The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the University of Wisconsin–Madison and its community. WFAA's work includes hosting events for students and alumni, as well as fundraising to advance the university's research, student programs, and faculty initiatives.
My journey with WFAA began in 2019 as a Digital Experience Specialist, where I focused on building email journeys and creating web content to support marketing efforts for events and fundraising campaigns. As my career progressed, I developed a strong interest in User Experience (UX) Design. After expressing this interest, I began taking on UX-related tasks and assignments. Over time, my role evolved into one with a primary focus on user experience research, web content design, and creation—shifting away from email marketing to fully concentrate on UX.
Day of the Badger and Fill the Hill are the University of Wisconsin–Madison's annual giving days, bringing together alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends to support the university. These events span 24-48 hours (1848 minutes for Day of the Badger) and focus on raising funds for various programs, scholarships, and initiatives that enhance the university's impact. Through online campaigns, social media outreach, and community engagement, both giving days celebrate Badger pride while encouraging donors to contribute to the university’s continued success.
The previous donation platform was managed by a vendor, resulting in limited control and flexibility. The old website was cluttered with excessive content, making it difficult for users to navigate and engage. Surveys revealed that the giving process was frustrating, leaving users dissatisfied and, in some cases, dissuaded from donating altogether.
To address these issues, we brought the website in-house, giving our team greater control over design and functionality. Content was streamlined to focus on the most important information for each campaign or cause, improving clarity and engagement. We also integrated our giving platform directly with the website, creating a seamless user experience and allowing for efficient transactions.
I played a key role in the project by conducting discovery meetings with stakeholders to identify pain points and explore potential solutions. Collaborating closely with graphic designers, I created wireframes and mockups to ensure developers had clear and accurate visual and functional guidance. Additionally, I developed user stories to test and refine the giving process, prioritizing a simple yet thoughtful user experience.
The redesigned websites significantly improved user satisfaction, with post-giving surveys indicating over 90% satisfaction with the transaction process. The revamped experience led to record-breaking success on both days of giving, setting a new standard for performance and continuing to exceed expectations in subsequent campaigns.
The website faced recurring issues with components that were not functioning as intended or were not user-friendly, leading to a suboptimal user experience.
To address this, I collaborated with the product manager to establish a streamlined process. When a component was identified as non-functional, a ticket was created to document the issue. Each component was then reviewed to determine whether it required a redesign or a fix. Wireframes and mockups were developed as needed, and developers implemented the updates to improve usability and functionality.
These quality-of-life improvements enhanced the overall user experience, showcasing the importance of proactive issue resolution and efficient collaboration.