.png)
Bridging the
Digital Divide.
Providing Equitable Access to Education.
Overview
What is Homework?
Homework is a non-profit organization that relies on hardware and monetary donations as a means of providing individuals in need with access to technology.
Working in partnership with two UX designers, we developed a mobile experience that encourages users to donate technology (hardware) to marginalized K-12 students in order to bridge the digital divide and improve educational outcomes.
My Role
Lead Designer
Tools
Figma, otter.ai, Zoom, Slack, Google Workspace, pen & paper
Timeline
5 Days
Type
Mobile Website
Design Sprint
Marginalized Students Don't Have Equitable Access to Education
The Problem
Not all students have access to personal computers, tablets, or smartphones required for online learning.The digital divide among K-12 students refers to the inequitable access to technology and the internet for educational purposes. This divide can lead to disparities in learning opportunities and outcomes.
4.4 Million
American households with students lack consistent access to a computer.
3.7 Million
American households with students lack reliable internet access.
9 Million
American students will face difficulty completing assignments online.
Demographic(s) Likely to Donate to Educational Causes
The Demographic
Before we could determine how to help marginalized K-12 students access technology, we needed to first understand who is most likely to donate to education or children's charities. Determining our user demographic was crucial to setting up our user participant interviews that would provide the data needed to design our solution.
84% of Millennials
donate to non-profits and prefer to do so on their mobile devices.
Women ages 35-44
are the top growing demographic of donors in America since 2020.
What are the Pain Points and Motivations of Donors?
User Participant Interviews
Using the decontextualized methodology, we interviewed four different millennial women, ages 29-37. The goal of our research was to understand the motivations, frustrations, and behaviors of millennial women when donating to a cause. Here's what we found:
01. Transparency
"
I just want to know like, where's this money going? And how's it being allocated?
"
Millennial women are more likely to donate to a cause that uses transparent messaging to explain how their donation is used.
02. Emotional Connection
"
They've got to kind of pull at my heartstrings a little bit. I'm a sucker for a story.
"
Millennial women are more likely to donate to a cause with a touching story that makes them feel connected to the donation recipient.
03. Convenience
"
I love the idea of an app or something easy to use so I don't have to do any work.
"
Millennial women are more likely to donate if it is convenient for them to do so.
04. Personal Values
"
The organization has to align with my values. So if their messaging resonates with me, that's a motivator.
"
Millennial women are more likely to donate to an organization that aligns with their personal values.
Key Takeaways
Millennial women desire a convenient and transparent donation experience that fosters a strong connection between them and the cause to which they are donating.
How might we encourage millennial women to donate technology (hardware) to marginalized K-12 students in order to provide equitable access to education?
Designing for User Needs
The Solution
We designed a mobile website that includes features showing users how their donations are being used in real-time, providing transparency and accountability. The design engages users by detailing their impact, as well as ways they can help nearby schools in need.
Major Features
Homepage
To establish transparency with donors, the homepage allows users to see how much of an impact they have already made with their contributions. Users can also browse through nearby schools in need, or match with a school that needs a device the user already has and wants to donate.
Design Development
Collaborating on a Solution Space
After discerning the key user pain points and motivations, the team brainstormed different features and components that would encourage users to make a donation. After determining our "donate a device" task flow, we worked in silo to sketch out our ideas. Pulling elements from each of our ideations, I built the following mid-fi wireframes:
Visual Branding and Identity
Given the time constraints, we were quick to develop our branding. The team was at first divided between creating a warm and inviting, or reliable and trustworthy, look and feel for the website. We decided to use blue for our primary color to convey a reassuring tone, with contrasting, playful pops of orange for certain elements to engage the user.
Typography
Brand + UI Colors
IBM Plex Sans Bold 24
IBM Plex Sans SemiBold 20
#3B539B
#23A5D9
IBM Plex Sans SemiBold 18
IBM Plex Sans SemiBold 16
#F2B33D
#F2913D
IBM Plex Sans Regular 16
Logo
IBM Plex Sans Medium 13
Accessiblity
Accessibility was a priority for our design. We chose IBM Plex Sans, an extremely legible typeface with distinguishable characters. To ensure readability, all text has a color contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.
Key Learnings
Teamwork
To prevent "too many chefs in the kitchen", the team was quick to decide which deliverables to work on in silo and which to do in group collaboration sessions. As the project manager for this design sprint, I learned to help my teammates move along with their progress, instead of spending too much time on one task. Most importantly, while we each played to our individual strengths, we took the time to help each other learn and grow in the areas where we felt insecure.