The article mentions AdvisorLink—a new app connecting retirees with those who need guidance. Intrigued by the chance to stay involved and contribute meaningfully, she decides to give it a try.

Grace downloads AdvisorLink and finds the application process refreshingly simple. With just a few thoughtful questions, she submits her interest in becoming an Advisor.

After a call with AdvisorLink team, Grace gets a notification—her Advisor profile is approved and live. Before viewing her dashboard, she's prompted to set her text size. She feels welcomed and selects the large option, which is easier on her eyes.

Daniel, a healthcare startup founder, has had a great experience on AdvisorLink before—getting early-stage advice from a retired startup owner. Now, as he builds a program focused on patient care, he turns to the app again, this time searching for Advisors with real-world healthcare experience.

Using keyword search, Daniel finds Grace—a retired nurse practitioner with decades in cardiac care. Her warm, clear profile and available time slots match what he’s looking for, so he bookmarks her.

Daniel sends Grace a meeting request with a short message and a few suggested time slots, hoping to learn how her experience can guide his project forward.

Grace receives a message from Daniel, who’s building a healthcare program for cardiology patients. He wants to chat about how to approach it.

She reviews his request and schedules an intro meeting through the app.

Five minutes before the session, Grace opens the app and taps the Zoom button on her dashboard. The app automatically created a Zoom link when the meeting was scheduled, so joining is seamless.

After their intro call, Daniel feels confident in Grace’s insight and wants to continue. He writes a short project brief using the app’s simple prompt and selects a fair session rate. He sends Grace an offer to begin working together.

Grace receives Daniel’s offer and reads through his project brief. She’s happy to help—and excited to see her experience being valued. She accepts the offer, feeling fulfilled by the chance to contribute meaningfully and earn something for her time.

Over the next few weeks, Grace meets with Daniel for three sessions, offering insights as he builds his program. Then she receives a new request from Liz—a writer working on a story about a medical team. Liz is looking for real-life experiences to bring her piece to life. Grace shares stories from her hospital days and enjoys the thoughtful conversations. She feels energized, valued, and reconnected to her field—on her own terms, without returning to full-time work. She’s contributing meaningfully, earning for her time, and staying engaged.

By designing the platform around this real-world scenario, I ensured that both parties experience a smooth, trustworthy, and mutually valuable interaction. The solution reflects both the emotional and logistical needs of our users—providing a lightweight, purpose-driven alternative to traditional mentorship and consulting platforms.

Process

Research

  • Competitive analysis

  • One-on-one User interviews

Define

  • Persona

  • Sitemap

  • User flow

Design & Testing

  • Lo-fi, Hi-fi, Prototype

  • Usability Testing

Research

Approach
To define the problem space and audience, I conducted:

  • Competitor analysis of existing mentorship and networking platforms

  • User interviews with two target groups: retirees and younger professionals

Discovery
From my competitor analysis, I discovered that while mentorship and social platforms exist, few are designed to foster low-effort, trust-based connections between retirees and younger users—most are either too professionally formal, too socially casual, or lack age-inclusive, accessible design

From my user interviews, I discovered:

  • Retirees seek purposeful engagement and value opportunities to contribute post-retirement.

  • Many described emotional challenges and social disconnect after leaving the workforce.

  • Young people deeply value lived wisdom but want support that is empathetic and non-judgmental.

  • Both groups are motivated by mutual respect and meaningful, low-pressure connection

Competitor Analysis Chart (Click the image to view)

All interviews were conducted remotely via video calls

Affinity map

Notable Insights

  • Retirees enjoy sharing stories and feel fulfilled helping younger people.

  • Younger users want insight from people who’ve “been there”—especially in moments of uncertainty.

  • A dedicated intergenerational platform is more purposeful than generic social media.

  • Seniors are more likely to adopt a platform that offers clear, dignified opportunities to help others.

  • Communication should balance the clarity of texting with the richness of calling.

  • Accessibility and simplicity are essential for older users to engage with confidence.

Define

Personas

Since my platform bridges intergenerational communication between younger individuals and older retired people, it’s essential to treat each as a distinct user group because they interact with your product in very different ways.

Persona 1

Sitemap for Advisors

Persona 2

Mentor-First Design Philosophy

For this project, I made a strategic choice to prioritize retired professionals—the mentors/advisors—as the primary users. While most mentorship platforms are mentee-centric, AdvisorLink flips the model to serve the “supply side” first. Without engaged, credible mentors, the platform holds no value for mentees.

Retirees bring decades of experience, but face distinct UX barriers: lower tech confidence, accessibility needs, and discomfort with self-promotion. By centering their experience—I created a sitemap and user flows for intuitive onboarding, simplified flows, and emotionally meaningful interactions.

User Flows for Advisors

Design

First, I designed low-fidelity wireflows, mapping out key interactions to ensure a seamless, goal-oriented experience from onboarding to session completion.

Flow 1: Become an Advisor

Flow 2: Schedule a meeting

Flow 3: Accept an offer

After designing low-fidelity wireframes, I conducted usability testing with five participants to validate core flows and uncover early usability issues. While users found the core flows intuitive, feedback revealed confusion around the app’s purpose, matching process, and onboarding clarity.

Branding

To support AdvisorLink’s mission of purposeful, intergenerational connection, I established a brand identity that feels warm, dignified, and inclusive. I began by defining core brand values that reflect the emotional and practical goals of the platform:

Brainstorming

Core Values

From these values, I developed a brand style tile that includes a retro-modern color palette, rounded shapes for approachability, and typography that balances clarity with warmth. I also designed the AdvisorLink logo to reflect mutual exchange and legacy—with a circular form symbolizing guidance that comes full circle.

Brand Style Tile

Based on usability feedback from the low-fidelity wireframes, I refined the experience and applied this branding system to the high-fidelity wireframes, ensuring that every screen reflects the platform’s purpose—making Advisors feel respected and valued, and helping Seekers navigate with clarity and confidence.

Testing & Iteration

To evaluate clarity, usability, and overall experience, I conducted task-based usability testing with target user. I tested high-fidelity prototypes for visual design, interaction patterns, and accessibility.

Hi-fi Prototype Example

While participants navigated low-fi flows with ease, testing the interactive prototype surfaced key issues—such as unclear button meanings, overlooked elements, and confusion around the app’s purpose and onboarding process. These were insights that wouldn’t have surfaced from static screens alone.

Based on this feedback, I iterated and delivered a more refined experience. Key improvements included:

  • Clearer navigation labels and simplified iconography

  • A more prominent, streamlined dashboard for mentors

  • Clarified scheduling and messaging system

Conclusion

Summary

AdvisorLink is a micro-consulting platform that bridges generations by connecting retirees with valuable expertise to younger creators and professionals who seek real-world guidance. The project demonstrates how thoughtful design can unlock untapped potential in both groups, resulting in mutual value.

What I Learned

I learned how to design meaningful connections between very different user groups through inclusive research, clear UX, and thoughtful interaction design. By addressing both senior advisors and younger users, I developed parallel design solutions tailored to their specific needs and preferences.

I also gained experience turning social needs into viable product opportunities—designing a platform that not only solves a real-world problem, but creates mutual value and potential for revenue. This taught me how to build purpose-driven products that are both user-centered and business-minded.

Key Takeaways

This project shows my ability to:

  • Lead a full end-to-end UX process, from research to final design

  • Conduct inclusive user research across diverse age groups and roles

  • Design parallel experiences tailored to different user needs on the same platform

  • Translate social challenges into strategic, revenue-generating opportunities

  • Solve problems with both empathy and business-minded thinking

  • Deliver accessible, emotionally resonant, and purpose-driven design

Next Step

To improve the product, I would:

  • Develop a desktop version for more professional use.

  • Refine onboarding and navigation to reduce confusion.

  • Expand the messaging flow to feel more natural and familiar for mobile users.

  • Refine the business model for learners (mentees) directly into the user flow—ensuring the pricing, booking, and payment experience is transparent, simple, and aligned with their goals and expectations.