How Websites Can Reflect the Soul of Your Organisation: In Conversation with Samridhi Nair
Co-authored by Samridhi & Samit
28 Jul 2025
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Vantage is all about building brands with purpose and clarity. A series by Quawd, Vantage turns real conversations with founders, creative leads, strategists, and creators into sharp, actionable insights. We take raw ideas and lived experiences, and shape them into stories that help brands build with intention — not noise.
Each edition explores focused questions with people who are building for the long run. This one shines a light on voices from the education and social impact space — where vision, empathy, and clarity matter more than ever.
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To begin this conversation, we sat down with Samridhi Nair, Co-founder of Step2Words — an organisation centred on student-led learning and expression.
What followed was a deep dive into how Samridhi sees digital spaces — not as information hubs, but as emotional extensions of the organisations behind them. Her vision challenges the norm: what if a website could reflect your values before a single word is read? What if design felt more like an experience than a layout?
We asked Samridhi five questions on how digital experiences can reflect who you are — without saying too much.
Here’s how she responded — with clarity, conviction, and a whole lot of heart.
If someone lands on your website by accident, what’s the one thing they should take away?
Quick Overview:
Your mission should be clear within seconds, even without scrolling
Let visuals carry the message so that nothing needs to be overexplained
Prioritise emotional recall over explanation. What they feel is more important than what they know
Insight: Both Samridhi and Samit agree that a website should not wait to introduce itself. The moment someone lands, even by accident, they should know what you do and feel why it matters. Samridhi puts it simply: “I don’t want them to read. I want them to see and feel.” In this approach, visuals are not just decorative. They become the voice of the organisation.
Samit builds on this with clarity. He explains that a homepage should reflect your mission, not your vision. Not where you want to go, but what you are doing right now, and who it is for. This can be achieved through one photograph, one layout, or one small interaction that says more than a paragraph ever could.
As Samridhi says, "That picture has to tell a story." And when it does, it stays — not just on the screen, but in someone’s mind.
Social impact websites often feel content-heavy. How would you simplify navigation without losing depth?
Quick Overview:
Avoid overwhelming users with dense content and long reading paths
Use visuals, keywords, and emotional cues to guide exploration
Create a layered structure where deeper information is optional
Design should feel light, intuitive, and non-corporate
Insight: Samridhi shares that many websites in the social impact space fall into the trap of over-explaining. Long sections of text, forced infographics, and heavy information can dilute curiosity instead of building it. Her view is that websites should invite discovery, not demand attention. Visuals, symbols, and short cues should do the heavy lifting. If someone wants to go deeper, they should feel welcome to — not obligated to.
Samit reinforces this by suggesting a flow that prioritises emotion and clarity over information bulk. He notes that many users feel lost or fatigued when too many sections try to say too much too early. Samridhi adds that even when you offer more content, it should never feel like reading a report. One small paragraph, if well placed and well timed, can do more than five blocks of copy.
Together, they advocate for a website that respects a user's time and mindset. The best websites don’t try to tell everything. They give just enough to make you want to know more.
How can a website build credibility without relying on logos, metrics, or big-name testimonials?
Quick Overview:
Credibility comes from coherence, not just credentials
Let your work, voice, and user experience speak for themselves
Build trust through alignment — not amplification
Avoid designing for an audience you’re not actually serving
Insight: Samridhi challenges the conventional idea that credibility is built through metrics, partnerships, or big-name validations. She believes that if your work is honest and visible, that is enough. A testimonial from a famous voice or a stack of logos may help with donor confidence, but if your audience is not looking for that, who are you doing it for?
Samit brings in a layered perspective. He points out that most organisations build for everyone and end up resonating with no one. Instead, he suggests first defining who the website is truly for — a donor, a volunteer, a policymaker, or a parent. Once that’s clear, every piece of content, every story, and every image should be curated with that person in mind. That alignment builds real credibility.
Together, they suggest a shift in focus: from broadcasting authority to designing authenticity. Your values, your team’s tone, your students’ stories — if they all feel consistent and human, that’s enough to earn trust. Not because someone else said you’re credible, but because your platform quietly shows it.
If your user had zero digital literacy, what’s one design feature that would help them navigate the site?
Quick Overview:
Create guided walk-throughs using simple prompts
Highlight actions while dimming distractions
Allow users to self-identify (donor, student, volunteer) for tailored journeys
Consider voice and hyperlocal language for accessibility
Insight: Samridhi draws inspiration from how apps like Canva or Instagram onboard users — with visual cues that walk you through what to do next. She suggests the same approach for websites. Use overlays that gently highlight buttons or actions while the rest of the screen fades into the background. This directs attention without overwhelming. It should feel like someone is showing you around, not just dropping you into a complex layout.
Samit extends the idea with a practical layer. What if the user could first choose who they are — a donor, a student, a mentor — and the website adapts accordingly? Not by changing the entire site, but by offering a brief, guided tour based on that identity. He also proposes a disclaimer that reassures users that no personal data is tracked, so they can feel safe exploring.
Samridhi agrees that adding features like voice support or local language translation could be powerful, especially if parents or shopkeepers are part of the intended audience. But she’s clear that accessibility should be aligned with purpose. These solutions work best when you know who you're designing for, not just when you want to sound inclusive.
If tech and budget weren’t a constraint, what feature would you build tomorrow?
Quick Overview:
Build a website that feels like entering a space, not loading a screen
Use original music, voice, and ambient mood to create emotional presence
Add a live, conversational guide — not just a chatbot
Personalise the experience while keeping it opt-in and respectful
Insight: Samridhi envisions a website that doesn’t just inform — it transports. Think original music, ambient sounds, and soft transitions that feel like you’ve stepped into a space, not just visited a webpage. Inspired by theatre, she imagines a digital atmosphere where mood, energy, and emotion guide the user. This experience would be led not by text, but by tone.
Samit adds a compelling idea: what if a voice greeted you when you land, asking if you need help exploring? Not just any voice, but a familiar one — maybe even the founder’s. Using AI, this interaction could feel personal, guiding users based on their questions and intent. Samridhi finds value in this too, as long as it's opt-in and non-invasive. The goal is not to wow with tech, but to connect through experience.
Together, they reimagine the website not as a brochure or menu, but as a walkthrough. Something live, something felt, and something remembered. If done right, people wouldn’t just understand your work — they’d feel like they were part of it.
About Samridhi Nair
Samridhi Nair is the founder of Step2Words, a non-profit focused on bridging India’s English literacy gap through arts-based learning. A former Teach For India fellow and served as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at The Circle India, she combines grassroots experience with systems thinking to design solutions that help students express, engage, and stay in school. Her work centers on one core idea: literacy should never be a barrier to opportunity.
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