Southeast Valley Alliance is a veterans organization based out of Arizona. They provide access to a range of resources and information that are helpful to veterans and their families, such as job training and placement services, educational opportunities, mental health resources, and financial assistance. I volunteered my time to help design their website.
The organization did not have a website, but needed one in order to provide veterans and their families with the support, advocacy and resources that they need.
Design a website that allows the organization to communicate their mission and seamlessly collect donations.
Since the launch of the new website, the organization has seen a significant increase in donations, directly supporting their goals and growth as a nonprofit. In the first year alone, donations increased by 134% from the year prior, highlighting the value added from the website and donation platform that I designed.
UX Designer
Project Manager
2 UX Designers
3 Board Members
Engineering
Research
Discovery
Strategy
Iteration
Wireframing & Prototyping
Documentation & Handoff
I collaborated with a team of designers, using an iterative design approach to build the new Southeast Valley Alliance website. I relied on research and feedback from both our team and the organization's board members to better refine and improve my designs. To achieve our goals for the website, we followed the design thinking process.
To deepen user empathy, I aimed to understand who the typical users of the new website would be. I spoke with the board members to learn about their demographics, focusing on potential donors since the website's primary purpose is to collect donations. I also researched demographics of those that typically donate to veterans organizations.
Males 30-65 years old.
Middle to upper-middle class individuals, with disposable incomes, as they are more likely to support charitable causes.
Individuals and businesses located in and around Cave Creek, AZ (southeast valley).
People and businesses that are motivated by a sense of duty or patriotism.
Small businesses with a desire and willingness to sponsor events or campaigns to support veterans as part of community engagement.
Many donors have direct ties to the military, whether through personal service, family members, or friendships, which motivates their philanthropic efforts.
My research focused on other nonprofit organizations to understand how they use their websites for collecting donations. This insight helped me to design an effective donation system for our own site. Additionally, I aimed to gain a broader understanding of the user experience offered by similar organizations.
I established five core brand values which are the foundational beliefs that make Southeast Valley Alliance so unique. These values were used to develop the story and messaging of the new website.
A moodboard was also created, that I used to further guide the visual design of the new site. It draws inspiration from the organizations brand values, the American flag and the Arizona desert which the organization calls home.
With the primary goal of building a website to collect donations in place, it was time to define additional problems the website would address. Using previous research and data, I identified key challenges while keeping user needs at the forefront of my decision-making. The site would provide information about Southeast Valley Alliance, offer contact options, and most importantly, solve their biggest challenge—enabling users to make donations to help fund their mission and goals.
With our goals for the website defined, it was now time for me to begin the ideation phase of the design process. We brainstormed together as a team and developed a number of viable solutions to the problems that needed to be solved for the organization.
The Southeast Valley Alliance website is designed to grow over time, but to establish an online presence quickly, the board members agreed on a simple, four-page layout as a great starting point. This structure addresses the nonprofit's immediate needs while leaving room for future expansion. The site was to be fully responsive and optimized for both desktop and mobile.
The last phase of this project was to build out prototypes in Figma. I shared these with the board members to make sure everyone was on the same page, before the website moved into the development stage. The prototypes were then shared alongside detailed documentation with engineering, ensuring successful implementation of the newly designed website.
Working for a nonprofit veterans association was a rewarding experience that allowed me to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those in need. More than anything else, nonprofit organizations need donations in order to succeed. Our team designed a system that allows Southeast Valley Alliance to effectively collect donations, allowing the organization to help more people. This is an opportunity that I am truly grateful I had the chance to be a part of.
I wanted to run usability testing on our prototypes, which would have allowed me to iterate and make improvements where needed, before moving into the development stage of the website. Due to a lack of time and other constraints, I was not given this opportunity. As a designer, learning to work within constraints is important when navigating how to deliver a successful product.
One of the most valuable lessons I gained from this experience was learning how to communicate more effectively as a designer. By holding meetings with the board members, I developed the ability to clearly articulate my ideas, helping them understand the rationale behind my design decisions and their importance.
I also learned a great deal about collaborating with other designers. One challenge was navigating subjective visual design decisions, especially when we each had strong opinions. This experience taught me the importance of listening and working together to deliver the best possible outcome for the client and their users. Overall, this project helped me refine my design thinking skills and improve how I implement them in a team setting.
Outside of the UX work I performed for Southeast Valley Alliance, I also led the rebrand of their visual identity. Some of the graphic design work I did can be viewed below.
