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Conservation Montgomery
Conservation Montgomery is a local non-profit based in Montgomery County, Maryland. Their mission is advocating for the protection of local resources and educating residents on environmental issues in their county.
ROLE: UX/UI DESIGNER | TOOLS: FIGMA, ILLUSTRATOR, PHOTOSHOP, WIX
The Problem
My hypothesis
Project Goals
Conservation Montgomery’s website was not generating many donations. The organization relies on donations to fund their projects and sustain themselves.
The confusing and repetitive navigation of the site was causing users to click away. The previous design of the site was outdated and I believed did not generate trust in users. The site also was not accessible to Spanish speakers, which make up around 17% of the population in Montgomery County.
-Improve accessibility for Spanish speakers
-Improve navigation to get users where they want to go faster
-Connect users to the issues and increase their likelihood to donate.
RESEARCH PROCESS
Analytics Review
I started the research process by looking at user and audience demographics, as well as reviewing site data analytics. Using this information, I was able to define the average user, and what pages and information were most important to them when visiting the site.
The Average User
59.8% of the users are women
The largest age group is 55-64 year olds.
Current Donations
Only 12.5% of all donations are made through the website.
Top Visited Pages
1. Home 2. About 3. Contact 4. Big Tree Tours
5. Home Tree Care 101
User Interviews
RESEARCH PROCESS
Using the average user demographics, I reached out to Montgomery Country residents to conduct user interviews. My questions revolved around understanding the informational needs of users who are looking to donate to an organization through an online platform. I was also interested in past experiences that may have alienated users and deterred them from donating. For Spanish speaking participants, I included questions related to their browsing experiences and difficulties when browsing between Spanish and English.
A few of the questions asked:
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What information or stories would compel you to donate to a organization?
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Have you ever been inspired to donate to a cause solely after visiting a website? What motivated you to donate?
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What challenges, if any, have you encountered in accessing information or resources in Spanish on the internet?
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How likely are you to support a cause or organization financially if you find its website engaging and informative?
4/5
Participants answered that the About page was the most important page for them when looking at a non-profit’s site.
All
Spanish-speaking participants said they are highly likely to leave a site if translation is unavailable or poor quality.
80%
of participants said they were likely to support an organization financially if they find its website engaging and informative.
Re-designing the Site Map
IMPROVING INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
The previous site map lacked organization, and did not facilitate the user’s needs. This lead me to my hypothesis that this was causing user frustration and not allowing the site to generate donations.
PREVIOUS SITE MAP
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Only two pages were available in Spanish, and would be removed because the full site would be translated
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“Events” and “Activities” seemed too similar, and would confuse a user looking for events held by the organization.
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“Get Involved” and “What you can do” felt repetitive and confusing to users. These pages are important but weren’t highly visited.
RE-DESIGNED SITE MAP
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Unnecessary or repetitive pages were removed, and the information was consolidated on a single page.
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Better structure that would be more familiar to the user, allowing them to journey through the site with ease.
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None of the original content was omitted, just organized into a structure that would facilitate the users journey.
Updating the Logo
ENHANCING VISUAL DESIGN
Updating the logo was part of the site’s new design. The previous version hadn’t been updated since the founding of the organization, 13 years ago.
My approach for this re-design was to keep it simple, and not stray from the key elements of the original logo.
The elements of the previous logo weren’t well placed within the space, and the file format wasn’t ideal.
PREVIOUS LOGO
The updated logo stays true to the elements and feel of the original logo, but is a fresh take on them.
CURRENT LOGO
Creating Low to High Fidelity Wireframes
DESIGNING
Initial wireframes focused on priorities and expectations discussed in meetings with the founder, as well as findings from initial site data analytics and user interviews.
Once further research was completed and I had a detailed picture of the needs for the site I created high-fidelity wireframes that could be easily replicated in Conservation Montgomery’s chosen site platform, Wix.
Final Designs
Final designs were re-tested on users and usability test results improved, and feedback was overall highly positive. The board approved the designs, and the site was launched.
Focus on User Priorities
Final Designs focused on using information discovered through user interviews and usability tests to prioritize placement of important statistics and information to users.
Improved Accessibility
Improvements to navigation, translation options, and overall accessibility were priorities in the final designs, as these things would reduce user frustration and boost user satisfaction.
Enhanced Visual appeal
Final designs enhanced visual appearance helps develop user trust and confidence necessary to support donation growth. Designs reflected the organization’s visual identity and reinforced brand recognition
Results
Results are based on usability testing, and user satisfaction surveys.
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