finEQUITY
NON-PROFIT REDESIGN: A SHIFT IN FOCUS
TIME
SPRING 2023 (THREE WEEKS)
TEAM
GROUP OF FOUR:
BOOTCAMP
TOOLS
FIGMA
FIGJAM
ROLE
UX/UI DESIGN
UX RESEARCH
OVERVIEW
Through shareholder meetings, we discovered that finEQUITY was changing the focus of its website from attracting partners to catering to its users.
finEQUITY is a non-profit that helps (formerly) incarcerated people and their families gain financial education. However, we found the site was hard to navigate, busy, and didn’t have the digital infrastructure to support their new goals.
So, we created a responsive mobile design of the site that properly executes their shift in focus to a more user-friendly site. We prototyped a cleaner, more streamlined website that draws attention to the services offered.
GOALS
Stakeholder Goals
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Early stage startup
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Focus on content and mission
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Initially built for donors but trying to change to be more user-focused
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Wants more users to sign up since they already have enough partners
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Our Goals
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Make the site more user-centered and approachable
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Include more context but keep it clean
PROBLEM
The current site is busy, hard to navigate, and doesn’t have the digital infrastructure to achieve its goals.
Families and individuals affected by incarceration often don’t have tools in place for financial success, such as checking accounts, healthy credit scores, credit cards, and retirement savings.
Without a foundational background, individuals are more prone to recidivism and repeating the cycle rather than breaking it. finEQUITY aims to help by offering courses, small loans, and online guidance. However, the website is currently hard to use, which hinders the mission.
Current finEQUITY Website
RESEARCH AND ISSUES
We wanted firsthand interviews with people who were once incarcerated to gain insight, however, we ran into issues getting interviewees on our timeframe.
However, we did manage to get some interviews but had to supplement some of the knowledge with outside research (academic journals and documentaries).
ACADEMIC RESEARCH
I wanted a deeper understanding of the struggles incarcerated individuals go through.
So, I incorporated my research background and looked through some academic journals. Here are some notable things I found:
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“Financial literacy for offenders is an extremely important key to offender success. Yet, the reality is that most offenders are not financially prepared for release, even if they feel confident with their money management skills.” (Mielitz & Marcum, 2020, pg. 955)
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“...as a recent study of Arkansas inmates found that 27% had never opened a checking account and 56.2% had never opened a credit card (Glidden and Brown 2017; Koon 2014).” (Mielitz & Marcum, 2020, pg. 956)
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“Educational programming for inmates that focuses on establishing credit, opening accounts, and budgeting should be essential for those who are preparing to exit a facility.” (Mielitz & Marcum, 2020, pg. 966)
Mielitz, K. S., & Marcum, C. (2020). A consideration for increasing post-release
financial success. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 45(5), 955–969. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-019-09515-2
WIREFRAMES
Services
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We wanted extensive details about each service to align with our goals
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We prototyped a fun, easy “scroll to” feature to make the content more consumable
Homepage
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Featured services on the homepage to align with stakeholder goals to enhance user-centricity
Sign-Up
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We made the sign-up simple to ensure less user dropout due to stakeholder goals of getting more users
Why Donate?
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We wanted to focus on the “why” to make sure people really knew what they were donating to.
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The company desired for its mission to be prevalent, so we thought this was a good location to emphasize its goals.
USABILITY TESTING: WIREFRAMES
My group wanted to ensure the navigation is easy and intuitive, so we carried out a usability test on our wireframes.
We wanted to see:
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Does the sign-up process make sense?
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Is the donation process simple enough that it keeps retention?
Key Takeaways
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Users mentioned utilizing more contrast and highlighting key features
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There was a lot of positive feedback regarding the look of the prototype
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SUS Score of 83.75 - ranking “Excellent”
USABILITY TESTING: HIGH-FIDELITY
With this feedback, we built our high-fidelity prototype. To make sure there were improvements, we ran another usability tests with more testers.
Key Takeaways
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Overall, our eight user testers found the website well-designed and easy to use.
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They enjoyed the color scheme and the little animations.
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A few users had issues to signing up for a service. They mentioned the sign up button was difficult to find—partly due to the length of the scroll and partly the low contrast.
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Users also had difficulties understanding the “jump to section” function.
ITERATIONS AND MORE USABILITY TESTING
Here are some of the iterations we did:
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On the homepage, we changed the services to one section rather than three since some testers were confused
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Increased contrast of the sign-up buttons for the services page since some users looked over it at first
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Users also had difficulties understanding the “jump to section” function, so we added a direct call to action.
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Made dropdown white for color continuity from the nav bar
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Lastly, we added more images as well as an infographic and a quote to help break up all the text due to a user suggestion.
Services are one section rather than three
Direct call to action to minimize confusion
BEFORE AND AFTER
Current Website
Redesign
HIGH-FIDELITY PROTOTYPE
Services
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Infographic to break up the text
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We added more images in this section due to a user suggestion
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User said it was “very mobile friendly”
Donation
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One of the users “loved the little gif animations” on the success page (also on the sign up success page)
Homepage
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Appealing hero image
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People-focused imagery to radiate friendliness
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User added “everything you need is on the homepage”
Sign-Up
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Some users found it simple, which achieved stakeholder goals
RESULTS
Through our redesign, we met the stakeholder’s goals...
to make the website more user-focused since we honed in on signing up for the services they provide rather than showcasing their partnerships. We also met our personal goals by making the website visually appealing and more streamlined—as backed up by our usability testing.
A user thought it was “so easy, simple, and smooth” and it was “very well organized and easy to use”.
In terms of what I had a heavier hand in, I participated in the majority of the outside research, hi-fi prototype (designing and prototyping), and mockups.
REFLECTION
What I Learned
This was my first group project, and this allowed for the work to move faster, but it also came with its own unique challenges. Here are some things that I learned:
1.) User testing isn’t the only research source- For this project, we really wanted to understand the pain points of someone who is/has been incarcerated in terms of integration and financial literacy. Due to the time crunch, we were not able to secure the interviews we wanted, and at first, we were distraught. However, I was able to supplement the information we needed through academic journals and a documentary.
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2.) You may have to defend your design- When working in a group, there will inevitably be differing ideas on the direction of the project. Even if it is just the color of a button, you will have to have a rationale that is more than “it looks nice.”
3.) Less is more- There was an initial design that I was not too fond of. Through reworking it for hours with a team member, we discovered that a simplified design not only improves aesthetics but also enhances comprehension.
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