Version 1 of the Project for Sanitation Justice was difficult for non-profits and the general public to navigate due to the enormous amount of information on the website, and had no clear strategy for communicating research to the general audience. Additionally, a lack of scalability in the web design severely impacted the ability to rapidly provide up-to-date information. A new website was needed that focused on the most important aspects of the project without overwhelming the end user.
The website was launched in Q1 2024 with a 49% increase in new user traffic, with a total of 1,546 users, and a 120% increase in page views, with the majority of the traffic focused on the organization's work (743 views), and the contact page (338 users).
We interviewed three types of users who are the most actively searching for the information provided by the Project for Sanitation Justice: students, researchers, concerned citizen-activists, and non-profit organizations.
Through our research, we identified several needs which would inform the design of v.2 of our website:
The website should not assume the role of providing information best left to the publication. It needs to tell the user where the information can be found.
The easier information is found and understood by the general audience the greater likelihood it will be acted upon.
Ease of navigation was the cross-demographic goal that serves as the foundation that would inform the development of the new website.
The common pain-point across all interviewed demographics was complex navigation, so I began developing the website with this problem in mind.
We interviewed three types of users who are the most actively searching for the information provided by the Project for Sanitation Justice: students, researchers, concerned citizen-activists, and non-profit organizations.
I learned how critical it is to begin the design project with a strong research foundation where the needs and goals of the audience are deeply understood.
Strong information architecture reduces user frustration and creates a strong foundation of reliability, trust, and transparency that translates to sustainable growth over time.
