Maya Forest Gardeners
Client Project
Redesigning a 20-year-old website to raise awareness of Maya farming and promote support for the nonprofit
Impact
Shipped: Increased traffic by 400% and donations by 90%
Skills
Website Design
Content Writing
User Research
Role
Sole Product Designer
Timeline
1 year (2022)
The Maya Forest Gardeners aims to promote the adoption of sustainable Maya agricultural principles and highlight Maya forest gardeners.
About the Nonprofit
Context
The president's priority was to update the plant database that their researchers use and generally improve the website. The website was made in 2001 and has been rarely updated since.
Previous website stuck at 650px in every viewport
Problem
I conducted a heuristic evaluation of the website and suggested a redesign because of these severe issues:
Lack of window responsiveness
on web and mobile
Confusing jargon
& information architecture
2001 system version and platform is obselete
Solution
The president approved the redesign and the other areas of opportunities I identified:
Improve information comprehension
Raise awareness of Maya agriculture
Increase support via
volunteers & donations
Literature Review
To understand how to improve the information architecture, I studied over 25 scientific papers, the old website's content, and other related resources.
The materials were lengthy and it was hard to understand core concepts without specialized knowledge. This led me to do market research to improve comprehension for the general public.
confusing jargon in website
Comparative Analysis
I learned that environmental organizations simplified their navigation by using titles like "What We Do" to communicate the pages' purpose without terms.
Information Architecture
After my research, I reviewed the sitemap with the president to ensure accuracy in structure and narrative. I implemented titles like "Who We Are" to set clear expectations and "we" language to make it feel more personal.
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Identifying User Needs
The nonprofit didn't know who its audience was. From my secondary research, I found that people were interested in Maya farming and regenerative agriculture but they couldn't find the resources.
comments on a video featuring the Maya forest gardeners
Iterations
I iterated from stakeholders' feedback about my wireframes to resolve misunderstandings.
Heuristic Evaluations
My initial heuristic evaluation of the previous website helped me understand its issue when I redesigned it. I addressed these issue in the redesign like in the database.
After my redesign, I conducted another heuristic evaluation of the redesigned website to resolve usability issues. See the report here.
These fonts and colors reflected our brand traits: ecofriendly, reliable, mature, and knowledgeable.
Design System
In collaboration with a researcher, I designed Maya glyphs as our icons to convey the nonprofit's cultural identity.
Icon Design
These elements retain interest and visualize information. For example, our before-and-after sliders show the live impact of the issues the non-profit is seeking to overcome.
Interactive Design
Maintain your focus with concise text, plain English, pictures, and varied layouts.
Scan and intuitively understand the content structure through the visual hierarchy of contrasting fonts, title banners, and section dividers.
Learn with Ease
Find relevant information fast with filters and learn in-depth with the expanded view.
Always see accurate data with automatic updates.
Streamlined Database
Engage in 5 other ways besides the typical donation. Find a method that suits your budget and interest.
Flexibility in Support
Learn how to apply Maya farming practices to your own situation. Start easily with our recommended resources and view examples of how others incorporated these practices.
New Resources
Impact
increase in web traffic
400%
donated in 2022
$4k
viewed pages are new resources
Top 3
“I am reaching out with my granddaughter who has been enjoying the collection of sites on the outside resources page. We have been gardening together ever since she was really young and I see her green thumb growing! It is super exciting to see her so enthusiastic to keep learning more and your page has been a great find - Thank you!"
- email from visitor
Create space for revision to ensure accuracy.
Reviewing papers and videos alone doesn't capture the whole story. Involving the president in early designs ensured an accurate portrayal of the nonprofit's narrative.
Limited research is better than no research.
Even identifying the audience through analyzing video comments was helpful in guiding the ideation. The increased views on new educational resources verified its usefulness to our audience.
Lessons Learned
Conducting Usability Tests.
User interviews and usability testing will help me understand our audience and evaluate the navigation and comprehensibility of the website.
Increasing accessibility.
Although I have implemented responsiveness, alt text, and proper text hierarchy, I am conducting accessibility checks to ensure our site is compatible with screen readers.