Project Overview
Designing for Change
As part of a team of five, we completed a 5-day design sprint focused on creating solutions for social good.
The Problem
Non-profits like Charity: Water faces significant challenges in retaining donors:
This highlights a critical need for better donor connection strategies.
The Solution
We created a prototype that show cases out proposal to improve the landing page and donation experience for Charity: Water, ensuring their value proposition and impact are communicated effectively.
Utilize clear messaging, engaging visuals, and compelling storytelling to resonate with potential donors and inspire meaningful action.
Create a seamless, transparent, and trustworthy donation experience that encourages long-term donor engagement.
Step 1: Research
Getting the full picture
To address this challenge, we explored strategies to deepen donor engagement and increase retention, focusing on:
Secondary Research
Objective
Conduct usability testing with 5 participants to:
Uncover key motivators that drive individuals to donate.
Identify the values individuals prioritize when choosing a charity.
Understand the pain points or barriers that discourage continued support.
User Roles
Individuals passionate about contributing to their communities and with previous experience donating to charities.
Insights #1
Emotion
Donors are drawn to charities with compelling storytelling that connects emotionally to their mission.
Insights #2
Impact
Clear links between donations and tangible outcomes inspire satisfaction and further contributions.
Insights #3
Integrity
Successful applicants emphasize the value of support from friends, family, or community groups throughout the process.
Step 2: Website Evaluation
Analyzing the User Journey
With a clear understanding of the problem and the user’s need for meaningful connection to build and sustain donations, we evaluated Charity: Water’s landing page and donation experience.
During this process, we identified four major issues:
Usability Issues
Different Experience
Various entry points lead to inconsistent landing pages (Left is though google search, right is through adds)
1
Limited Visibility. While multiple donation methods are available, they are not prominently displayed, making it challenging for users to explore options beyond credit/debit cards.
4
Unclear Causes Donors struggle to understand which programs their contributions support. Is not consistent on both pages.
3
Disconnected Narrative. The storytelling is uninspiring, making the mission and impact feel unclear.
2
The evaluation highlighted inconsistencies and a lack of narrative on the landing page, which limited its ability to inspire donations.
While transparency was present, it lacked the emotional connection and storytelling to engage donors.
Solution Goals
Trust
Enhance transparency and trust for
first-time donors.
Narrative
Engage new users through a more cohesive and inspiring narrative.
Path
Streamlined donation path that maximizes opportunities for contributions.
Step 3: Ideation
Shaping the Solutions
With a clear plan in place, we began by creating solution sketches and developing into wireframes ready for user testing.
Step 4: Testing
We then conducted user testing and used a prioritization matrix to ensure our users can complete the task flow.
Step 5: Branding & Solution
Bringing the Mission to Life
After addressing the tester's feedback, it was time to incorporate the brand identity into the final prototype.
We examined various branding elements, including typography, color, and imagery, to establish a cohesive identity.
Charity: Water has an extensive library of assets that we used to improve the design. Additionally, the team created custom design elements to enhance the brand's visual identity even more.
For the Landing Page, we crafted a narrative that guides donors through the charity's impact on the cause, emphasizes the importance of addressing the issue, and highlights specific projects they can support.
Conclusion
Our design solution enhances Charity: Water’s ability to connect with donors by providing a clear narrative, showcasing their mission and impact, and centralizing donation options. Donors can now confidently explore programs, understand where their contributions go, and choose from multiple giving methods, fostering trust, engagement, and lasting generosity.
Key Learnings
A warm, approachable voice and tone enhance user engagement and create a welcoming experience.
Emotional connection and trust are the most powerful motivators for donations.
While Charity: Water has excellent content—images, stories, and impactful results—the lack of a clear narrative diminishes its potential.
Next Steps
Enhance Visual Storytelling: Incorporate testimonials, videos, and other multimedia elements to make the narrative more compelling and relatable.
Conduct Further User Testing: Perform a second round of user testing to evaluate whether the improved visual identity strengthens the narrative and donor engagement.
Expand Content: Add an "About" page and include the organization’s history to reinforce credibility.
Credits
This project was a collaborative effort made possible by the exceptional teamwork of talented designers Vuoni Unuigbe, Michelle Murray, and Ashley Cabrera. Their skills and insights were instrumental to our success. I am grateful not only for the opportunity to contribute but also for the chance to learn and grow alongside such inspiring teammates.