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OVERVIEW
Background
GFTD is a digital wishlist platform, and our goal was to ease the burden on Baltimore teachers facing budget constraints. They spend over $300 annually on student supplies, and our website needed an upgrade. We added a gifting feature to simplify the donation process for teachers and donors. My responsibilities included user research, creating persona, improving website usability, and usability testing. Close collaboration with developers and iterative design made it possible. Excited to see the positive impact on educators and students.
Challenge
Develop a user-friendly platform for teachers to easily connect with donors, showcase classroom goals, streamline gratitude, and secure funding for educational projects without consuming excessive time.
Outcome
The outcome of our efforts was a revamped GFTD platform that streamlined the donation process, making it easier for teachers to connect with donors, showcase their classroom goals, and express gratitude more efficiently. This user-friendly interface encouraged active participation and engagement, ultimately relieving financial strain on educators and improving support for Baltimore classrooms.
PROJECT GOAL
GFTD
ELEVATE
connect teachers with donors, streamline the funding process, and ease the financial burden on educators.
INFO
Team
3 UX Designers
Role
UX / UI Designer & Researcher
Prototyper
Timeline
5 weeks ( June - August 2023 )
Tools
Figma , Google Suite
DESIGN THINKING PROCESS
1
EMPATHIZE
User Research
User Interview
Affinity Mapping
2
DEFINE
Persona
Problem statement
Design Goals
3
IDEAT
Design Studio
& Sketches
4
DESIGN
Wireframes
Hi-Fi Mockups
Prototyping
5
TEST & REFINE
Usability Testing
Design Iteration
CLIENT BRIEF
Streamlining gift exchanges through digital wishlists and reducing plastic waste.
getGFTD, a mobile app for streamlined gift-giving via digital wishlists, is expanding into charity. While the app facilitates gift exchanges the website lacks a gifting feature, a gap we are addressing in this project by adding the functionality.
USER RESEARCH & INSIGHTS
Major insights and key findings
We interviewed six teachers, aged 29-53, from different public school systems, including Tunbridge Public Charter School in Baltimore, focusing on middle school and below. Using a semi-structured approach, I gathered qualitative data on their needs and pain points. I then organized the findings into an affinity map to highlight key insights from the interviews.
​1
Financial Burden
Annual Spending of $300-500+ on Essential Supplies Due to Inadequate School Funding.
"I spend out of-pocket $500 or more per year. I constantly buy necessary items such as pencils, pens, paper, markers, and tissues out of my own pocket because of the lack of school funding for basic classroom supplies." - [Ruth]
​2
Tech Challenge
Less tech-savvy teachers are looking for user-friendly platforms that save time and enable efficient communication of their needs.
"I value a platform that's easy to use and time-efficient. It's essential for me to express my needs without tech-related struggles." - [Ruth]
"I prefer to use digital platforms if they are easy to use." - [Laura]
3​
Time Consuming
Teachers find both school reimbursement and online crowdfunding time-consuming, posing challenges in efficiently obtaining resources for their classrooms.
"I'm frustrated with how time-consuming the reimbursement process is." - [Sarah]
PERSONA
Understanding Our User
Hi, I'm Juliana
a 4th-grade teacher in Baltimore. I'm dedicated to my students, using my money for classroom supplies to enhance education and reward success.
BEHAVIOR
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Active in school community and event participation
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Buys treats and rewards for students
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Willing to use online fundraising platforms
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Spends $400 per year from her own pocket for students
NEEDS & GOALS
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Needs funding for out-of-pocket expenses
-
Wants to focus on teaching, not fundraising
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Seeks an easier way to connect with donors and showcase classroom goals
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Aims to enhance the learning experience with necessary materials and teaching aids
FRUSTRATIONS​
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Struggles to raise funds for classroom materials
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Limited disposable income for desired student experiences
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Inconsistent and time-consuming school fundraisers and parent donations
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Frustrating and slow school reimbursement process, budget restrictions
PROBLEM
Juliana needs a convenient way to connect with donors, showcase classroom goals effectively, and simplify thanking contributors to secure funding for out-of-pocket expenses that enhance the learning environment without consuming too much time.
IDEATION
Design studio & Sketching ideas
During the Ideate phase, we developed HMW statements based on Ms. Juliana's needs. This sparked a design studio session where team members sketched ideas. Through collaboration, I formulated solutions and created a basic wireframe for the app structure.
MSCW CHART
Page Essentials and Feasibility
I used an MSCW chart to determine the critical pages necessary for the platform's functionality and to assess what could be realistically achieved within our project's timeline.
SOLUTION
A web platform connects teachers with donors to improve students' learning. Teachers can create wishlists, use templates to tell their stories, and send thank-you notes.
DESIGN
The first iteration of wireframes
Designed wireframes covered the complete teacher onboarding process, wishlist creation, and donor thank-you note sending.
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USABILITY TEST
Usability testing findings & changes
A usability test with four teachers identified that the main issues in creating wishlists are related to adding items and managing the list, leading us to streamline the process.
ADDING ITEMS
" Why isn't it tell me the price?"
" What should I include in the description?"
ADDING ITEMS
Add an example of what information to input into the description text field
ADDING ITEMS
Add brief descriptions
Provide confirmation banner
Add brief descriptions
ADDING ITEMS
provide a view of upcoming steps so that the user expects the information they need to input
MANAGING THE LIST
MANAGING THE LIST
Add a "See wishlist" CTA, that gives less sense of any actions being undone
Add a "See wishlist" CTA, that gives less sense of any actions being undone
Add a confirmation banner for saved item.
"Did it save or will I lose all of my changes when I go back?"
RETROSPECTIVE
Final thoughts & takeaways
​1
User Feedback is Invaluable
​
Actively seeking and incorporating user feedback is fundamental. It helps in identifying pain points, uncovering unmet needs, and refining the design for better user satisfaction.
2​
Iterative Design Pays Off
​
Regular check-ins with the client, collecting their feedback on our designs, led to a promising result: the client's keen interest in ongoing collaboration, showcasing the power of working together.
NEXT STEPS
What comes next?
With the tight timeline, the team focused on a robust prototype for the teacher wishlist process. Looking ahead, there's an opportunity to continue collaborating with the client and generate additional wireframes, particularly to create the donor flow.