A web-based app to connect users with community organizations near them
Wells Fargo’s wanted to promote its “Small is Huge” campaign for corporate social responsibility, but was looking for ideas on something that could persist beyond the campaign.
The Concept
I came up with the initial concept by studying the personas and putting myself in the place of the user. I realized that people are a lot more passionate about causes and community organizations than they are about banks. So, I flipped the experience from being about what Wells Fargo is doing to a web app that connects users with nonprofits near them. The goal was to emotionally engage users by telling authentic stories from the community organizations supported by Wells Fargo. The client wanted to communicate how their support had made a difference and improved outcomes all around the country, but the idea was for the organizations to be the true hero of the experience.
Mapping the Experience
After the client approved the concept, I researched third party map applications to find a platform that would support the desired features and functionality, such as geographic clustering. In the process, I learned a lot about map applications. The experience needed to be simple and easy to use, but it also needed to be accessible. I discovered that none of the map platforms were ADA compliant, so I when I began the wireframes I made sure to provide an alternative path to exploring the organizations outside of the map.
Functionality
- Allow users around the country to find non-profits based on proximity and filter based on type of organization
- Showcase the stories of featured organizations
- Share the map and individual stories through email and social networks (FB, Twitter, G+, etc.)
- Crosslink to related stories and organizations
- Enable users to get involved by linking directly to organizations to volunteer or donate
Work:
- Strategy and concepting
- Map platform research
- Site Architecture
- Wireframes
- Prototype (best viewed on mobile)
- Project requirements documentation
Results
The clients were happy, added more stories, and extended the life of the site beyond its initial run.