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Clothes on Outdoor Rack

Goodwill of North Georgia

A nonprofit organization that helps put people to work.

Overview

Role: UX Specialist

 

Industry: Retail and Services

 

Category: UX Research

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Methodology: Modified Lean UX

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Tools:

  • Figma

  • Miro

  • Photoshop

  • Illustrator

  • WebAIM

  • Google Analytics

Project Length: 4 months

 

Deliverables:

  • Competitive Analysis 

  • Visual and Content Audits

  • Accessibility Audit 

  • Personas

  • Usability Testing

  • System Usability Scale (SUS)

  • Card Sorting

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Team Members:

  •     Jake Bendel (Account Manager)

  •     Muhammad Bilal (UX Specialist)

  •     Megan Daley (Project Manager)

  •     George Kalantzis  (VP of Experience Design)

Project Introduction

Goodwill of North Georgia (GNG), part of Goodwill Industries International Inc. is a nonprofit organization that helps people find jobs, provides job training, and resources to people who may have barriers. They hire veterans, individuals with a lack of education and job experience, and people who may face other employment challenges.

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Recognizing the need for a unified and user-centric digital presence, GNG embarked on a comprehensive website user research project. My role as UX Specialist was to delve into the user experience across all three platforms, identify key pain points, and develop data-driven recommendations for enhancing user engagement and promoting GNG's mission.

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​Through a rigorous four-month research journey, I employed a modified Lean UX approach, incorporating qualitative and quantitative methods to gain a holistic understanding of user needs and expectations. This deep dive, encompassing various research phases, paved the way for impactful recommendations that now guide GNG's website redesign efforts.

The Problems

Goodwill of North Georgia (GNG) operates three independent websites: one for general donation and shopping, one for their employment services, and a third for their online auction platform. These websites lacked cohesion, failing to effectively communicate GNG's mission beyond thrift stores and led to a disjointed user experience for various user types. Additionally, accessibility concerns limited inclusivity for users with disabilities.

The Process

The research was done using Lean UX methodology and the project was divided into three Sprints. Lean UX is a design approach that emphasizes reducing waste and increasing the efficiency of the design process. It is derived from the principles of Lean and Agile methodologies and focuses on delivering value to the user as quickly as possible while minimizing unnecessary work and resources.

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Sprint 1 – Auditing

  • Competitive Analysis

  • Visual and UI Audits

  • Content Analysis

  • Accessibility Audit
     

Sprint 2 – User Research

  • User Personas

  • Empathy Maps

  • Quantitative Research
     

Sprint 3 – Usability Testing

  • User Testing

  • System Usability Scale Survey

  • Card Sorting

Homepages of all three websites

The Research Tasks

The_Salvation_Army.png

The Salvation Army

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Goodwill of Dallas

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Employ Georgia

  • ​Competitive Analysis: Analyzed websites of major thrift store chains and non-profit organizations to identify user preferences, best practices for content organization, and accessibility features.​​

Competitors of Goodwill of North Georgia

  • Internal Audits: Conducted usability and accessibility audits of all three GNG websites using automated tools (WAVE) and manual testing, identifying pain points like confusing navigation, inconsistent branding, and lack of alt text for images.

  • Persona Development: Created five user personas representing key GNG user groups, including budget-conscious shoppers, donors, job seekers, volunteers, and online auction enthusiasts.

  • Surveys: Developed targeted surveys (Google Forms) for each persona group to gather quantitative data on user attitudes, behaviors, and website satisfaction. Received 450 complete responses with a 74% response rate.

  • Usability Testing: Conducted moderated usability testing sessions with 20 participants across varying demographics and technology familiarity, observing their interactions with the websites and capturing their feedback through screen recordings and think-aloud protocols. Identified major pain points like inconsistent search functionality, unclear donation process, and difficulty navigating between websites.

  • Card Sorting: Held remote card sorting sessions with 15 participants using OptimalSort, asking them to categorize website content based on their mental models. Gained valuable insights into how users expected to find information and revealed inconsistencies in content labeling and hierarchy.

The Data Analysis and Insights

  • Analyzed qualitative data from user interviews and usability testing sessions using thematic analysis, identifying recurring themes and user needs.

User Test.png

Breakdown of all user tests conducted

  • Analyzed quantitative data from surveys using descriptive statistics and sentiment analysis, revealing user demographics, website satisfaction levels, and areas for improvement.

  • Combined qualitative and quantitative data to generate comprehensive user profiles and understand the full range of user needs, pain points, and expectations.

SUS score results

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Average Score – 80

SUS scores for goodwillng.org

The Recommendations

The audit gave us valuable insights to shape our next steps and enhance our research and testing phases. Based on all the research data collected, we provided GNG with the following recommendations:​

  • Developed a website redesign plan, focusing on:

    • Unified branding and navigation: Creating a consistent design language across all three websites with intuitive navigation that allows users to easily access relevant information regardless of their initial landing page.

    • Improved content organization: Restructuring website content based on user card sorting results and best practices for information architecture.

    • Enhanced accessibility: Implementing WCAG 2.1 conformance guidelines to ensure all users can access and interact with the website functions.

    • Tailored content for each user group: Addressing the specific needs and interests of each persona through targeted content and functionality.
       

  • Created detailed wireframes and user flows to illustrate the proposed website redesign.
     

  • Prioritized recommendations based on impact and feasibility, outlining a clear rollout plan.

The Impact

  • Provided GNG with actionable insights and a data-driven roadmap for improving their website user experience.

  • Recommendations led to a website redesign project with estimated potential for a 15% increase in online donations and a 20% improvement in user satisfaction based on usability testing results.

  • The client was highly impressed with the research and recommendations, leading to continued engagement for website redesign and implementation.

Personal Contributions

  • Led all research phases, utilizing my expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods.

  • Developed and applied comprehensive user personas to ensure user-centered design solutions.

  • Analyzed and synthesized complex data to extract key insights and inform actionable recommendations.

  • Effectively communicated research findings and recommendations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

The Challenges

The project, while rewarding, wasn't without its hurdles. One major challenge was overcoming the sheer volume of data gleaned from various research phases. Efficiently analyzing and synthesizing qualitative and quantitative findings, while identifying key themes and actionable insights, demanded rigorous attention to detail and a strong analytical mind.

 

Another challenge stemmed from ensuring user personas accurately reflected the diverse audience GNG serves. Balancing the needs of budget-conscious shoppers, donors, job seekers, volunteers, and online auction enthusiasts necessitated empathy and an iterative approach to persona development.

The Takeaways

Looking back, this project provided invaluable learnings, both personal and professional. The experience honed my skills in leading complex research initiatives, effectively navigating ambiguity, and extracting meaningful insights from vast datasets.

 

The project underscored the power of user-centered design and the importance of empathy in crafting solutions that resonate with diverse audiences. Moreover, it reaffirmed my passion for leveraging research to empower non-profit organizations like GNG to achieve their impactful missions.

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