Overview
The Kaur Foundation is a national non-profit organization that partners with the country’s school systems to bring education about Sikh Americans into K-12 classrooms through school curriculum materials and teacher training.
Role
UX/UI Designer
Reseacher
Duration
Jun - Aug 2023
Project Goals
Website Redesign
Designing a seamless user experience to enhance resource accessibility and navigation efficiency.
Revamping the FAQ page
Implementing an intuitive layout to facilitate effortless browsing and quick access to relevant answers.
The Challenge
Kaur Foundation's website is limited due to its current platform which significantly impacts the navigation experience for users. The non-profit organization needs an improved website experience so that its users can easily and efficiently access their educational resources.
User Research & Key Insights
Getting to know our users needs and thoughts
To gain valuable insights into users' preferences for the revamped FAQ page, we implemented a comprehensive approach.
We conducted a survey, targeting individuals involved in teaching religion or interested in religion learning, to understand their specific needs and expectations.
Additionally, we conducted interviews with Sikh individuals to gain unique perspectives and enrich our understanding of Sikhi.
Users need reliable resources to tackle misinformation and ensure accurate information. Verified authenticity is essential.
Users want interactive and convenient learning materials, including text articles, videos, and audio content.
Users want to understand the culture from an unbiased perspective, including cultural beliefs and practices.
Users want to know about beliefs and teachings, practices and rituals, historical and cultural context, and cultural influences.
Analytics
The website behind the scenes
Upon examining the website's analytics, I found that the "What is Kaur?" page received the highest number of visits. However, a point of concern was the noticeable absence of visits to the "Donate" page, a crucial section for a non-profit organization. This is something that certainly warrants attention and action.
Comparative Research
What is working for them?
For a comprehensive comparative analysis, I researched Sikh-related websites and other religious websites to gain insights into their website navigation trends and FAQ page standards.
Market Research
Choosing the right platform
After conducting market research on website builder platforms, I determined that Squarespace is the ideal choice due to its user-friendly, non-coding interface, and affordability, making it suitable for a non-profit organization.
The Solution
Kaur Foundation's current website is limited due to its current platform which significantly impacts the navigation experience for users. The non-profit organization needs an improved website experience so that its users can easily and efficiently access their educational resources.
Card Sorting
To address the navigation challenges on the website, I conducted a card sorting activity with users, focusing on the content of the navigation menu.
During the process, it became evident that the "Sikhs in America" category lacked suitable options. As a result, we made the necessary adjustment, renaming it to "Learn about Sikhi" to better cater to user needs.
Site Map
After implementing the recommended changes and gathering feedback from stakeholders, I proceeded to create a new site map for the website. As part of the revision, we decided to remove the Events category and instead, distribute its content among the other relevant categories to enhance specificity and improve user navigation.
Usability Testing
What we found out?
Usability testing revealed areas for improvement in navigation clarity, functionality, and inclusivity. Users struggled with a cluttered menu, unclickable links, and found the homepage cover image not inclusive enough. These findings highlight the need for enhancements in navigation, functionality, and inclusivity to improve the user experience.
Design System
I developed a comprehensive Design sysem that includes guidelines for creating pages, illustrations and icons. This unified approach ensures consistency across all elements of the website, enhancing the user experience and reinforcing the organization's brand identity.
Final Design
Homepage
On the home page, I included essential information for first-time visitors. This approach ensures that new visitors can quickly understand the organization's mission, get involved, and access the information they need.
FAQ Page
For the FAQ page, I organized the questions into intuitive categories, and implemented a search bar for easy navigation, allowing users to type in keywords and be directed to the most relevant questions and answers.
Educator Resources
I organized all the educational resources into clearly defined sections, making them more visible and accessible to the user, ensuring that educators can easily find the resources they need to support their teaching.
Donate
I enhanced the call to action for the donate page throughout the website, a crucial step for a non-profit. Additionally, I designed a clean, straightforward donate page, highlighting compelling reasons to contribute and showing how donations are utilized, thereby fostering trust and transparency.
Final Thoughts
What I learned?
During the internship, I learned the importance of religion teaching from fellow board members. Additionally, I gained experience in designing with heavy content, which challenged me to find creative solutions for effective information presentation and a smooth user experience.
If I had more time…
I would like to collaborate with photographers that would be willingly to take diverse photos of
