Crafting an intuitive and joyful platform for effortless fundraising
Product: Web-tool redesign
My role: UX Designer + Project Manager
Timeline: 3 weeks
CONTEXT
Team: 3 UX Designers, 1 Software Engineer, 2 Co-Founders
Client: Pelican Invests
Tools:
Enhancing investment platform to empower families
Pelican Invests is an investment platform dedicated to helping families save and raise funds for their children’s future education. Pelican approached our team to enhance their user dashboard experience and streamline two critical workflows: opening a new fund and making donations.
CHALLENGE
Redefined flows and simple navigation boost satisfaction
As UX Designer and Project Manager, I led our team in creating intuitive solutions for fund creation and donation, thus helping users improve their financial literacy understanding. I achieved this through redefining information architecture, adding additional educational context, and adding elements of surprise and delight.
SOLUTION
Interviews and testing point to deep insights
To gain a stronger understanding of the short-comings and confusion of Pelican’s existing website, I conducted usability tests to evaluate how users experience the website. Additionally our team analyzed competitor tools, interviewed users, and ran a heuristic evaluation. Upon synthesizing the findings we were led to 3 key themes to drive our design and improvements: Educational Context, Information Hierarchy, and Intuitive Interaction.
RESEARCH METHODS
5
Competitors Analyzed
Reviewed popular fundraising
tools on the market
6
Users
Interviewed
Qualitative data identified specific pain points
1
Heuristic Evaluation
Examined the UI to identify difficulties and opportunities
4
Usability
Tests
Watched how users interact with the existing tool
Desire for more educational context
When using the existing website, 3 of 4 users needed additional financial context to set up an accurate savings goal.
Feeling disoriented
All users expressed confusion by the steps and hierarchy of the existing dashboard, often leaving them feeling disoriented.
Dissatisfied with fund creation
When creating a new fund, 3 of 4 users felt confused and dissatisfied with the steps.
“I didn’t grow up with financially literate parents, so I want to break that generational gap. If it’s something that has to do with my child, I definitely want to learn more about it.”
Personalized finance solutions for education planning
As a way to synthesize our research and interview data and build empathy for specific user needs, we developed two user personas. Sam the Saver, a new parent eager to save for their child's education and become financially literate, and Gene the Gifter, a generous Aunt seeking a secure and smooth way to contribute through donations.
PERSONA
Prioritizing security and intuitive navigation
Both Sam and Gene are invested in the future of a their loved ones, and are seeking a more intuitive and secure way to navigate Pelican’s experience.
JOURNEY MAP
SOLUTION
Refined Flows & Revamped Wireframes
Through developing new user flows we redesigned screens for a more direct and intutive experience. New screens address issues with information hierarchy and intuitive interaction found in our research and testing. Menu items were refreshed with new universal icons and layperson titles, removing extraneous options to avoid cognitive overload.
Intuitive Onboarding
Creating a more familiar onboarding experience with reorganized information hierarchy creates a smoother starting point for users.
Increased Educational Context
Providing more information about types of colleges and projected costs helps users make decisions with confidence and clarity.
Advanced Search Functionality
Optimized search tool capable of searching multiple attributes and accommodating approximate search terms, helping with ease of use.
Testing reveals improved usability
After redesigning wireframes, we facilitated usability tests to validate our edits and compare to our initial round of usability testing to find a significant increase in usability across the board. Through this final round of testing we captured suggested improvements and next steps for the Pelican team.
USABILITY TESTING
Flow Differentiation
Users expressed confusion around creating a fund versus creating a milestone event. Incorporating icons or color indicators to visually differentiate flows can ease confusion.
Additional Financial Content
To promote transparency and increase financial literacy, we recommend a calculator feature & familiar shopping cart experience.
Incremental UI Improvements
Users grew frustrated with inconsistent cursor icons and lack of interactive elements. Further UI improvements like dynamic CTAs and cursors can clarify confusion for a more seamless experience.
NEXT STEPS
Optimizing UX Strategy
Reflecting on this project, there are a few changes I would make next time.
Consider alternative UX research methods, such as incorporating a questionnaire
Allocate dedicated time for making revisions after the second round of usability testing
Engage in further discussions about prioritizing a mobile-first redesign to align with target user’s preferences
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS
Transferable skills inform my design approach
My experience as an educator underscores the importance of accessible education and the financial challenges it poses for many families. This perspective informed my user-focused decisions on this project, aligning both with user needs and client goals. Additionally, my background in nonprofit fundraising highlights my understanding of donation challenges, contributing to a seamless and intuitive saving and gifting experience as a UX Designer on this project.