Willow Legal Resource

Project Overview

Willow.org.au was commissioned by Women's Legal Service NSW, and that brief shaped every decision we made.

This isn't a website in the ordinary sense. It's a resource for women who may be accessing it from a shared device, in a hurry, under pressure, or in danger. The people who need Willow most are often the people with the least margin for error.

That reality drove the design from the first conversation.

The brief

Women accessing help in a crisis face circumstances that most digital design simply ignores:

• Shared or monitored devices, where a browsing history can have real consequences
• Slow or unreliable connections in regional and rural NSW
• High stress and limited time: every extra click, every slow load, every confusing interface is a barrier
• Varied digital literacy, and no patience for complexity when it matters most
• A need to feel safe, not overwhelmed

Women's Legal Service NSW asked us to build something that took all of that seriously. We did.

Our approach

We worked directly with Women's Legal Service NSW, and with the women the service exists for, to understand what this resource actually needed to do.

Safe exit technology

A single tap clears all trace of the visit: history, cookies, cached data. Gone. Because for some users, digital safety is physical safety.

Trauma-aware interface

Calm colour palette. Clear hierarchy. Nothing rushed, nothing aggressive. Designed to reduce cognitive load at exactly the moment when that matters most.

Ultra-lightweight architecture

No unnecessary scripts. Optimised assets. Minimal requests. Fast on poor connections, light on older devices. Not a sustainability exercise: a practical necessity for the people using it.

Mobile-first, stress-tested

Built for the reality that most users arrive via mobile, often in difficult circumstances. Touch targets sized for stressed hands. Critical information front and centre.

Results

The numbers reflect the brief:

• Sub-2 second load times on 3G across regional NSW
• 98% accessibility score, WCAG 2.1 AA
• Zero security breaches of user data or browsing history
• 0.46g CO₂ per page view: a byproduct of building lean, not a goal in itself

Conclusion

Willow is the kind of project that reminds you why getting the details right matters.

Women's Legal Service NSW trusted us with something serious. We're proud of what we built together, and proud to remain involved in keeping it safe, fast, and compliant.