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Why?
The goal of this project is to improve the navigational experience on the Give Kids The World website. The current structure fails to effectively guide users to key actions like donating, volunteering, and scheduling visits.
Content Audit: Reviewing existing content to identify redundant, outdated, or trivial information that can be consolidated or removed.
Site Mapping and Information Architecture Development: Starting with a site map to outline the first two layers of the IA, then building the detailed IA.
Card Sorting: Conducting card sorting exercises to finalize the IA before proceeding to wireframes.
Wireframing and Prototyping: Creating wireframes and prototypes to test the navigational experience and gather user feedback.
User and Impact Testing - Tested the impact after the redesign to ensure the need of different user groups were met to certain extent.
How?
What exactly is the problem?
The current Give Kids The World website fails to guide users to key actions like donating, volunteering, and scheduling visits, leading to missed engagement opportunities.
Time
Tools used
Methods used
Deliverables
Optimizing Information Architecture
Scope
8 weeks
Enhancing User Navigation and Highlighting Key Actions to Support Organizational Goals
Axure, Figma, optimal workshop
Content Audit, Interviews , Card Sorting, Competitor Analysis
New and improved Information Architecture, Content Optimization
Scheduling a Visit - No centralized flow, Scattered Information
Through the audit, I discovered that the process for families to schedule a visit was disjointed with - relevant information scattered across multiple pages. There was no centralized flow, making it difficult for families to navigate and complete the booking process. This fragmentation led to a poor user experience, especially for parents who already have limited time and energy.
I designed a cohesive flow for scheduling visits. All relevant information—including availability, accommodations, and activities—was consolidated into one streamlined section. This reduced the number of steps required to schedule a visit, enhancing the user experience.
Improving Website Navigation
The original navigation structure was confusing and did not effectively guide users to the key actions they needed. I redesigned the navigation structure to be more intuitive and user-friendly. I consolidated scattered links under clear, logical categories, reducing the number of clicks required to access important information. Key actions such as donating, scheduling a visit, and learning about the organization's mission were made accessible through the main navigation bar and visible CTAs on high-traffic pages.
Impact this redesign makes -
Reduced clicks to key actions like Donate now and Schedule a visit making it easier for users to complete tasks.
Improved Navigation Efficiency
Reduced time to locate critical content by 15 seconds.
Enhanced Navigation Efficiency
The consolidated scheduling flow reduced the number of steps from 13 to 5, saving families time and improving accessibility.
Simplified Visit Scheduling
My Strategy
To start with, I identified primary user needs and business goals. This step was important to align the user needs with the business goals and make sure they were both addressed in the solution.
USER NEEDS
Clarity on Mission and Activities: Present a clear, immediate understanding of the organization’s mission to provide cost-free vacations to children with critical illnesses.
Ease of Booking Visits: Simplify the process for booking or scheduling a visit, making it more intuitive for families in need.
Accessible Information: Improve content organization so users can easily find information on how to get involved, whether through donations, volunteering, fundraising or events.
BUSINESS GOALS
Enhanced Mission Visibility: Ensure the organization's purpose and impact stories are prominently featured.
Increase Donations and Fundraising Event Sign-ups: Optimize CTAs and page layouts to drive user action towards donations and event participation.
Understanding the current structure of the platform
During the research and audit phase of the project, I conducted a thorough review of the existing content on the Give Kids The World Village website. My focus was to identify areas where the user experience could be enhanced, particularly around key actions such as donations, scheduling visits, and communicating the organization's mission.
By conducting this audit, I was able to uncover several critical areas where the site could be improved to better serve the needs of users, particularly around donations, scheduling visits, and conveying the organization's mission.
1.
Redundant, outdated, or trivial content that could be consolidated or removed.
Content Audit
The content audit involved a systematic review of each page on the website to identify:
Inconsistent messaging that made it difficult for users to understand the organization's mission and take action.
2.
3.
Key pages that lacked a clear call to action (CTA) or required additional information.
Key Insights and Improvements
Donate Now - Visibility, Complex process
The content audit revealed that the "Donate Now" button, a crucial CTA for a non-profit organization, was buried in sections of the website that were not immediately visible to users. Furthermore, the donation form itself was cumbersome and lacked clarity, contributing to lower-than-expected user engagement in donation activities.
I prioritized giving the "Donate Now" button greater visibility throughout the website, particularly on high-traffic pages such as the homepage and About Us. I also simplified the donation form by removing unnecessary fields. These changes made it easier for visitors to donate, which aligned with the business goal of increasing fundraising contributions.
Think of the Whole Picture
One key lesson from this project was understanding the need to approach Information Architecture (IA) as a whole interconnected system. It’s not just about improving individual pages or sections but considering how users interact with the entire structure of the website. Understanding the big picture of how content is organized ensures a smooth user experience.
Things I learned
Content is Key to Navigational Design
I realized that content optimization is critical to effective navigation. I realized that clear and concise content helps users find what they need faster, and as UX designers, we should also focus on how content is written to support effective navigation.