PEN philanthropy
SCENARIO
Role: UX Designer
Problem
Erica is a writer that wants to help kids between the age of 7-17 gain access to writing lessons and material to take their writing skills to the next level.
Open a foundation that helps kids fulfill their writing dreams and enable possible donors to provide funding.
Solution
Challenges
Erica has loved the art of writing for as long as she can remember. She sees writing as not only an art form, but also a therapeutic outlet. She wants children that have a passion for writing, as she did as a child to be able to have access to everything they need. This is to help them improve their writing skills, and potentially fulfill any dreams they may have in the writing world. She'd like supplies that range from pens, books, laptops and even writing lessons to be accessible to young people. The main challenges she wants to overcome are:
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Challenge #1: Ensuring kids have all the supplies they need to indulge in their love of writing
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Challenge #2: Raising enough money to provide lessons for kids worldwide
RESEARCH
An Influence From the Inside
It was important for Erica to express what she wanted on the website and she chose to do so via influences she has had from other philanthropic organizations. So, she provided her current favorite non-profits that she felt were doing an exceptional job in charity world.
They included: Stand 4 Kind, Save the Children and Shoes That Fit.
Competitive Analysis Findings
Features
- Donate button within banner and header
- Details on how much help is provided based on the donation amount
- Featured stories
- Icon links to social media
Features
-Donate button within header
-How can you help feature on homepage
-Feature video is incorporated on homepage
-Testimonials from school and teacher
-Details on how the company started
Features
-Link to app on homepage
-Donate button within header
-Testimonial video on homepage
-Stats included
-Team photos in the About Us section
All of the features found were presented to Erica. Through discussion, she shared the features that she felt were most important to include within Pen Philanthropy’s site.
Quotes From Erica
“I like how Stand 4 Kind and Shoes that Fit both used the color orange.”
“We should definitely make the Donate button visible as soon as people visit Pen Philanthropy.”
”Is there any way that we can make the main buttons into a circle shape? I like the way it looks on the Shoes That Fit site?"
“Okay, testimonials seem to be popular, I definitely want to add a section for them.”
“I want to add a couple photos of my team, I think it will really personalize what Pen Philanthropy is.”
Incorporating Erica’s Feedback
After having a discussion with Erica, the following features were to be added within the website.
- Include the color orange throughout the Pen Philanthropy website
- Make donation section noticeably visible
- Include circle shapes on main page
- Include testimonials from the kids and schools
- Add photos of the Pen Philanthropy team
DESIGN
User Mapping
Wireframes
Mockups
Home
The homepage allows you to quickly learn more about Pen Philanthropy, read testimonials and donate. When you hover over each circular image, a call to action is revealed .
Testimonials
On this page, testimonials from students and schools on how Pen Philanthropy has helped them is shared. Photos of each child that has been helped is also included.
About
Here, you are able to read exactly what Pen Philanthropy represents. Visitors can also read the mission and history. The photos also serve as a representation of Pen Philanthropy and includes a picture of the team.
Why Donate
This page is gotten to via the homepage page. When selecting the "Why Donate" button, potential donors are able to see the results that Pen Philanthropy has executed. There are also details on what the main actions the charity takes.
Donation Intake
This is the area that donors will enter their personal information to submit a donation. They will have the capability to submit a one time, or a monthly donation.
Why Donate
When selecting the "Why Donate" button on the homepage, potential donors are able to see the results that Pen Philanthropy has accomplished. Details the main actions the charity takes can also be seen.
Contact
The contact page appears when visitors click on the "Contact" button available on the footer of every page. A quick note on the expectancy of getting a response back is also added.
CONCLUSION
Inspiration
A similar theme that I have noticed within every nonprofit ad that is displayed on television, or online is a display of who or what the organization is helping. So, it was important to include the faces of who Pen Philanthropy is helping. This causes a heartfelt association with the charity and allows donors to feel like their help will really make a difference. I also found it important to include images that could be connected to writing from books, pens, notebooks and even a laptop. In addition to these images, visuals that warm your heart was top of mind to make Pen Philanthropy really shine through.
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Reflections
Designing for an organization with philanthropic goals was rewarding. It was interesting to have a creative gaze that strayed away from a marketing and income driven mind. Instead, the viewpoint had to be from a place of warmth, care and purpose. As an individual that finds passion in writing, I also felt connected to this project. It allowed me to truly invest in how Pen Philanthropy should look and feel.
Thinking Ahead
In the future it would be nice to incorporate a section that allows donors to share their name and donation amount for those that want their acts of service highlighted. In addition, Pen Philanthropy can take it a step further by providing videos showing their work in action.
