The global decline in pollinating organisms is presenting a significant threat to both our food supply and the environment. In response to the issue, Pollinator Partnership Canada (P2C) has dedicated itself to the preservation and repopulation of these vital species. As a non-profit organization, it relies on volunteers and donations. My goal was to increase user engagement to help the organization to fulfill their mission. With that,
I put myself in the audience's shoes, and a question became apparent: Why should I care about pollinators? I let this question become the guiding principle in my design process. My solution for increasing user engagement was to answer this question through a landing page, effectively using visuals and language to provide impactful responses.
I searched for Pollinator Partnership Canada's mission on their main website to get to know the organization better. Their objective is to practice the "protection and promotion of pollinators and their ecosystems through conservation, education, and research".
The following areas of improvement were identified on their main website.
The page mentions threats to pollinators but does not connect these risks to potential consequences for people. Without mentioning the impact on individuals, visitors may be less inclined to invest in the cause.
Some buttons had low contrast against the background due to their lack of colour fill. This was especially true for buttons against busy backgrounds, limiting accessibility.
While the page provides a description of their mission and tools that visitors can use, it does not articulate what they have achieved as an organization. Offering details and examples of the organization's activities in conservation, education, and research will help viewers gain trust in the organization.
Empathy maps were created to represent and better understand users' thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Two user groups were considered: the first representing the general public with a mild interest in environmental issues, and the second representing a more specific group, consisting of farmers who depend on the prosperity of their crops for revenue generation.
I explored the existing privacy interface and found issues like lengthy paragraphs, absence of graphics/icons, and the use of technical terms (e.g., "nr-data.net" and "Inspectlet") which introduced ambiguity for average users unfamiliar with these terms.
Users’ age, gender, and geographic location were discovered to gain context and a better understanding of the users.
Around 46% of users are male, 54% female.
25 - 40
Millennials are the largest user group at around 60%.
Europe has the highest demand for Airbnb.
After identifying areas for data transparency improvement through policy examination, in-app privacy features, and user flows, I chose to concentrate on enhancing privacy practices in host-guest chatrooms. This area required the most attention as these chatrooms often mistakenly convey a sense of privacy unlike open spaces like host reviews.
A user persona was created based on the collected information about user demographics. The persona emphasized the primary frustration among users: difficulty in locating privacy policies and challenges in comprehending lengthy paragraphs of information.
I explored four different methods of informing users about their privacy in the in-app messaging system using mid-fidelity prototypes, labeled as A, B, C, and D, followed by design iterations indicated by numbers. Each of the iterations were given feedback
Prototype A features a small information icon (i in a circle) at the top right corner of the chat room. Upon tapping, a pop-up shows that covers the privacy policy in more detail. Different placements of the icon were explored.
Peer feedback:
- The information icon is not enticing enough to be tapped on, but I like it as a constant reminder.
- The information icon makes it look like it’s about to reveal information specific to the chat content.
- The information icon is not eye-catching and can be easily ignored.
- The information icon is too small and hard to see.
Prototype B features a short statement outlining that Airbnb has access to user chat info, which sits above the text input box. Users are given the option to reveal more details about how and why Airbnb might review and scan their messages by tapping "Learn more." Minor design iterations, such as exploring different icon placements, were made.
Peer feedback:
- The information icon on the left side is better.
- I like the clarity of Design B compared to the ambiguous Design A.
- The statement is hard to miss, highly visible.
- I like that it gives users the option to learn more.
Prototype C features a new tab labeled "Information" on the inbox page. The red dot beside the inbox icon at the bottom navigation bar acts as a visual prompt to direct users to review Airbnb's privacy policy on messaging systems. The notification is cleared once the user taps "Done."
Peer feedback:
- I like that the user is forced to clear it off by actually reading it.
- I feel like I would just press "Done" to make the notification go away without actually reading it.
- Maybe change "Done" to "Agree."
Prototype D is similar to prototype C, but reduces a step in between. Now users can directly access the detailed outline of the privacy policy in the messaging system by tapping on the information tab. Icon size and placement were further explored.
Peer feedback:
- Iteration with the bigger icons looks awkward and not cohesive with the title.
- I like the left-aligned small icons better as they look more visually secure.
- Combine B and D to ensure that users are aware of this policy.
Prototype B was chosen to be developed into interactive high-fidelity wireframes. What sets prototype B apart from the others is that the design is deeply attached to the contents of the message. Prototypes C and D sit outside of the chat room, while prototype B can be accessed right inside the chat room. Users have access to the message content and a reminder that Airbnb has access to this message content at the same time, making it the most accessible and straightforward way to remind and inform users of this policy.
I started prototyping with mid-fidelity designs in this project because I wanted to make it easier for others to interpret and understand the designs during feedback sessions. In hindsight, this approach slowed down the ideation process as my focus and energy shifted towards making things neat and accurate, rather than getting many ideas out fast. I also noticed myself becoming attached to designs that took more time to create mid-fidelity wireframes, eventually forming biases towards certain designs.
I learned that creating many low-fidelity wireframes quickly works better for my personal workflow as it helps me get into the flow state where I can explore a wide range of possible solutions without feeling blocked.
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