ECPAT USA.
Designing Hope: A Safer Future for Children.
Project in 2023
My Role
UI/UX Design
Concept Map
Heuristic Evaluation
Cart Sort Testing
UI Specification
Prototyping
collaborators
UX Designers
Project Leader
Project Manager of ECPAT USA
Managing Members of Collaborative Solutions LLC
Contracting Officer for the U.S. Federal Government
tools
Figma
Miro
Canva
Xmind
Optimal Workshop
Accessibility Test
Figma Accessibility Plugins
Overview
This project was a four-month externship via Rutgers University where the focus was collaborating with ECPAT USA, an international non-profit organization working to stop the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children.
goal
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Identifying the current website’s UX issues and improving the usability
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Ensuring the website’s accessibility and inclusivity
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Raising awareness on how to recognize human trafficking
Raising awareness on how to recognize & protect all children from human trafficking.
Background Research.
To understand more details of the ECPAT background, I researched information from the current website and literature review. This research process made me take the design more seriously, enhancing my sense of value and responsibility towards the project.
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Human trafficking is a crime and a violation of human rights.
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Human trafficking is recruitment through force or deception to exploit people.
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In 2021, 10,359 cases of human trafficking were reported in the US.
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Traffickers recruit victims from bus and train stations.
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Public transportation staff are crucial in recognizing red flags to respond appropriately.
Current Problems.
To understand the current website issues, I conducted a series of usability testings.
Heuristic Evaluation
I conducted the heuristic evaluation within the UX team to examine the interface and judge its compliance with recognized usability principles. The results revealed significant UX problems with confusing navigation structure and overall design consistency.
Accessibility Test
We conducted accessibility tests on the previous design to evaluate its performance. The tests revealed significant issues, such as insufficient color contrast and inconsistent navigation. Identifying these problems was crucial for making informed improvements and ensuring the final design met accessibility standards, providing a better user experience for all.
Navigation Improvement.
To resolve the issues of navigation, I conducted a Card Sort testing on ten users through Optimal Workshop.
Card sorting is a UX research method used to discover how people understand and categorize information. In a card sort, participants group ideas or information written on cards into different categories in a way that makes sense to them.
Improvements
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I reorganized website navigation based on testing outcomes.
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I unified the navigation tone for consistency, e.g., "About Us", "Our Research", and "Contact Us".
Final Outcome.
New Navigation Structure
I applied the new navigation structure that we explored from card sort testing to improve the information architecture.
Rebranding Theme
Based on color theories, I selected dark green and yellow as the main colors. Green stands for harmony and hope. Yellow represents a warning. I also added descriptions of each page to make sure users understood the goal.
Overall we enhanced ECPAT brand awareness and consistency through strategic website redesign.
Accessibility Impovement
After creating each page, I utilized the plugins of Figma to test each page’s accessibility to ensure they are accessible to colorblind users and under WCAG ( Web Content Accessibility Guideline), increasing the accessibility score from 72% to 100%.
My Learnings.
Start with the “Why” and use it to inform my decisions.
Consistent communication is a significant part of cohesive design.
