Project Overview

Introduction

Many children still lack the basic help they need. Traditional donations can feel distant, and donors often don’t see how their help makes a difference. The Reindeers Donation platform was created to change this. It makes helping simple and clear, connecting donors directly with the children they support to create a more personal and meaningful experience.

Problem

How might we help donors choose between giving money and selecting the right gifts for children, while also allowing them to track the impact of their contributions?

My Responsibilities

• UX research,
• Content development,
• Roadmap planning,
• System design,
• Visual design.

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

Exploring Similar Platforms: Insights from Donation Center Websites

• Most donation websites, like Goodwill, DonorsChoose, The Salvation Army, and Habitat for Humanity Restore, focus primarily on donors.
• While some offer options to donate money or goods, others don’t provide choices.
• Most of them are clean and easy to navigate.

FIRST STEP RESEARCH

Providing Targeted Donations for Children in Varied Circumstances

Our platform offers categories based on children’s specific needs, allowing donors to support targeted groups like those in rural areas, with health challenges, or requiring educational resources. According to research, here are the main categories:

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE

Balancing Client Expectations with User Insights

The goal of this research is to understand user behavior, preferences, and pain points when using donation platforms. Key decisions to inform include:
1. What features should be prioritized in the platform design?
2. What donation methods should be supported to align with user preferences?
3. How can the platform build trust and encourage recurring donations?
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To achieve this, I conducted 4-5 user interviews, analyzing qualitative insights through thematic analysis.
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Participants were selected to represent diverse demographics and donation habits, including regular donors, occasional givers, and those with preferences for donating money, items, or time.

Who are the users?

• Impact-Driven Donors: People who want their contributions to make a real difference and carefully select causes they care about.
• Trust-Seeking Givers: Donors who value transparency and prefer easy-to-follow processes.
• Recurring Donors: Individuals open to regular contributions if they have flexibility and clear information.

Cuurent Problem Analysis

The goal of this research is to understand user behavior, preferences, and pain points when using donation platforms. Key decisions to inform include:
1. What features should be prioritized in the platform design?
2. What donation methods should be supported to align with user preferences?
3. How can the platform build trust and encourage recurring donations?
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To achieve this, I conducted 4-5 user interviews,asking a series of questions related to donations, such as their preferred donation methods.
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Participants were selected to represent diverse demographics and donation habits, including regular donors, occasional givers, and those with preferences for donating money, items, or time.

 From these conversations, I gathered valuable user insights:

• Users prioritize knowing how their donations are used, and trust in the platform heavily influences their decision to donate;
• A clean and easy-to-use interface encourages users to donate;
• Most prefer a simple and guided donation process.

DESIGN GOALS

Approaching the solutions

• Simple Donation Flow: The page provides a straightforward and intuitive process for donors to choose their donation amount and frequency, ensuring a smooth experience.

• Personalized Gift Selection for Donors: Donors are given a more personalized choice between monetary donations and specific gifts, allowing them to connect with the recipients in a meaningful way.

• Trust-Building Through Specific Case Support: Donors can choose to support specific groups, building trust by showing exactly how their contributions will help. This feature also encourages long-term support by allowing donors to consistently contribute to the groups or individuals they are most passionate about helping.

DESIGN CHALLENGE #1

Current User Flow
Offline&Online Blended

Proposed User Flow
Online Only

DESIGN CHALLENGE #2

User Groups
Types

User Groups
Needs

DESIGN CHALLENGE #3

Donate Goods
All-in-one

Strengthes

• Improved user control;
• Clear organization which is easy for decision-making;
• Sufficient information about donation;

Weaknesses

• Overwhelming options;
• Potential for misuse;
• Limited personal connection.

Donate Goods
Step-by-step

Strengthes

• Guided experience
• Reduced overwhelm of filters

Weaknesses

• Longer Process means tedious and slow
• Limited Flexibility

Donate Goods
Step-by-step: Choose the Package

DESIGN CHALLENGE #4

Tracking System
Polishing

USER TESTING

Which Option Makes More Sense?

I conducted a usability test with 8 participants to compare two donation selection methods: browsing through a list with filters and using a step-by-step process. For the test, we prepared prototypes for both methods, along with tasks and scenarios to guide participants through the experience.

The results showed that 62.5% of participants preferred the guided steps approach, while 37.5% leaned towards browsing with options. This feedback helps me refine the user experience and align it with donor preferences.

Participants shared feedback:

Based on their feedback, we made updates to improve navigation in the step-by-step process to make it more user-friendly.

USER FLOW

A Seamless Guided Experience for Donors

TAKEAWAYS

What I have learned

After handover, stakeholders praised the platform’s ability to foster emotional connections between donors and children, emphasizing that features like step-by-step donation, tracking, and recipient messages add a compelling personal touch.
This feedback inspired me to focus on deepening emotional engagement, optimizing donor journeys, and ensuring scalability for future growth.