Year
2022
Client
The Road Home
Category
Charity Org.
Role
Usability Tester
Overview
Collaborated with colleagues to revamp the website of a non-profit organization, working on improving website accessibility for people with diverse backgrounds, creating a prototype for a new website design that will make it easier for users to access important information, and developing a study report with a recommendation that the organization has chosen to modify the website.
Revamp Achievement
The website reached a more diverse audience, especially users for whom English is not the first language.
The number of users who donated items has increased.
What I Learned
I learned that a single high-friction CTA can act as a major barrier to the entire user journey.
I strengthened my evidence-based design skills by using eye-tracking data to resolve navigational bottlenecks and improve accessibility for non-native speakers.
Problem & Solution
Problem:
Difficulty Finding Where To Donate Stuff
21 out of 37 users (a majority who identified "English" as their primary language) reported having difficulty finding information on where to donate clothing or items.
Solution:
Change the term “in-kind donation” to “item donation.”
The wording was “too formal,” which most people do not encounter in their daily lives, even in English-speaking contexts.
Before
After
Impact:
Decreased donor phone calls and inquiries by 45% by making the donation location easy to find.
Increased successfully completed donation drop-offs by 22% through clearer labeling.
Successfully resolved the navigation struggle for the 57% of users who previously failed to find the "In-Kind" section.
Problem:
Lack of Language Options
Participants who do not use English as their primary language found it challenging to navigate the interface.
Solution:
Eye-tracking and Think-aloud Testing
These testing showed that most users first look at the bottom left of the screen. Based on this, our team recommended placing the language button there for better visibility and accessibility.
Official Language Button
Impact:
Lowered the homepage exit rate for international visitors by 25% by providing immediate and visible accessibility options.
Reduced the time it took non-primary English speakers to find their preferred language by 65%, leading to a much smoother onboarding process.