WINGS FOR GROWTH · ZYA
Turning an established mentorship program into a connected digital platform.
WINGS for Growth had spent years helping women develop as leaders through mentorship, professional development, and community. As the organization looked to bring its established mentorship experience online, The Merc helped shape Zya—a digital platform connecting applications, mentor matching, development goals, learning activities, and ongoing engagement into one experience.
Product Strategy
UX/UI Design
Information Architecture
Digital Product Design
Nonprofit / Leadership Development / Mentorship
Industry
Responsive web application
Platform
Product design completed
Development underway
Since 2023
WINGS partnership
WINGS FOR GROWTH · ZYA
Turning an established mentorship program into a connected digital platform.
WINGS for Growth had spent years helping women develop as leaders through mentorship, professional development, and community. As the organization looked to bring its established mentorship experience online, The Merc helped shape Zya—a digital platform connecting applications, mentor matching, development goals, learning activities, and ongoing engagement into one experience.
Product Strategy
UX/UI Design
Information Architecture
Digital Product Design
Nonprofit / Leadership Development / Mentorship
Industry
Responsive web application
Platform
Product design completed
Development underway
Since 2023
WINGS partnership
WINGS FOR GROWTH · ZYA
Turning an established mentorship program into a connected digital platform.
WINGS for Growth had spent years helping women develop as leaders through mentorship, professional development, and community. As the organization looked to bring its established mentorship experience online, The Merc helped shape Zya—a digital platform connecting applications, mentor matching, development goals, learning activities, and ongoing engagement into one experience.
Product Strategy
UX/UI Design
Information Architecture
Digital Product Design
Nonprofit / Leadership Development / Mentorship
Industry
Responsive web application
Platform
Product design completed
Development underway
Since 2023
WINGS partnership
01 / THE STARTING POINT
Bringing an established mentorship program into a digital experience.
WINGS for Growth had already built a mentorship program around meaningful relationships between mentors and emerging leaders.
But much of that experience depended on people coordinating applications, matching participants, managing mentorship relationships, and supporting development activities.
As the organization looked to extend its reach, these connected processes needed a more structured digital foundation.
The challenge wasn't simply creating a place for mentors and mentees to communicate.
It was translating a people-led mentorship experience into software without losing the guidance, accountability, and human support that made the program valuable.
Our relationship with WINGS began in 2023, including work on its nonprofit website in 2024. Zya became the next chapter of that collaboration in 2026.
01 / THE STARTING POINT
Bringing an established mentorship program into a digital experience.
WINGS for Growth had already built a mentorship program around meaningful relationships between mentors and emerging leaders.
But much of that experience depended on people coordinating applications, matching participants, managing mentorship relationships, and supporting development activities.
As the organization looked to extend its reach, these connected processes needed a more structured digital foundation.
The challenge wasn't simply creating a place for mentors and mentees to communicate.
It was translating a people-led mentorship experience into software without losing the guidance, accountability, and human support that made the program valuable.
Our relationship with WINGS began in 2023, including work on its nonprofit website in 2024. Zya became the next chapter of that collaboration in 2026.
02 / PRODUCT ARCHITECTURE
Building the smallest complete mentorship experience.
The platform needed to support more than one user journey.
A mentee would apply, receive a mentor recommendation, establish a mentorship relationship, work toward development goals, and participate in learning and community activities.
Mentors needed their own experience for managing requests, supporting mentees, reviewing work, and providing feedback.
Meanwhile, the WINGS team needed visibility into applications, matching issues, support requests, and other situations requiring intervention.
We mapped these connected journeys into a coherent product structure, defining how the different experiences related to one another.
An important part of the work was prioritizing what belonged in the initial product experience and what could be simplified or deferred.
The aim was to establish a usable foundation for the mentorship journey without allowing every possible feature to complicate the first release.
02 / PRODUCT ARCHITECTURE
Building the smallest complete mentorship experience.
The platform needed to support more than one user journey.
A mentee would apply, receive a mentor recommendation, establish a mentorship relationship, work toward development goals, and participate in learning and community activities.
Mentors needed their own experience for managing requests, supporting mentees, reviewing work, and providing feedback.
Meanwhile, the WINGS team needed visibility into applications, matching issues, support requests, and other situations requiring intervention.
We mapped these connected journeys into a coherent product structure, defining how the different experiences related to one another.
An important part of the work was prioritizing what belonged in the initial product experience and what could be simplified or deferred.
The aim was to establish a usable foundation for the mentorship journey without allowing every possible feature to complicate the first release.
One mentorship program required connected experiences for participants, mentors, and the team coordinating their journey.
One mentorship program required connected experiences for participants, mentors, and the team coordinating their journey.
03 / APPLICATION EXPERIENCE
Collecting enough information to match—without overwhelming applicants.
A meaningful mentorship relationship begins with understanding the person seeking guidance.
Zya's application needed to capture professional background, leadership aspirations, development challenges, and the support applicants were looking for.
That information would help inform mentor recommendations, but collecting it all at once could make the application unnecessarily demanding.
We structured the experience into manageable steps, organizing related questions and making progress through the application easier to understand.
The process balanced the information WINGS needed with a clearer, more approachable experience for applicants.
Rather than treating onboarding as a simple registration form, we designed it as the foundation for a more relevant mentorship journey.
03 / APPLICATION EXPERIENCE
Collecting enough information to match—without overwhelming applicants.
A meaningful mentorship relationship begins with understanding the person seeking guidance.
Zya's application needed to capture professional background, leadership aspirations, development challenges, and the support applicants were looking for.
That information would help inform mentor recommendations, but collecting it all at once could make the application unnecessarily demanding.
We structured the experience into manageable steps, organizing related questions and making progress through the application easier to understand.
The process balanced the information WINGS needed with a clearer, more approachable experience for applicants.
Rather than treating onboarding as a simple registration form, we designed it as the foundation for a more relevant mentorship journey.
A structured application gathers the context needed to inform mentor recommendations while breaking a detailed process into manageable steps.
A structured application gathers the context needed to inform mentor recommendations while breaking a detailed process into manageable steps.
04 / MENTOR MATCHING
Automating mentor recommendations without removing human judgment.
Finding a suitable mentor is one of the most important moments in the mentorship experience.
Zya was designed around an AI-assisted matching process that uses application information to recommend a suitable mentor.
But a recommendation alone doesn't establish a mentorship relationship.
Mentors need to review and respond to requests, and some situations require additional assistance from the WINGS team.
We designed the experience around these responsibilities—from the matching state and mentor recommendation to acceptance decisions and support when a suitable match cannot be established automatically.
The objective was to make the process feel clear and reassuring for participants while preserving the human involvement necessary to support exceptions.
04 / MENTOR MATCHING
Automating mentor recommendations without removing human judgment.
Finding a suitable mentor is one of the most important moments in the mentorship experience.
Zya was designed around an AI-assisted matching process that uses application information to recommend a suitable mentor.
But a recommendation alone doesn't establish a mentorship relationship.
Mentors need to review and respond to requests, and some situations require additional assistance from the WINGS team.
We designed the experience around these responsibilities—from the matching state and mentor recommendation to acceptance decisions and support when a suitable match cannot be established automatically.
The objective was to make the process feel clear and reassuring for participants while preserving the human involvement necessary to support exceptions.
AI-assisted recommendations, mentor decisions, and human support were designed as connected parts of the matching experience.
AI-assisted recommendations, mentor decisions, and human support were designed as connected parts of the matching experience.
05 / MENTORSHIP & DEVELOPMENT
Turning mentorship into measurable progress.
Matching with a mentor is only the beginning.
The ongoing challenge was helping mentees translate professional ambitions into specific development goals and activities.
Zya gives participants a structured way to work toward their goals, collaborate with mentors on development activities, and receive feedback as they progress.
Mentors can review activities, provide scores and feedback, and approve completed work.
Progress is connected to these reviewed activities rather than simply marking tasks as complete.
We designed the experience to make goals, activities, feedback, and progress understandable within one learning journey.
This gives mentees a clearer view of their development while supporting mentors in the guidance they provide.
05 / MENTORSHIP & DEVELOPMENT
Turning mentorship into measurable progress.
Matching with a mentor is only the beginning.
The ongoing challenge was helping mentees translate professional ambitions into specific development goals and activities.
Zya gives participants a structured way to work toward their goals, collaborate with mentors on development activities, and receive feedback as they progress.
Mentors can review activities, provide scores and feedback, and approve completed work.
Progress is connected to these reviewed activities rather than simply marking tasks as complete.
We designed the experience to make goals, activities, feedback, and progress understandable within one learning journey.
This gives mentees a clearer view of their development while supporting mentors in the guidance they provide.
Development goals become structured activities, with mentor review and feedback informing the mentee's progress.
Development goals become structured activities, with mentor review and feedback informing the mentee's progress.
06 / MULTI-ROLE PRODUCT DESIGN
One mentorship program. Different responsibilities.
Although mentors and mentees participate in the same program, their responsibilities are fundamentally different.
Mentees need to understand their development journey, manage activities, schedule sessions, and find relevant support.
Mentors need to manage relationships with multiple mentees, review requests, provide feedback, and keep development moving forward.
The WINGS team needs a broader operational view, including applications, matching exceptions, support tickets, and alerts that may require attention.
We designed these experiences around the responsibilities of each role rather than forcing everyone into the same dashboard structure.
That meant making the relevant information and actions accessible to each user while keeping the underlying mentorship process connected.
06 / MULTI-ROLE PRODUCT DESIGN
One mentorship program. Different responsibilities.
Although mentors and mentees participate in the same program, their responsibilities are fundamentally different.
Mentees need to understand their development journey, manage activities, schedule sessions, and find relevant support.
Mentors need to manage relationships with multiple mentees, review requests, provide feedback, and keep development moving forward.
The WINGS team needs a broader operational view, including applications, matching exceptions, support tickets, and alerts that may require attention.
We designed these experiences around the responsibilities of each role rather than forcing everyone into the same dashboard structure.
That meant making the relevant information and actions accessible to each user while keeping the underlying mentorship process connected.
Mentees focus on development, mentors on guidance and review, and WINGS administrators on coordination and exceptions.
Mentees focus on development, mentors on guidance and review, and WINGS administrators on coordination and exceptions.
07 / LEARNING & COMMUNITY
Supporting development beyond one-to-one mentorship.
Professional growth doesn't happen exclusively during scheduled mentorship sessions.
Zya was also designed to connect participants with resources, learning opportunities, workshops, and a broader professional community.
Relevant resources and opportunities can be surfaced based on participants' profiles and development goals.
Community experiences allow mentors and mentees to engage with posts, share perspectives, and participate beyond their individual mentorship relationships.
These experiences were designed to complement the core mentorship journey—not distract from it.
The intention was to make Zya a place participants could return to for continued learning and connection.
07 / LEARNING & COMMUNITY
Supporting development beyond one-to-one mentorship.
Professional growth doesn't happen exclusively during scheduled mentorship sessions.
Zya was also designed to connect participants with resources, learning opportunities, workshops, and a broader professional community.
Relevant resources and opportunities can be surfaced based on participants' profiles and development goals.
Community experiences allow mentors and mentees to engage with posts, share perspectives, and participate beyond their individual mentorship relationships.
These experiences were designed to complement the core mentorship journey—not distract from it.
The intention was to make Zya a place participants could return to for continued learning and connection.
Resources, opportunities, workshops, and community experiences extend the platform beyond individual mentorship sessions.
Resources, opportunities, workshops, and community experiences extend the platform beyond individual mentorship sessions.
08 / AI-ASSISTED SUPPORT
Exploring guidance between mentorship sessions.
Alongside the core mentorship experience, Zya includes an AI-assistant concept called Ask Zya.
The feature is intended to give participants an additional way to seek guidance and navigate questions between interactions with their mentors.
The Merc designed the conversational interface as part of the wider product experience, considering how participants would discover and interact with the assistant.
The underlying AI functionality is still in development.
Rather than positioning it as a replacement for human mentorship, the concept supports the broader goal of making guidance more accessible throughout the development journey.
08 / AI-ASSISTED SUPPORT
Exploring guidance between mentorship sessions.
Alongside the core mentorship experience, Zya includes an AI-assistant concept called Ask Zya.
The feature is intended to give participants an additional way to seek guidance and navigate questions between interactions with their mentors.
The Merc designed the conversational interface as part of the wider product experience, considering how participants would discover and interact with the assistant.
The underlying AI functionality is still in development.
Rather than positioning it as a replacement for human mentorship, the concept supports the broader goal of making guidance more accessible throughout the development journey.
Ask Zya explores an additional layer of AI-assisted guidance within the mentorship experience; the underlying functionality remains in development.
Ask Zya explores an additional layer of AI-assisted guidance within the mentorship experience; the underlying functionality remains in development.
09 / DESIGN DELIVERY
Making complex product journeys understandable for engineering.
Designing a connected platform also meant accounting for the behavior behind its screens.
Applications, mentor recommendations, activity approvals, progress calculations, and operational alerts all introduce states and dependencies that need to be understood during development.
Our work extended beyond high-fidelity interfaces.
We delivered user flows, reusable UI components, and detailed development notes describing screen behavior, data states, permissions, and dependencies.
For example, the Active Mentee Dashboard documentation explains both the purpose of the experience and how its different elements are expected to behave.
This helped translate the designed experience into clearer implementation requirements as the product moved into engineering.
09 / DESIGN DELIVERY
Making complex product journeys understandable for engineering.
Designing a connected platform also meant accounting for the behavior behind its screens.
Applications, mentor recommendations, activity approvals, progress calculations, and operational alerts all introduce states and dependencies that need to be understood during development.
Our work extended beyond high-fidelity interfaces.
We delivered user flows, reusable UI components, and detailed development notes describing screen behavior, data states, permissions, and dependencies.
For example, the Active Mentee Dashboard documentation explains both the purpose of the experience and how its different elements are expected to behave.
This helped translate the designed experience into clearer implementation requirements as the product moved into engineering.
Detailed interface specifications connect the visible product experience with the behaviors, states, and dependencies required for implementation.
Detailed interface specifications connect the visible product experience with the behaviors, states, and dependencies required for implementation.
10 / THE OUTCOME
An established mentorship program, translated into a development-ready digital product.
The Merc completed the product-design engagement for Zya, bringing the application, mentor matching, development journey, learning experiences, and role-specific workflows into a cohesive digital product design.
The delivery included high-fidelity interfaces, user flows, reusable components, and detailed documentation to support engineering.
Development is now underway.
While adoption and program outcomes will depend on the eventual launch, the completed design work establishes a structured product foundation for WINGS to bring its mentorship experience online.
Zero-to-One Product Design
A connected digital experience developed around an established mentorship program.
Three Core User Roles
Dedicated experiences for mentees, mentors, and WINGS administrators.
Connected Mentorship Workflows
Application, matching, goals, activities, feedback, and support.
Development Handoff Completed
High-fidelity designs, components, user flows, and implementation documentation.
10 / THE OUTCOME
An established mentorship program, translated into a development-ready digital product.
The Merc completed the product-design engagement for Zya, bringing the application, mentor matching, development journey, learning experiences, and role-specific workflows into a cohesive digital product design.
The delivery included high-fidelity interfaces, user flows, reusable components, and detailed documentation to support engineering.
Development is now underway.
While adoption and program outcomes will depend on the eventual launch, the completed design work establishes a structured product foundation for WINGS to bring its mentorship experience online.
Zero-to-One Product Design
A connected digital experience developed around an established mentorship program.
Three Core User Roles
Dedicated experiences for mentees, mentors, and WINGS administrators.
Connected Mentorship Workflows
Application, matching, goals, activities, feedback, and support.
Development Handoff Completed
High-fidelity designs, components, user flows, and implementation documentation.
WORK WITH THE MERC
Turning a complex, people-led service into software?
We help organizations translate interconnected workflows, different user responsibilities, and evolving product requirements into clear, development-ready digital experiences.
Discuss your product
WORK WITH THE MERC
Turning a complex, people-led service into software?
We help organizations translate interconnected workflows, different user responsibilities, and evolving product requirements into clear, development-ready digital experiences.
Discuss your product
WORK WITH THE MERC
Turning a complex, people-led service into software?
We help organizations translate interconnected workflows, different user responsibilities, and evolving product requirements into clear, development-ready digital experiences.
Discuss your product
WORK WITH THE MERC
Turning a complex, people-led service into software?
We help organizations translate interconnected workflows, different user responsibilities, and evolving product requirements into clear, development-ready digital experiences.
Discuss your product
