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Overview
About
The project is a Masters Degree project which centres on developing a digital product aimed at a specific user group, with a special focus on women in philanthropy due to my commitment to gender equality. The intent is to enable women to contribute meaningfully and to achieve gender equity in the giving ecosystem. Essential features were designed based on rigorous research, including competitor analysis, contextual understanding, user interviews, and testing. Continuous refinement ensured alignment with user needs.
The Women’s Philanthropy Institute has found that women often give differently than men. For example, women are more likely to give, and to give more than their male counterparts. They are more likely to give online, to give collectively through giving circles, to spread their giving across more organisations, and to support women and girls’ causes (Mesch, Ottoni-Wilhelm & Osili, 2020)
Existing digital solutions often neglect these nuances. This prompted me to design a solution that empowers women donors, simplifying cause engagement, offering flexible ways to donate time and money, and fostering collective giving for gender equity.
tools
- Figma
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Photoshop
skills
- UX Research
- Sketching
- Wireframing
- Prototyping
problem
Despite women’s significant contributions to charitable giving, digital solutions are not designed to cater to their giving preferences and styles. To achieve gender equity in the giving ecosystem, we need to create solutions that empower female-identifying donors by making it easier to find and engage with causes they care about, offering flexible and meaningful ways to donate their time and skills, and providing opportunities for collective giving and supporting women and girls’ causes. How might we design a user-centric digital solution that addresses these needs and preferences, and inspires women to make an even greater impact through their giving?
Process
research
Research and analysis
User interviews, Competitive/comparative analysis, Literature review, user testing
Idea generation
Brainstorming, Sketching, Storyboarding,
Designing and testing
Sketching, Wireframing, Prototyping.
Evaluation and refining
Conclusion, future development.
The first step was conducting research to understand user needs and preferences. This involved reviewing existing research on philanthropy, non – profit and conducting user interviews with female-identifying donors. The research revealed that female-identifying donors value community and collaboration, want to feel more connected to the causes they support, and expressed concerns about transparency in the giving process. Additionally, the research showed that having an emotional connection to a cause increased the likelihood of donations.
User interviews
Learning user pain points and needs, I carried out interview sessions with 5 individuals. This helped me to understand their frustrations and needs much better.
Key insights
Motivation for donating time and skills:
“I want to make a positive impact in the world.”
“I feel a sense of responsibility to give back to my community.”
“I want to use my skills and talents to help others.”
Causes people are passionate about supporting:
“Animal welfare and protection.”
“Environmental conservation and sustainability.”
“Healthcare and disease prevention.”
“Social justice and human rights.”
Difficulty finding charities that accept donations of time and skills:
“Many organizations only want monetary donations.”
“Some charities require volunteers to be a certain age or have specific qualifications.”
“It can be hard to find opportunities that match my skills and interests.”
Time commitment people are willing to make:
“I can dedicate a few hours per week.”
“I am willing to commit to a regular volunteer schedule.”
“I may not have a lot of free time, but I am willing to contribute what I can.”
Importance of seeing the impact of donations:
“I want to know that my contributions are making a real difference.”
“Seeing the impact of my donations motivates me to continue giving back.”
“It’s important to know that your efforts are not in vain.”
Skills and talents people have to offer:
“I have experience in event planning and marketing.”
“I am a skilled writer and communicator.”
“I have a background in education and could offer tutoring services.”
Enjoyable aspects of volunteering:
“I enjoy being part of a community of like-minded people.”
“It feels good to know that you are making a difference.”
“I appreciate the opportunity to learn new skills and gain experience.”
Specific causes/charities people want to support:
“I am interested in supporting cancer research and advocacy.”
“I would like to work with organizations that focus on supporting refugees and asylum seekers.”
“I want to support causes related to mental health and social justice.”
Support/resources needed to make donating time and skills easier:
“More information on how to get involved with charitable organizations.”
“More flexibility in terms of scheduling and accommodations for physical limitations.”
“Access to virtual volunteer opportunities.”
Ideas for better utilizing and valuing donations of time and skills:
“Offering recognition or rewards for volunteer efforts.”
“Creating more engaging and interactive volunteer experiences.”
“Providing opportunities for volunteers to lead their own initiatives or projects.”
Persona
From this research I was able to create a user persona and using the Jobs to Be Done Framework, three main motivations for donors were identified: to find and support organisations that align with their values and interests, to feel a sense of connection and community with other donors who share their values and interests, and to feel confident that their donations are being used effectively and making a measurable impact.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Age: 29 years old
Education: BA in Communications
Hometown: London, UK
Income: £50,000/year
Occupation: Marketing professional
bio
Sophia is a 29-year-old marketing professional who is passionate about supporting causes related to gender equality and women’s empowerment. She is an active donor who gives regularly to several organisations that align with her values, and is always looking for new opportunities to make a difference. She is tech-savvy and enjoys using digital tools to manage her giving and stay connected with the causes she supports.
Behaviours
Regularly donates to causes related to gender equality and women’s empowerment Uses digital tools to manage her giving, including mobile apps and online donation platforms Follows nonprofit organisations and social influencers on social media to stay informed about new causes and campaigns Attends events and participates in volunteer opportunities related to her causes Values transparency and accountability in the giving process.
Frustrations
Difficulty finding causes and organisations that align with her specific interests and values Limited options for giving beyond traditional donation models Lack of transparency and accountability in some nonprofit organisations Overwhelmed by the volume of information and options available online
Goals
To make a meaningful difference in causes related to gender equality and women’s empowerment To feel connected and engaged with the organizations and causes she supports To have a clear understanding of the impact of her contributions
User story and needs
User Story / Scenario: Sophia wants to find a new organisation to support that aligns with her interests in women’s empowerment and gender equality. She begins by searching online for organisations that work on these issues, but quickly becomes overwhelmed by the volume of information available. She decides to try a new online donation platform that uses AI to personalise the giving experience based on her interests and values.
The platform recommends several organisations that align with her preferences and provides detailed information about their impact, transparency, and accountability. Sophia is able to quickly and easily donate to the organisations that resonate with her, and is impressed by the platform’s user-friendly interface and personalised recommendations. She feels confident that her contributions will make a meaningful difference and is excited to continue using the platform to support causes she cares about.
Needs: A personalised giving experience that is tailored to her interests and values Greater transparency and accountability in the giving process More innovative and engaging ways to get involved with causes and organisations A simple and user-friendly platform to manage her giving and stay informed about the impact of her contributions
Jobs to be done
1. To find and support organisations that align with her values and interests.
Desired Outcome: To feel confident that her donations are making a meaningful impact and advancing the causes she cares about.
Pain Points: Difficulty finding organisations that align with her values and interests, uncertainty about how her donations are being used, and feeling overwhelmed by the number of options available.
Metrics: Time spent researching and selecting organizations, number of donations made, and satisfaction with the impact of her donations.
2. To feel a sense of connection and community with other donors who share her values and interests.
Desired Outcome: To feel like she is part of a community of like-minded individuals working towards shared goals and making a collective impact.
Pain Points: Difficulty finding and connecting with other donors, feeling isolated in her philanthropic efforts, and lacking collaboration and collective action opportunities.
Metrics: Number of connections made with other donors, participation in community building activities or events, and satisfaction with the level of collaboration and collective impact.
3. To feel confident that her donations are being used effectively and making a measurable impact.
Desired Outcome: To have evidence that her contributions are making a meaningful and measurable impact on the causes she cares about.
Pain Points: Lack of transparency or accountability from the organisations she supports, uncertainty about how her donations are being used, and difficulty measuring the impact of her contributions.
Metrics: Access to information about how donations are being used and their impact, satisfaction with the level of transparency and accountability from supported organisations, and willingness to continue supporting organisations over time.
analysis
Understanding the competition and business landscape
I analysed some of the already existing companies that do something similar.
- The women’s foundation
- The Philanthropy Workshop
- The funding network
- Big Give
The threat of new entrants is relatively low, as the nonprofit sector in the UK is highly regulated, and it can be difficult to establish new charitable organisations. Additionally, many potential donors may prefer to give to established organisations with a track record of success. The bargaining power of suppliers (in this case, nonprofits seeking funding) is relatively high, as there are many potential donors competing for limited philanthropic funds.
This can lead to a competitive environment in which nonprofits must demonstrate their impact and effectiveness to attract funding. The bargaining power of buyers (in this case, individual and institutional donors) is relatively high, as they have many options for where to direct their philanthropic investments. Donors may have specific areas of interest or preferences for how their donations are used, and they may be selective in choosing which organisations to support.
The threat of substitutes is relatively low, as philanthropic giving is a unique and highly personal activity that often reflects donors’ values, beliefs, and interests. However, there are alternative ways for individuals and institutions to make an impact, such as investing in social enterprises or supporting policy advocacy. The rivalry among existing competitors is high, as there are many established charitable organisations in the UK competing for philanthropic funds. This can lead to a crowded and competitive environment in which organisations must differentiate themselves and demonstrate their impact to attract donors. However, there is also potential for collaboration and partnership among organisations with shared goals and values.
Ideate
In terms of causes people are passionate about supporting, animal welfare and protection, environmental conservation and sustainability, healthcare and disease prevention, and social justice and human rights appear to be the most common. Non-profits should also consider offering a wide range of volunteer opportunities that can accommodate different skills, interests, and availability. Additionally, non-profits should prioritise transparency and accountability, and provide regular updates and feedback to donors about the impact of their contributions.
A simplified version of all of my ideas was a donation platform that is designed specifically for female-identifying donors and is tailored to their giving preferences and styles. Offering a personalised experience that uses AI technology and machine learning algorithms to personalise the giving experience based on the causes they care about the types of giving they prefer, and the organisations they already support. The platform could also provide real-time information about the impact of donations and help donors track their giving over time. The other elements of the platform could provide resources and training to help donors become more informed and effective givers, while gamification elements make giving and learning more fun and engaging.Eventually integrating a social network or community platform that connects other female identifying donors with one another creating giving circles, peer-to-peer fundraising, and volunteer opportunities that enable donors to collaborate and support causes together. I do feel like the social media element adds complexity as social media platforms can quickly become toxic and unhelpfulI think this could be added at a later phase of development as it would need to be carefully managed.
By creating a product that leverages cutting-edge technologies and user-centred design principles creating a unique and engaging giving experience, combining innovation with empathy and understanding donor needs with cutting edge technology. It is possible to create a product that not only empowers women to make a difference, but also inspires them to become more engaged and effective givers.
Finally, adding an element of connectedness and individuality, almost putting a face and name to the donation greatly impacts how much and how often donors give their time, money and other resources. From this research I was then able to brainstorm ideas for digital products that could address the identified gaps and opportunities. From this brainstorm I was able to prioritise the ideas based on their feasibility, potential impact, and alignment with the user needs and preferences. Narrowing down I created a short list from the list of ideas down to the three most promising main features that can be developed within the given resources and timeline. based on everything I had learnt I did some sketches and began low fidelity wire framing.
Design
During the research phase I found the word Philanthropy comes from the Greek words “philos,” meaning love, and “anthropos,” meaning human, so philanthropy literally means “love for humanity.” In ancient Greece, philanthropy referred to the act of promoting the welfare of others, especially by donating money or resources to charitable causes. This led me to Greek gods and goddesses and Eleos. In Greek mythology, Eleos was considered the personification of mercy, pity, and compassion.
She was often depicted as a goddess or daimona (spirit) and was associated with acts of kindness and benevolence sometimes winged, sometimes not so I chose to design a logo that could be seen as wings or as limbs depending how you look at it, after some sketching I formed them into a sort of E, potentially a little obvious, but as a quick design decision I think it’s been quite effective for branding. I then tried to look at colours associated with giving and femininity that were not as obvious as the usual pink I investigated colour palettes that were still feminine but more associated with giving and positivity. I chose a colour palette of 5 colours for variety with one 6th to replace black as I feel black can be too harsh.
After narrowing down the list and prioritising what I thought were the best areas to cover I started to sketch out some ideas and created low-fidelity prototypes of the selected ideas using paper, sketches, and figma. I asked people to test the prototypes with a small group of potential users to gather feedback on the usability, functionality, and appeal of the concepts. I ran the ideas and paper prototypes by a small group of people and then I refined the prototypes based on the user feedback and iterated the process as needed. I once again asked for user feedback based on those changes and asked for 5 people to do some user testing.
I started to add screens and create slightly higher fidelity wireframes than the ones above, thinking about information architecture and user flows and the journey through screens.
Before testing
The low fi screens show login, home and edit profile
After testing
After feedback I moved elements around on all of the screens
Icons & logos
Choosing the right icons and logos is an essential aspect of building a successful brand identity for a charity. These were my brainstorming notes from this stage of the design phase:
The word philanthropy comes from greek so Eleos or Elea – Eleos circle? Giving circle?- the goddess of mercy and compassion, who embodies the idea of giving to alleviate suffering and provide comfort to those in need. Logo could be the cornucopia or wings in a circle (giving circle) and olive green for the colour as green is often linked to giving. Bees are female communities Hexigons? – organisation honeycomb – foundation – Hivegiving
Design
During the research phase I found the word Philanthropy comes from the Greek words “philos,” meaning love, and “anthropos,” meaning human, so philanthropy literally means “love for humanity.” In ancient Greece, philanthropy referred to the act of promoting the welfare of others, especially by donating money or resources to charitable causes. This led me to Greek gods and goddesses and Eleos. In Greek mythology, Eleos was considered the personification of mercy, pity, and compassion.
She was often depicted as a goddess or daimona (spirit) and was associated with acts of kindness and benevolence sometimes winged, sometimes not so I chose to design a logo that could be seen as wings or as limbs depending how you look at it, after some sketching I formed them into a sort of E, potentially a little obvious, but as a quick design decision I think it’s been quite effective for branding. I then tried to look at colours associated with giving and femininity that were not as obvious as the usual pink I investigated colour palettes that were still feminine but more associated with giving and positivity. I chose a colour palette of 5 colours for variety with one 6th to replace black as I feel black can be too harsh.
After narrowing down the list and prioritising what I thought were the best areas to cover I started to sketch out some ideas and created low-fidelity prototypes of the selected ideas using paper, sketches, and figma. I asked people to test the prototypes with a small group of potential users to gather feedback on the usability, functionality, and appeal of the concepts. I ran the ideas and paper prototypes by a small group of people and then I refined the prototypes based on the user feedback and iterated the process as needed. I once again asked for user feedback based on those changes and asked for 5 people to do some user testing.
I started to add screens and create slightly higher fidelity wireframes than the ones above, thinking about information architecture and user flows and the journey through screens.
Integrating an educational platform that provides resources and training to help female identifying donors become more informed and effective givers. It could offer courses, webinars, and other educational materials that cover topics like philanthropy, impact investing, and social entrepreneurship. Gamifying a giving platform could make giving and learning more fun and engaging. This platform could offer features like leader boards, challenges, and rewards that incentivise donors to give more and get involved in supporting causes they care about. The educational part of the platform would maybe provide resources and training to help donors become more informed and effective givers, and gamification elements could potentially make the platform more fun and engaging, including things like quizzes, challenges, and rewards.
For example, donors could earn badges or points for completing certain courses or participating in certain activities. The platform could also feature leader boards that rank donors based on their engagement and contributions, creating a sense of healthy competition among donors. Overall, I think the platform could aim to empower, educate and inspire female-identifying donors, encouraging greater giving and supporting gender equity in the giving ecosystem.
Eventually integrating a social network or community platform that connects other female identifying donors with one another creating giving circles, peer-to-peer fundraising, and volunteer opportunities that enable donors to collaborate and support causes together. I do feel like the social media element adds complexity as social media platforms can quickly become toxic and unhelpfulI think this could be added at a later phase of development as it would need to be carefully managed.
By creating a product that leverages cutting-edge technologies and user-centred design principles creating a unique and engaging giving experience, combining innovation with empathy and understanding donor needs. It is possible to create a product that not only empowers women to make a difference, but also inspires them to become more engaged and effective givers.
LOGIN, SIGN UP AND HOME SCREENS
DONATION TRACKING THROUGH DONATION HISTORY AND VR
Education and games screens
Credit card & Crypto donation screens with full history tracking
conclusion
My solution
Through extensive research, including competitor, contextual and user research, the key features of the solution were identified, including a personalised donation platform, virtual reality experiences, blockchain-based donations for transparency and accountability, and an educational platform that provides resources and training to help female-identifying donors become more informed and effective givers.
The project’s design and development process involved constant iteration and testing to ensure the product met user needs. The project was successful in meeting its goals, and future steps may involve further improvements and updates based on user feedback.
Overall
It has been valuable for me to go through the entire design process from start to finish and I particularly enjoyed the research and ideation stage of this project. I do not feel this project showcases my full capabilities but overall I recieved a good grade for it.
Improvements
I would like to have focused more on one area to refine it properly instead I combined multiple ideas into one solution, and I feel that it over complicated things and I wasn’t able to get the refinement in the process that I feel is acceptable.
I would also like to create a pixel perfect high-fidelity prototype. Accessibility improvements are needed, I know the product needs improvements for accessibility such as alt text, tagging etc. I would also like to improve the content and continue to refine the UI and graphic design elements and create better flows.
There are clear rushed areas, and I am frustrated with myself that it is not up to my usual design standards. I would like to have done more research into crypto donations and the tracking functionality that could be incorporated in a more concise way. The components and frames are not fit for development yet but I feel like the overall idea is good.