BacktoRoots

Know where you come from. Feel who you are

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Inspiration

The theme "Lost & Found" immediately resonated with us on a deeply personal level.

Millions of people around the world have lost something fundamental — their cultural identity, their ancestral roots, their sense of belonging. The African diaspora, descendants of enslaved people, and even Beninese locals living abroad carry an unanswered question every single day: Where do I truly come from?

BackToRoots was born from this pain point. We wanted to design an experience that helps people find what was taken from them — their history, their people, their land.

Benin — birthplace of the Dahomey Kingdom, the Vodoun religion, and home to the Fon, Yoruba, Bariba, Goun and Adja peoples — was the perfect starting point. A land whose culture spread across the entire world through the diaspora, yet remains largely undiscovered by those it belongs to.

What it does

BackToRoots is a bilingual cultural reconnection platform that helps anyone — from the African diaspora, international travelers, or Beninese locals — discover their ancestral origins and book an immersive cultural journey to Benin.

The experience is built around 4 core flows:

1. Discover — An interactive multi-step origins quiz that identifies which Beninese people the user may be connected to, or a DNA results input for users who already have ancestry test data.

2. Learn — Rich storytelling pages for each of the 5 peoples of Benin (Fon, Yoruba, Bariba, Goun, Adja) — with authentic images, historical narratives, cultural activities past and present.

3. Travel — 4 all-inclusive cultural journey packages to Benin with flights, accommodation, local guide and health insurance. Also local discovery packages for Beninese residents.

4. Connect — A global diaspora community where members share stories, find travel companions, and reconnect with their roots together.

User Research

We identified 4 distinct user groups and designed specifically for each:

The Diaspora (primary user) Pain point: Disconnected from African roots, no concrete way to reconnect beyond DNA tests. Need: A guided, emotionally safe journey from curiosity to physical reconnection.

Beninese locals Pain point: Often unaware of or disconnected from their own rich cultural heritage. Need: Affordable local discovery experiences that bring pride and awareness.

International travelers Pain point: Generic travel platforms don't offer authentic cultural immersion. Need: Deep, meaningful experiences beyond typical tourism.

DNA test owners Pain point: They have results (23andMe, AncestryDNA) but no clear next step. Need: A platform that translates DNA data into a real human journey.

Key insight from our survey of diaspora community members:

  • 87% said they had thought about visiting their ancestral homeland
  • 73% said health concerns (malaria, food) were a barrier to travel
  • 91% said they would use an app that combined cultural discovery AND travel booking

Design Process

Week 1 — Discovery & Definition We started by mapping the emotional journey of a diaspora user — from the initial question "Where am I from?" to physically standing on ancestral land.

We identified the key tension in our design: How do you make something deeply emotional also feel practical and trustworthy?

We defined our design principles:

  • Emotionally resonant but never exploitative
  • Culturally authentic, never stereotypical
  • Accessible to all backgrounds and budgets
  • Empowering, not pitying

Week 2 — Ideation & Wireframes We explored 3 different concepts:

  • Concept A: DNA-first (led with science)
  • Concept B: Story-first (led with narrative)
  • Concept C: Journey-first (led with travel)

We tested these concepts with 5 diaspora community members and discovered that Concept B created the strongest emotional connection — people wanted to feel before they wanted to act.

This led to our final direction: Story → Discovery → Journey

Week 3 — Prototyping & Testing We built low-fidelity wireframes for the 8 key screens, tested with 8 users, and identified 3 major iteration points:

Iteration 1: The quiz felt too clinical → We added warm cultural context to each question

Iteration 2: The identity card result felt generic → We added personalized soul quotes and cultural symbols per people

Iteration 3: The booking flow felt too transactional → We added the emotional narrative alongside the practical steps

Design Decisions

Color system — why dark and vibrant? We chose a deep dark background (#1A0800) with vibrant African-inspired accents — red-orange (#E63000), gold (#F5A800), green (#00875A), purple (#7B2FBE).

This creates a feeling of depth and mystery that mirrors the journey of discovery, while the vibrant accents celebrate African culture's energy and richness. The darkness also makes the content feel like it's emerging from the past — being rediscovered.

Typography — why serif for headings? We used Playfair Display for all major headings in gold. Serif fonts carry a sense of history, gravitas and storytelling — perfect for a platform rooted in ancestral narrative. Inter for body text keeps readability modern and accessible.

The Ancestral Identity Card This was our hero design moment. We wanted the result of the origins quiz to feel like receiving something precious — not just information, but an identity. The gold border, the cultural symbols, the soul quote, the personalized message — every detail was designed to create an emotional reaction.

The compass + tree logo The compass represents travel and exploration. The tree represents roots and ancestry. Together they say: use this compass to find your roots. This is BackToRoots.

Challenges

Challenge 1 — Cultural sensitivity Designing around topics like the slave trade, Vodoun religion and colonial history required extreme care. We had to balance honesty with respect, education with emotion.

Solution: We consulted with Beninese community members and framed all historical content through the lens of resilience and pride — not trauma.

Challenge 2 — Serving 4 different users Each user group had different needs, different emotional starting points, and different end goals.

Solution: We designed one unified visual language but created distinct entry points and flows for each user type — the quiz path, the DNA path, the local path, and the explorer path.

Challenge 3 — Making it feel real A travel and ancestry platform needs to feel trustworthy. Too much emotion without practical grounding feels unreliable.

Solution: We balanced emotional storytelling with concrete practical elements — real prices, real places, real insurance options, real community testimonials.

What we're proud of

  • Designed a complete end-to-end experience from "I don't know my origins" to "I just booked my journey home"

  • Created a design system that is both deeply African in identity AND universally accessible to anyone in the world

  • The Ancestral Identity Card — a design artifact that users would actually want to share on social media

  • Serving 4 completely different user types within one cohesive visual experience

  • Connecting a lost identity (Lost) with a physical journey home (Found) — directly answering the "Lost & Found" theme

What's next

  • User testing with 50+ diaspora community members across USA, France and Brazil
  • Expansion to other West African countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Senegal)
  • Integration with real DNA testing platforms (African Ancestry, 23andMe API)
  • Mobile app version (iOS + Android)
  • Partnership with UNESCO and Beninese Ministry of Tourism

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