Evanston Scholars is a nonprofit organization found in 2010 that focuses on providing college access and success support to low-income and first-generation college-bound students in the Evanston community
Revamp a nonprofit organization's website to boost user engagement and encourage donations
Led a team of four in user research and web design
This project was completed within the span of 2 weeks
Being part of this organization from high school through college, I wanted to contribute to reimagining its website. This project allowed me to express appreciation and engage in something I love. Evanston Scholars played a pivotal role in my development as a student and as a professional. The organization provided me with support in applying to colleges and scholarships which ultimately allowed me to attend DePaul University. Throughout college, the organization ensured I was developing as a professional by obtaining internships and exploring different career paths which gave me the confidence I need today to take a leap and embark on a path of a career change.
To understand Evanston Scholars' website challenges, we contacted the website manager for insights and conducted an organization-wide survey.
We reviewed the webpage and identified key issues affecting user experience. First impressions matter; outdated or inconsistent visuals can drive visitors away. Effective navigation is crucial for users to find what they need quickly. A clear call to action supports business goals by guiding users. Accessibility ensures everyone, including those with disabilities, can use the site. Content should be scannable to match short attention spans. High-quality assets are vital for engagement, professionalism, and brand identity. These elements are critical for businesses reliant on donations, as a positive user experience encourages support. These were all areas in which the organizations webpage struggled in.
Evanston Scholars shared websites they admired during our interviews and surveys. We studied these sites for inspiration. We noticed a few aspects that we wanted to implement into our designs for Evanston Scholars. All of these sites had a prominent CTA "donate" button in their header navigation, as well as a clear donation form.
Founded in 1996, Chicago Scholars provides mentorship, college readiness programs, leadership development, and scholarships to help students navigate the complex process of college admissions and succeed in their academic pursuits.
Founded in 2007 in Chicago, Illinois, OneGoal works to address the opportunity gap in education by providing students with a structured program that includes academic support, mentorship, and college guidance to help them navigate the college application process and persist through college graduation.
Founded in 1971, Y.O.U. primarily serves youth and families in the Evanston area. The organization offers a variety of programs and services aimed at empowering young people to succeed in school, work, and life.
Goal/Progress Tracker
Goal tracking to reach yearly numbers
During our redesign of the Evanston Scholars web page, one of our main focuses was increasing donations. We did that by adding clear call-to-action buttons and redesigning the donation page. Another way we could raise total donations is by promoting things such as opportunities for users to volunteer, share content on social media, or join board meetings to deepen their engagement with the organization. People tend to aid and donate to organizations that make them feel apart of a community.
In true designer fashion, as soon as I completed the project a million different ideas flooded my mind on how my team could have approached designing differently. So I decided to put those thoughts into action and do a redesign myself!
The first thing I wanted to address was the home screen and the accessibility issues in the original project designs, the white over-orange text was not accessible after testing, as well as the hero section text. Additionally, I wanted the hero image to capture a success story showing the impact of the organization. Being an organization that operates on donations, it's important to gain the trust of those visiting your site so I aimed to highlight the sponsors Evanston Scholars has to boost their credibility. Another major update was highlighting the journey and path students go through in the program so that when visiting the site users can truly understand the organization that they are supporting.
With the donation screen, I wanted to ensure that you could complete everything on one screen. Everything from selecting your amount, understanding where your money is going, entering your details, and completing the donation.