Soos Creek Botanical Garden
Automating supportive systems for a low-tech non-profit
Brand qualities
Helpful
Minimal
Informative
Clear
Welcoming
Calm
Background
Poor navigation and unclear processes online resulted in a lack of engagement and disorganization in existing volunteer programs. Staff and volunteers were frustrated and struggled to coordinate support. I saw an opportunity to increase awareness of garden opportunities while automating common processes for volunteering, donations, event rentals, and other programs.
The garden has a very loyal group of volunteers with low tech-literacy, which was a key aspect to creating appropriate design solutions.
We redesigned the web experience for improved engagement, site traffic, and CMS systems support. KPIs included engagement through volunteer sign ups, donations, and rental inquiries.
Deliverables
User research
Reusable components library
Content Strategy
Website design
Easy-to use CMS
Solutions
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Simplified IA and user flows.
The new IA focused on key engagement moments and easy navigation. allowing users to easily connect with their garden goals and interests.
Navigation links are simplified into key categories or CTAs.
Engagement opportunpties were murh more visible with standardized processes.
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Volunteer Engagement
I provided online opportunities to both inquire about volunteering and see ongoing events. These need a low level of ongoing management and do not take the place of the preferred pen and pencil sign-up form used on-site.
Once we tested these new integrations, new volunteer attendance increased by 20%, and veteran volunteers were excited about the new system.
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Key User Goals
Information for the most common user goals is featured first— including garden location, hours, and contact info — with many opportunities throughout the user journey to navigate back to this information.
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Event Rental Requests
The opportunity for event rentals was made more visible on the new site with more information provided for interested users. An online sign up form also reduces the barrier for users to inquire.
Users can view rentable areas or request an event date or more information through an online form which is e-mailed to the SCBG staff.
Testing & Iterations
I conducted iterative testing to confirm the sustainability of solutions. Tasks that seemed unclear were addressed and retested.
Event sign up was initially the least successful category. I discovered that the client was already familiar with Gmail products and found an opportunity to integrate signups through Google Calendar and Workspace.
The new use of Google calendars was a simple adjustment, but it resonated with both new and veteran users. Once implemented, new volunteer sign ups increased and veterans were excited about the ability to add events to their personal Google calendars.
Impact
Site traffic increased by 30% in the first 4 months after the new site was launched.
Volunteer engagement increased by 20% and veteran volunteers were excited about the ability to add events to their personal Google calendars.
With the new engagement, the garden was able to propagate over 1000 plants for their semi-annual plant sale.
A profit of $7,000 was made at their semi-annual plant sale — compared to an average of $2,000 in previous years.
The client can now maintain accessible and sustainable CMS chosen for their comfort levels and needs.
See it live:
Retrospective
Bridging the gap between the old ways of operation and the needs of new users was quickly successful after implementation. Visibility of garden opportunities dramatically improved, allowing online donations and volunteer inquiries for the first time.
On top of that, the client is now able to manage ongoing website updates to event calendars and more due to a CMS system chosen for their comfort level and needs.