Beela

Research

Mentor Interviews

Donor Interviews

Without mentors, the Pollination mentorship program would not exist. The new website should also cater to the needs of these crucial volunteers.

Increasing donor contributions will help finance Beela’s growth. Understanding these users informed our designs to be trustworthy and transparent.

2 previous phases of research had been conducted with a focus on Beela’s Pollination program mentees. Our team worked to fill in knowledge gaps to see the full picture for all Beela’s users and stakeholders.

Balancing the needs of the users with the organization

One essential aspect of the new website is that it needs to be easily updated by Beela volunteers of all technical abilities. This constraint would need to be kept in mind throughout the project while considering elements the client would need to update and the frequency.

Being able to take donations was of the utmost importance to Beela as an organization. Funding would enable them to add additional programs and staff to support a larger community. It was imperative that we deliver a well researched donation flow to optimize their earning potential.

Slack as the main communication platform

Beela needed better funding

Adding a Donation flow

Understanding the crucial role of donations for Beela, a new donation page was designed to engage and inspire potential contributors. By studying similar Swedish organizations, valuable insights were gained to create a competitive and user-friendly design. User testing was integral to this process, ensuring the final page was not only visually appealing but also intuitive and effective in encouraging contributions.

User Testing

In the spirit of time, Design collaborated with Research in working sessions to update the prototype following the first set of usability tests. Rapid prototyping enabled us to validate the changes in the following round of tests.

The majority of user comments were about design preferences, but some of the usability updates were:

• Adjusting specific areas of content for readability​

• Establishing consistency and button hierarchy

Getting creative with limitations

With Beela being a 100% volunteer operation spread across Sweden, they have not had many occasions to take quality photos as a community. Nor a lot of time to create that type of content.

The previous website utilized open-source images. Beela is a vibrant group of people from around the world and I wanted to be able to show that spirit better.

So, I created customized images that would:

• Compliment Beela branding

• Provide more personality and unique imagery than standard open-source images

• Feature a more diverse group that better represents Beela users

Development

After consulting with the Development team, I created a numbered system and documented each page or component with:

• Specific component behaviors and interactions

• Outside links plus how they should open

• Visual assets and placement

• Content and placement

Key Achievments

Qualitative Outcomes:

• Improved user experience and navigation

• Positive user feedback on the new design and ease of use

• Enhanced community interaction and onboarding process

• Simplified content updates for volunteers with varying coding skills

Client Feedback:

• High satisfaction with the new website's ability to communicate their mission effectively

• Notable increase in inquiries about volunteer opportunities and event participation

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