We chose the mobile application design for our platform because it’s capable of accomplishing all our tasks while making our resources both convenient for the user to use on the go from their phone. Since our target users include people who people who want to give and have passing contact with charities, it’s helpful to reduce the feedback loop between hearing about charities and learning more about/giving to them, which suggests that mobile platforms are more suitable than desktop. We chose to address our second and fourth tasks: learning about effective charities; and giving effectively without sacrificing too much convenience. These tasks encapsulate the most important aspects of our project’s goals: to allow users to learn about giving effectively, and to put that knowledge into action in their own way. Our iconic workflow for the task of learning about effective charities is choosing among a set of charities to pick one to donate to. For the task of giving effectively without sacrificing too much convenience, we feel that automating recurring donations exemplifies a key facet of our goal.
Storyboard 1: Task - Learning about effective charities
Written Scenario:
This illustrates two friends feeling overwhelmed with a wide variety of charities shown on a bulletin board, and they would like to learn more. One person opens up the Effective Giving app on his phone to search for a charity that captured his interest: Red Cross. A page of information about the Red Cross is then presented to him, which he reads. He then tells his friend about what he learned about the charity. The two friends discuss what they learn, weigh the pros and cons of donating to The Red Cross, and make a more informed donation decision.
Storyboard 2: Task - Giving effectively without sacrificing too much convenience
Written Scenario:
This illustrates a person who has done their research on effective charities on the Effective Giving app and finds one that they are really interested in: Habitat for Humanity. He donates to it and selects the option of allowing the app to make monthly recurring payments to the charity. A month later, while he is busy and consumed with work, he gets a notification from the app on his phone that his monthly payment to Habitat for Humanity has been processed, without him having to go out of his way. The user has the option to learn more about the donation or continue going about his day working.