Black Sisters in STEM, a nonprofit, aims to build the largest talent pipeline of Black college women in STEM. It relies predominantly on donations to empower its fellows and fulfill its mission. Despite receiving a $75,000 matching fund for its end-of-year donation campaign, it is not experiencing the anticipated boost in donations. The current donation experience lacks a clear narrative and compelling engagement, hindering the organization from fully leveraging the matching fund’s potential.
Before delving into the the design process undertaken to tackle this challenge, here’s a sneak peek at the final proposed design!
Restructured the landing page layout by organizing it into distinct sections with a clear visual hierarchy, facilitating easier comprehension of campaign information
Redesigned the donation form from pop-up windows to dedicated pages, reducing accidental closures and minimize distractions for improved usability
Employed compelling visual and narrative elements to create an emotionally resonant experience for users, fostering deeper engagement with the donation campaign
Established comprehensive design guidelines to ensure that every element reflects the organization’s values
Through user interviews, I identified two distinct user personas — one-time donors and recurring donors, each with unique preferences and requirements. Synthesizing their nuanced needs into a user journey map, I pinpointed targeted design opportunities to enhance the donation experience for both user segments.
Ensure information is presented in a clear and easily comprehensible manner, with a structured visual hierarchy to guide users through the content effortlessly
Utilize compelling visuals, impactful storytelling, and communication of impacts to captivate users, convey the urgency of the problem and foster deeper engagement with the cause
Ensure design elements effectively communicate the organization’s identity and values, while maintaining consistency throughout the redesign
Streamline the donation process and optimize website navigation to enhance user experience, making it easier for both one-time and recurring donors to complete donations
I then translated the key contents identified in the site map into concrete sections. Subsequently, I explored various layout options for these sections, aiming to strike a balance between providing sufficient information to captivate users’ interest and facilitating seamless conversion into action (i.e. making a donation) before they leave the site.
To address the visual inconsistency identified in the existing donation website, I established design guidelines which include outlining standards for typography, color palette, layout, and interactive elements.
While I initially focused on designing the desktop website as per the client’s requirements, I proactively considered mobile usability given the significant proportion of past donations made through mobile devices. Understanding the importance of catering to mobile users, I ensured that the desktop design seamlessly translated to mobile screens. This strategy aimed to provide a consistent and user-friendly experience across all devices.
