HARSHA MALHOTRA

Hope

Hope is a website for people to find and donate to fundraisers specific to children’s causes

TARGET PERSONA

My initial idea was to make Hope a horizontal donation product - a place where people could browse and donate to fundraisers of all kinds. My research showed that this space was already pretty crowded.

More interestingly, I also learned that people often hold one or two causes much closer to their heart. This was interesting because a more powerful emotional experience could be designed for a single cause. I decided to focus on children related fundraisers because it was one of the common choices and because it was very close to my own heart.

USER PROBLEM

Help me find and donate to credible children-related fundraisers when I’m feeling charitable.

RESEARCH

I did a survey and some in-person interviews with people who organized fundraisers (both offline and online) as well as people who donated to some charities. I also did some competitive research to understand the market better.

KEY INSIGHTS THAT SHAPED PRODUCT DESIGN

  1. Helping a real child is more fulfilling emotionally than donating to a faceless organization.
  2. People deeply care about donating only to credible fundraisers that can be trusted to make good use of their money.
  3. Selecting one fundraiser out of many is a difficult decision -- analysis paralysis should be avoided.
  4. While information about a fundraiser inspires credibility, people can also get drowned in too much information.
  5. People feel good about themselves when they help someone.
  6. People are much more likely to donate if other people they know are also donating.

VISUAL DESIGN

I wanted the viewer to feel nostalgic about their own (or their own children’s) childhood and build empathy with subjects of fundraisers. To accomplish this, I chose a black and white theme with large images of children’s faces. This removes all distractions and focuses attention only on children resulting in an intense emotional impact. I also used an accent color of popping yellow to propel users forward in the donation flow.

Portfolio PROJECTS

HARSHA MALHOTRA

Are you looking for a designer who hustles hard and stays humble? A curious soul who bobs her head to classic melodies and Bollywood numbers? A foodie who will venture out for amazing cuisine with you? If so, do get in touch!