Website Audit
Website Audit
From Clicks to Contributions: A Meals for Vets Website Audit
My Role //
UX Research Consultant
Client //
Meals for Vets
Timeline //
2 Weeks
Tools Used //
Figma Miro Google Workspace Zoom
How it all began…
In my role as a UX Research Consultant, I had the fantastic opportunity to lead a deep dive into the online world of Meals for Vets, a non-profit organization on a mission to provide crucial food support to veterans, particularly those under 60. In just two weeks, I rolled up my sleeves and conducted a thorough Website Audit.
The goal? It isn't just about fixing user experience hurdles; it's about strengthening Meals for Vets' online presence and reinforcing their core mission. Let's dive into the details together!
Spotting the cracks and solving the puzzle
The Problem
Meals for Vets' website visitors face challenges in understanding the services offered and the impact they make, leading to suboptimal donor engagement and a lack of donations. Furthermore, the agency can no longer take on new recipients due to a lack of donations.
How can the website be enhanced to provide a more accessible and engaging platform, ensuring clearer information about their services and impact, and fostering deeper donor engagement to increase donations in support of their mission?
The Solution
Enhanced Website Design: Improve visual hierarchy and intuitive navigation.
Clear Communication: Redefine mission, use compelling narratives, and concise content.
Transparency: Real-time updates, financial reports, and awards.
Mobile Optimization: Ensure full responsiveness on all devices.
Expected Outcome: An engaging website that effectively communicates Meals for Vets' mission, increases donor engagement, and supports veterans.
The Impact
Saving money, feeding heroes: let's talk impact
$4,762
In my volunteer role, the audit I conducted is estimated to have saved the organization a substantial $4,762 by offering my services. Moreover, Meals for Vets expressed immense satisfaction with the recommendations and is committed to updating their website:
“She was thorough in her knowledge of what we needed after taking the time to find out about our program and why it is so important to us. I wasn’t sure what to expect on my first time of getting a website audit, but Melanie made the process understandable for me. She was also able to put my mind at ease that she knew what she was doing and that she cared about our cause. In the end, she showed us what we needed to do to be more engaging with our audience and generate more donations to help our Veterans. We were excited that we could immediately start making changes to our website to continue our mission to help struggling Veterans. I would highly recommend Melanie!!”
— Hollie, Meals for Vets, Supervisor and Project Coordinator
This revamp holds the promise of increasing donations, which, in turn, will secure ongoing support for feeding veterans in Texas.
While we don't have exact numbers yet, it's important to emphasize that the website redesign is currently underway, and the potential impact is significant.
Research Methodologies
The game plan for Meals for Vets
Prior to beginning the project, I developed a research plan to organize and streamline the website audit process. The research methodologies I decided to incorporate were:
Stakeholder Interview: I began by conducting an extensive discussion with a key team member. This step was crucial to align my research goals with the organization's vision and needs. By understanding their perspective, I could tailor my objectives to be directly relevant and beneficial, making the outcomes more impactful and actionable for Meals for Vets.
Heuristic Analysis: I then evaluated the current website using principles of usability. This method allowed me to identify any existing usability issues systematically. By leveraging established usability guidelines, I provided a structured pathway to enhance the user experience, ensuring a more intuitive and accessible website.
User Test: To gather authentic feedback, I engaged real users in testing the website's usability. This step was essential to understand firsthand how users interact with the site. The insights I gathered pinpointed specific areas where users encountered difficulties, offering direct pathways to improve the site's user-friendliness and overall experience.
Competitor Analysis: I studied successful charities to extract valuable insights. This analysis allowed me to learn from the best practices and strategies of other organizations. By identifying trends and tactics, I could adapt and apply them to improve Meals for Vets' operations and outreach.
Prioritization Matrix: I collected and analyzed data to determine the key priorities for Meals for Vets' iterative focus. This structured approach ensured that the most critical areas were addressed first, optimizing the use of resources and efforts.
Detailed Audit Report & Wireframes: Finally, I consolidated my findings and recommendations into a comprehensive audit report, accompanied by wireframes. The audit report offered detailed insights and suggestions, while the wireframes served as visual references, making it easier to understand and implement the recommended changes.
Stakeholder Interview
Just a casual chat with some big insights
To initiate the website audit, I conducted a semi-structured interview with Hollie, my main contact at Meals for Vets. This interview aimed to uncover the organization's challenges, goals, and objectives. I used a set of approximately 20 questions to guide our conversation. We conducted the interview over Zoom, allowing for a comprehensive discussion and spontaneous insights beyond the predefined questions. The insights gathered during this interview informed the research and recommendations in this report.
Key Insights
Specific Goals for the Website:
The organization seeks to educate visitors about the challenges veterans face and the importance of their mission.
The website should clarify the distinction between veterans who have served in combat and those who haven't.
Meals for Vets aims to share personal stories of veterans to build empathy and understanding.
The website should facilitate emergency meal support.
Effective Features and Functionalities:
The current website doesn't have features that significantly draw in donors.
Donor acquisition is mainly through in-person events & grants.
Voice and Messaging:
The organization's voice and messaging are driven by the belief that veterans should be recognized as heroes who deserve support.
Heuristic Analysis
Taking a peek at the current website
I analyzed the Meals for Vets website with a clear goal: to boost donations. By examining the site, I aimed to spot usability issues and refine the user experience. This strategic analysis, driven by insights from the stakeholder interview with Hollie, particularly emphasizing donation enhancement, is a practical step towards making the website more user-friendly. The heuristic analysis aims to uncover problems and highlight areas for improvement, all geared towards increasing engagement and support for this vital cause.
Social media icons need to be larger, increase to minimum 50px
Navigation bar: Reduce the amount of links, move some links to drop downs. For example - What We Do, About Us, Ways to Give, Apply for Meals. This
would make a cleaner, more concise navigation. Presently, some confusion
for users, not enough focus on the Why, Who, and How.
Add donate button to Nav bar, and make the bar “sticky”, so it is
always visible when the user is scrolling. Easy access to donation, and
other resources.Needs to be more impactful messaging. Tell a concise story, engage users,
create a powerful message.The animation of the number generating is good. Consider adding the agency
start date, “Total meals served since 2015”, offers slightly more
transparency, additionally, tells users how established your organization
is.Imagery is great to use, however, this feels out of place, and does not
have specific context. Consider moving this banner just below the navigation.
Use real images of real people, meals, etc. Add text over images that
carry a call to action, with a button or link directing them.Footer: Add links to offer more navigation for users, including
social media links. Consider a newsletter, and add sign up at top of footer.
Use a larger font size to help with accessibility standards. No smaller than 12pt.Font could be bolder and larger for more emphasis, as space is available.
Move Donate button to navigation bar.
In a nutshell - the homepage's impact is hindered by incongruent imagery, a lack of compelling narrative, and confusing navigation. Real images with contextual text, a concise and engaging story, and streamlined navigation would significantly enhance the user experience.
Usability Test
Alright, what do the users really think?
Due to budget and time constraints, I was only able to conduct a single user test to understand how users interact with the website and identify pain points. While my ideal scenario would have involved at least five participants to gain a more diverse perspective, I proceeded with one participant to validate findings and gain additional insights. The user test employed remote moderated testing, where the participant completed tasks, and I assessed their experience using the System Usability Scale (SUS). Additionally, I gathered insights by asking introductory questions about their donation experiences and motivations.
Key insights
The user testing revealed a mixed experience on the Meals for Vets website. While the overall appearance was deemed professional, there were challenges in engaging users and inspiring immediate donation intentions. Navigational difficulties were prominent, with users struggling to find crucial information on volunteering, current needs, and corporate support.
The lack of transparent and detailed information about the organization's impact and resource management posed concerns for users. Personal stories from beneficiaries were deemed essential for building trust, and the existing content, particularly in the "Mission and Values" section, was perceived as lengthy and overwhelming.
“I would like to see personal stories. It would help me build trust in the charity; I can see where my money is actually going.”
Despite a positive System Usability Scale (SUS) score of 82%, users expressed a need for clearer communication about the organization's work and a distinctive identity for Meals for Vets. Mobile responsiveness issues were also identified, emphasizing the importance of optimizing the website for diverse user experiences.
Competitor Analysis
Checking out the competition
In the pursuit of enhancing Meals for Vets' online presence and donor engagement, I conducted a thorough competitor analysis. While Meals for Vets offers a unique service dedicated to veterans' food support, I delved into three prominent charities that share a common thread – reliance on donations to provide critical services to their recipients. These well-known, high-performing organizations operate in a parallel realm, and their successful strategies and approaches are invaluable sources of insight and inspiration for Meals for Vets' mission. To conduct this analysis, I used a Google Spreadsheet to organize and sort data across various key aspects, including:
Mission and Communication
Visual Design
Donor Engagement
Impact and Testimonials
Media and Visuals
Transparency and Accountability
Updates and Engagement
Events and Fundraising
Social Media and Sharing
User Experience and Functionality
Donation Processing
These categories were used to assess and compare the performance and strategies of these charities in various areas, helping to gain valuable insights that can contribute to improving Meals for Vets' online presence and donor engagement.
Overview of Competitor Analysis
Prioritization Matrix
Piecing it all together
I used a prioritization matrix as a key tool to thoroughly assess potential website improvements for Meals for Vets. It's all about finding that perfect balance between impact and effort, ensuring energy is put where it counts most. This method zeroed in on strategies that promise the best results while sidestepping anything too tricky or low on impact. Plus, I made sure every decision was rooted in data, prioritizing initiatives based on their expected benefits and resource demands. The result? Solid, well-informed recommendations that set Meals for Vets on the right track.
The application of this prioritization matrix, based on the dichotomy of "Low-High Value" versus "Low-High Effort," yielded a comprehensive set of recommendations to refine and strengthen the Meals for Vets website. Here are some of the key findings:
Enhance visual design with impactful, real-life photos.
Eliminate stock images for authenticity.
Highlight Texas connections for a local touch.
Share personal veteran stories for trust and support.
Improve navigation and maintain consistency.
Implement social media sharing options.
Prominently display the donate button.
Clarify impact and resource management.
Foster corporate support with dedicated sections.
Develop a proactive content strategy.
Ensure full mobile responsiveness for a user-friendly experience.
The Final Report
Let's dive into change
The comprehensive website audit for Meals for Vets reveals critical areas for improvement across various dimensions. The analysis focused on enhancing user experience, increasing donations, and optimizing content to align with stakeholder goals. Key findings include the need for impactful visuals, a compelling narrative, and improved navigation for a more user-friendly journey. Addressing these aspects, along with refining the donation process and incorporating transparency, will contribute to a more engaging, efficient, and successful website for Meals for Vets. For a detailed breakdown of findings and actionable suggestions, refer to the full summary.
Wireframes
Creating a visual aid
This wireframe, designed for both desktop and mobile versions, serves as a visual guide that translates abstract suggestions into concrete designs These wireframes, for both desktop and mobile, serve as visual guides to help the agency understand and implement the proposed enhancements efficiently. By providing these detailed visuals, I aimed to ensure a smooth and effective execution of the improvements.
Final Thoughts
Let's sum it up: where to next and learnings
This project has significantly supported Meals for Vets' mission to assist veterans in need. The agency's positive response to the audit suggestions highlights the potential impact on increasing donations and aiding more veterans. Moving forward, Meals for Vets plans to implement these recommendations, enhancing its digital presence. This experience has underscored the powerful influence of strategic digital improvements on a nonprofit's mission, offering a valuable lesson in the intersection of technology and social impact.
Next Steps Recommended for the Agency:
Implementation of Website Iterations: Execute suggested changes to the website, focusing on visual design, impactful storytelling, and improved navigation for enhanced user experience.
Newsletter Creation: Establish a periodic newsletter to keep supporters informed about Meals for Vets' activities, impact stories, and upcoming events. This serves as a continuous engagement strategy.
WordPress Self-Management: Encourage learning WordPress for self-management, empowering the team to make real-time updates, ensuring content remains relevant and engaging. Offered options for free/low cost educational websites.
Maintain Open Communication: Offer ongoing support and stay connected for any follow-up inquiries or assistance required during the implementation phase.
So, What's the Big Lesson Here?
In reflection, this project has highlighted the importance of diverse perspectives and continuous user feedback. For future iterations, conducting at least five user tests could provide deeper insights and ensure a more holistic understanding of user needs.
Furthermore, interviewing individuals in corporate roles could uncover motivations for supporting charities, offering insights into how Meals for Vets can appeal to corporate donors. This additional research could provide a more nuanced understanding of potential supporters and guide future outreach strategies.
