New York Cares: Engagement for All
CLIENT
New York Cares
RESPONSIBILITIES
Information Architecture
User Research
Re-branding
TEAM
Nora | Kaige | Janet | Me
DURATION
12 Weeks
MY ROLE
UX Research
UI Design & Branding
Team Manager
BACKGROUND
For over 30 years the New York Cares hub has provided a “smarter way to volunteer” by enabling any New Yorker or say, 400,000 of them, to serve for a cause they care about.
New York Cares was an early adopter of web technology and are looking for ways to update their website.
The Challenge
How can we design a website to engage citizens of the "busiest city in the world" to volunteer for a cause they care about?
Goal
Improved information architecture & design consistency
Improve the search function & user flow
Improve the mobile user experience
Quick search for volunteer jobs
Make a donation
Solutions
Design a minimalist UI that prioritizes increased information clarity and access for volunteers.
Streamline the search process by prioritizing the search bar, clarifying filters, and revamping card design.
Employ a clean, consistent, and approachable style identity.
Use responsive design for the mobile experience.
Original
Our Proposed Design
Process
Stakeholder Interviews
Online Surveys
User Interviews
Persona Development
User Journey Mapping
User Requirements
Competitive reviews
Card sorting
Tree Testing
Finding
Site Map Creation
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User Flow
Low/Mid Fidelity Wireframe
Re-branding ideas
Paper prototyping
In-person & remotes
think aloud method
Concept Testing
Next Iteration
High-Fidelity Wireframe
Prototyping
Discover
We met with the stakeholders to understand their concerns, goals, and visions for their future website. Our first step was preliminary user research. We decided to focus on volunteers as they are the major stakeholders and may need more guidance when it comes to registering for volunteering opportunities.
Listen to Users
During our interviews, we've received many valuable feedbacks from participants that volunteer often, would like to volunteer, and those who never volunteer.
"It too hard to read"
"It's overwhelming and confusing"
"It's functional but lacks design."
"I like the volunteer box."
"This site is not convincing or welcoming."
"This layout is messed up."
"I like the search bar but it looks confusing"
" I don't like too much scrolling."
"This website definitely needs more life."
Persona
This persona was created with observations, interviews, and questions from multiple participants. We used user persona to understand users' needs, behaviors, experiences, and goals.
Hello, I am Mia
25 years old | Graphic Designer
Bushwick, Brooklyn
Goal
Flexible
not-too-demanding role in a group-setting near work.