Code and Coffee Philadelphia
I co-founded a beginner-friendly tech community in Philadelphia aimed at supporting new developers and designers. Alongside a small team, I helped create inclusive in-person and online spaces where people could learn, build, and connect.
Project Overview
The Team
Two Software Engineers and a UX Designer
My Role
UX Designer, Developer, Organizer
Problem Space
Philadelphia lacked a free, inclusive tech community that consistently supported both early-career technologists and senior developers seeking reconnection. Existing events often felt intimidating, disorganized, or inaccessible, with no centralized digital resource to help newcomers navigate the local scene or feel a sense of belonging.
Approach
I gathered feedback through in-person conversations, contextual inquiry, and participatory feedback in our Discord's #venue-hunt channel. By asking members about their goals and experience levels, I uncovered key motivators around access, consistency, and community. These insights informed our event structure, site content, and tone. I collaborated with co-organizers to create wireframes and iterated based on live feedback to make participation easy and welcoming.
Solution
We created a recurring event series supported by a mobile-friendly website, Discord server, and global sponsorships to offer a low-pressure, accessible space for programmers. By combining in-person gatherings with digital support, we made participation easy, consistent, and community-driven.
Outcome
Grew to 1,700+ members, 60+ weekly attendees, and 200+ active Discord users in one year — all with zero marketing budget and support from nine sponsors.
Community Infrastructure
- Launched a 200+ member Discord for ongoing support, resources, and announcements.
- Built static brochure style site to centralize RSVPs, community projects, photos, and event details.
- Created weekly Meetup event series leveraging partnership with Code & Coffee to manage event costs.
- Partnered with Comcast LiftLabs for a multi-day hackathon event alongside six other sponsors.
Growing Attendance
- Through in-person feedback, we tried different methods to improve member entry in a highly secured building.
- We tested entry signage with live phone support for venue access which resulted in an overwhelming amount of phone calls and some miscommunication.
- We discovered that using a Discord bot with a live QR code for contact-less entry, and a real-time help channel led to a 140% increase in return attendees.
Key Insights
- Environment matters: Seemingly small details (locked doors, large crowds) made a huge difference in whether someone felt safe to show up.
- Informality builds trust: Friendly messaging and low-pressure formats helped retain shy and first-time attendees.
- Consistency = belonging: Regular events and clear communication led to stronger word-of-mouth and return rates.
Visual Identity
- Inspired by our partners at Socratica, we wanted our site and branding to reflect academia and café notions. Simple, yet playful, I iterated on a calm and welcoming visual identity with academic serif type, handwritten script, and muted, warm colors.
- I iterated on logo ideas, incorporating retro tech, coding references, and coffee. I created a concept of a retro computer with our title inside the screen. The team decided that the title wasn't super legible so I pivoted to a symbolistic approach, prioritizing a simple coffee design with code brackets. We had a pixel artist refine the design.
Details
- I spent time working on hand-drawn digital assets to support the brand, illustrated in Figma.
Site Iterations
- The site had a few clear objectives including event information, CTA's, photography, and community projects.
- I started with a low fidelity wireframe prioritizing that information while slowly tightening up the layout with feedback from the software engineers.
- The final design, as seen on the live site, reflected our goal of adding playfulness to a minimalist foundation. The addition of photography of our live event added color and dimension to the site.
Impact
This initiative helped establish a new scalable, low-barrier tech community in Philadelphia:
- Increased weekly attendance by over 140% after improving access systems
- Built sustainable infrastructure through repeatable event models and modular digital tools
- Strengthened trust and retention by centering inclusive design decisions
By combining in-person gatherings with digital support, we made participation easy, consistent, and community-driven.
Additionally, this project reinforced my ability to contribute strategic design leadership within early-stage, community-driven products!