As part of a 12 week UX Design course at General Assembly, I came up with the idea to create an app that would help improve the way people make donations and interact with charitable organizations. Through research and conducting a series of interviews with people who frequently contribute to charity, I discovered a number of shared concerns. These included feelings of disconnect when donating, not knowing how their contribution dollars were being spent, and a sense that their contributions weren’t making an immediate impact. My goal was to design an app that would offer users a unique and personal donating experience to solve this problem. I was inspired by the philanthropic work of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which distributes free hearing aids to people in need all over the world. I designed the particular functionality of this app to allow users to directly donate towards a pair of hearing aids for someone in need. By creating a unique personal experience for the users while supporting the charitable efforts of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, donors and recipients will be sure to participate in a rewarding and life changing experience which is truly a cause to believe in.

This entry is worthy of a UX award because I recognized an ongoing problem for philanthropic organizations and their respective donors and provided a solution. Inspired by the charitable efforts of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, I designed an app that makes donating as easy as ordering a latte and gives users a creative way to spread philanthropy and genuine care for others while increasing awareness of the profound and devastating effects of hearing loss. Unlike past recipients of UX awards who have had clients come to them with their own directives, I took initiative in identifying a need for the Starkey Hearing Foundation and made it applicable to any organization that accepts donations. I created a unique “user” experience for donors to interact with the organization of their choice in a personal way, and allows them to see exactly how and more importantly who their money is helping.