Case Study: Inneract Project expands access to hands-on UX/UI training for Black and brown designers with Figma

How Inneract Project empowers the next generation of brown and black designers

Inneract Project (IP), founded by Maurice Woods, prepares Black and brown youth from underrepresented communities to pursue design careers, but faced persistent barriers: professional design software was expensive, students often had to share computers, and the program needed tools that supported a shift from graphic design to UX/UI. During this transition IP found Figma, a browser-based design tool that could potentially remove cost and access hurdles.

Figma’s free, browser-first platform let IP give students hands-on experience anywhere — in class, at home, or in public computer labs — and enabled more after-hours practice and collaborative projects. As a result, IP expanded its curriculum, accelerated student learning, and produced tangible outcomes: students have gone on to design school and careers (for example, Leigh at Academy of Art University, Saaleha pursuing design research after UC Berkeley) and shipped real projects (Sierra’s mobility concept, Noah’s digital campaigns), demonstrating Figma’s measurable impact on access and career pathways.

Inneract Project

Maurice Woods

Executive Director and Founder