Client
Global Justice Ecology Project
Date
Roles
Team Leadership
Research
Overview
The Global Justice Ecology Project advocates for environmental and social justice by addressing links between ecological destruction and human rights issues.
The Problem
Climate change and social issues are urgent, yet support for the Global Justice Ecology Project (GJEP)—a small, longstanding environmental nonprofit—has declined after two decades of work. Without a website redesign, it is difficult to enhance engagement and as a result - grow GJEP's donor base and donations, increase subscriptions, and raise awareness of critical global issues.
Solution
In 2024, we completed 12 sprints using a user-centered approach and delivered 25+ pages of a high-fidelity prototype that met our engagement goals through cross-functional collaboration and usability testing.
My Role
I served as Product Owner and UX Design Team Lead throughout the project, guiding product requirements, research, and design iterations while practicing servant leadership to achieve project milestones.
Results overview
Home page: Before and After
Article page: Before and After
View Prototype
research
GJEP's value & vision
The team had many ideas for the redesign but lacked a clear understanding of GJEP's mission and content. My research established a strategic focus.
Through market research, we explored the nonprofit landscape, which clarified GJEP's direction. Competitive analysis of 8 similar nonprofits highlighted GJEP's unique strengths and limitations.
Using a product vision board, I synthesized a vision statement to guide our work.
Identifying users and understanding their needs
Research and Product Strategy team conducted user surveys, user interviews, and stakeholder interviews to learn more about current users, define the target audience and explore the needs, goals, frustrations, and expectations of potential users.
What do people want to learn about global issues and where?
How ready are users to act, and what are their preferences?
I selected participants and conducted user interviews to gain deeper insights. I conducted two Zoom interviews: one with a changemaker and one with an eco-enthusiast. Other team members also found representatives from each user group. I conducted affinity mapping and synthesized insights from six interviews. They revealed that most participants:
are unaware of genetically engineered trees,
support forest protection and seek eco-justice,
want to take action but lack direction,
prefer donating to coordinated efforts,
have low to medium political engagement.
Touch points with non-profits arranged by priority : Instagram - X (Former Twitter), - YouTube - E-mail Newsletters - Google - Snail Mail
What factors influence donations to a non-profit?
Market and user research uncovered public perception, pain points, and three key donation factors.
1
Trustworthiness of the organization
2
Transparency about how donations are used
3
Positive previous experience
Easy donation process
Who are the users of GJEP website?
I created three proto-personas with hypothetical problems and validated them through user interviews with individuals who completed the screening survey and provided their contact information. My teammate created user journeys.
Financial supporter (Donor)
Educator | Senior Female | Speaks English, Spanish | Bachelor’s in Environmental Science
Uses: Desktop computer, Gmail, Snail Mail
Tasks:
Donate to a specific cause
See how the donation is allocated and its impact. Find social proof for contribution. Trust organization
Eco-enthusiast (Nature lover)
Student | Young Female | Speaks English, French, Portuguese | Undergraduate
Uses: Mobile phone, laptop, Insta, Youtube, WhatsApp
Tasks:
Easily find and read articles, watch video and photos and listen to audio content
Understand and share content on social media
Change-maker (Indigenous advocate)
Housekeeper, land owner | Middle Age Female | Speaks Spanish, English | High-school diploma
Uses: Desktop computer, X, YouTube, Gmail, Google
Tasks:
Sign-petition influencing policymakers
Nominate other non-profits for support
Volunteering and join peaceful protests
Initial KPIs and Deeper Insights
Defining engagement KPIs and metrics for evaluative research
Based on our insights, we identified key themes linking various problems to broader categories that ultimately affect engagement. The key factors for engagement and donations are:
Trust and Credibility,
Understanding and Clarity,
Usability and Accessibility.
To monitor our progress in project (Phase 2) we decided to use usability testing with metrics such as:
Clarity:
time on task
task success rate
navigation path efficiency
post-task comprehension questions
Usability:
time on task
error rates
system usability scale (SUS) scores
Trust:
net promoter score (NPS)
trustworthiness survey
We also grouped findings from an extensive web audit conducted by another team into these main categories.
Usability testing insights
Having the Usability Testing report of the original website, that was provided by the Research team based on 10 participants, I categorized the key insights into three main areas.
Most people are interested in climate change and prefer learning through social media. They’re willing to share, sign petitions, or volunteer, and they value clear, visual content, smooth navigation, and proof of impact.
Conceptualization
From ambiguous to concrete
Disagreement regarding website structure
Testing
Failure is a step to success — a learning lesson
Low-fidelity testing highlighted the need for structural changes
The card sorting and usability study results of the lo-fi prototype confirmed my concerns regarding the Information Architecture (IA) suggested by the previous team.
To validate my suspicions, I conducted a card-sorting study with 18 participants using selected keywords while the prototype underwent usability testing.
I grouped usability testing insights into key categories and prioritized them by importance and urgency. I separated feedback from the client and project team, along with recommendations from user insights, allowing the design team to effectively address the identified problems while keeping in mind the vision of other involved members. I compiled all insights and available information into one document and shared it with everyone before the iteration.
High-fidelity usability testing insights
I conducted 5 out of 7 moderated usability testing sessions post-iteration due to research team limitations. Observing participants directly, I noted how our work aligned with user expectations.
I analyzed the results with the Dovetail AI tool to gain valuable insights. Average ratings were calculated across three key themes.
Testing indicated some remaining confusion, but overall feedback showed improvement compared to the original website’s usability study. Following design iterations, the next usability test demonstrated positive results, with gains in three key categories.
design iteration
A unified approach through shared goals and team brainstorming
Problem solving and prioritization method
After multiple meetings with stakeholders who shared new ideas for enhancing engagement, we generated various approaches to the iteration process that didn’t apply to voting. Many team members focused more on specific pages rather than the overarching problems and goals of the website.
As the team lead, I emphasized the importance of maintaining a broader vision and considering diverse possibilities during our workshop.
We identified problems that contributed to our success criteria and proposed solutions.
Finally, we created an impact/effort matrix to select the most appropriate suggestions and make a coordinated team decision.
Updates to IA and new sitemap in comparison
During the team workshop session, we developed a new collective sitemap because:
The nesting of content made it difficult for users to quickly find information and understand the main concepts.
Card sorting revealed users' expectations regarding the grouping of information.
There was a need to accommodate more information.
With this common structure, we initiated a unified version of the website.
Final Version
Version 1
Original
Enhancing trust through visual design: Custom UI kit
Results
Desktop solution
The solution following the final iteration was significantly different from the previous version. Guided by users' goals and client constraints, we structured the content to improve hierarchy and clarity, allowing users to accomplish key tasks effectively, such as:
Quickly and easily sharing information
Signing petitions to feel more engaged and understand the context
Building trust in the organization to encourage donations
Easily finding important, relevant information on the website
Accessing improved accessibility features, especially for seniors
Experiencing an emotional connection and a sense of urgency regarding critical global issues
Outcome of Phase 2
Final comparison (original vs redesigned version)
We redesigned a non-profit website, resulting in fewer inquiries about its purpose and functionality. This was achieved through key steps:
Revamping the organization's mission and presentation style to emphasize visuals and clarity
Enhancing content with social proof to significantly boost user trust
Reorganizing the information architecture, including labeling, structure, and navigation.
Usability testing KPI changes: boosting engagement
We saw improvements across all three engagement-driving categories: clarity increased by 48%, trust by 61%, and usability by 53%.
Feedback from the 3d usability study
reflections
Lessons learned and next steps
References
Learn more about the stakeholder workshop with Product Vision Board | JPG
Find out how I set up the team for success preparing Communication plan, Project Charter, Work Breakdown Structure | JPG
Learn about my starting point in Affinity Mapping, Personas and Hypothesis | JPG
Check how I analyzed research data in a file with Competitive Analysis | JPG, Open Card Sorting | JPG
Review how I compiled the list of data before the 2d iteration in the document Data before 2d iteration
View team's ideation in Brainstorming space | JPG
