Wellspring UX Consultation
Designed a wireframe to help onboard users and increase clarity and navigation. Previously the site had difficult to understand text and was tedious to scroll through. Now it is effortlessly easy.
Researcher
Wireframing
Designer
Prospective users
Non-profit outreach
Challenge
The primary challenge was figuring out internal workings of the company, some wanted the site to be used primarily for existing clients, while others wanted it to be used to attract new users. There also was not a lot of research to be done on competitors because Wellspring Group is a niche organization.
Results
Unavailable
Process
Research & Analysis:
Hold user interviews to learn more about various users' view of the current state of Wellspring
Combine feedback to see what changes need to be made
The Problem: A majority of people said it took time to figure out the organization's purpose and that the language was unclear; there was no call to action and people felt disconnected from the site. Contacting people to receive help was also a frustrating and inconsistent experience. I decided to conduct monitored user interviews to get depth in the responses, as using a survey would not give us the intricacies this problem required. I gave users the freedom to turn off their microphone and camera if they were more comfortable with that and just capture their screen.
The Good: Users said the Home page had an engaging headline and helpful testimonies. The About page was best for learning about the organization and the best path through Wellspring's offerings. Users mentioned wholeness and community being key words from this page, which was Wellspring's goal. There was vague language which allowed users to interpret Wellspring's mission in their own way, allowing it to appeal to more people.
The Bad: Users got overwhelmed and confused. The site was wordy, which alienated new users and served no purpose for long-time users. The programs sounded similar and the navigation bar did not inform the user of what page they were going to. The organization's message felt different based on what page the user was on, and the site did not have a good call to action for the user to take. The site felt lifeless and uncaring of the user's presence. The language also seemed organizational, not individual. There were too many options to choose from, and users did not understand the correct order to complete the offerings in. There were a lot of pictures that served no purpose and were meant to be replaced. Also, there was not an efficient, clear way to contact anyone in the organization to learn more. The vague language was not entirely good either, as the offerings did not portray itself like a tough personal journey, as heart issues are.
The Fix: I suggested using less words across the board and using every day language for prospective users. The home page should show the recommended order of the offerings, and the navigation should not use the offering's names, but common words like retreat so it is easily understood. Also, I thought adding people's testimony on how their life was changed would be beneficial for people to help judge if it is something they want to go through. The call to action buttons should be emphasized more, encouraging connection. And for the contact issues, I urged the organization to add a Contact Us link in the footer of the page that brings the user to a list of key employees' email or phone number (this would be an opt-in policy to protect privacy).
Wireframing & Prototyping: I designed low-fidelity wireframes to visualize the new home page, navigation bar, and contact page.
Reflection
This experience gave me a solid understanding of how UX research can guide designers to a more pleasant experience for the users. It was also my introduction into organization branding. If the organization did not undergo internal challenges which negatively impacted the marketing initiatives and ability to utilize my recommendations, I am positive these changes would have been beneficial and the organization would have seen growth in site visits and number of users attending their offerings.