Overview
The Sea Save Foundation (SSF) has championed ocean conservation since 1994 and influenced key legislation globally. A redesigned website, created by a team of seven, offers improved navigation, a modern look, and mobile-friendly features. It simplifies access to educational resources, updates on conservation efforts, and streamlined donation options, enhancing the user experience and expanding SSF's reach. Additionally, the redesign aimed to increase user retention by encouraging newsletter signups, keeping supporters engaged with the latest initiatives and ways to take action.
Nick Diehl
Juntao Hu
Lucia Mendez
Jillian Penalosa
Kiley Sullivan
Tai Vieira
Chuofan Zheng
3 weeks
UX & UI designer
Interaction designer
Stakeholder goals
SSF’s mission is to disseminate information regarding current challenges and legislation that can solve issues. Subscriptions to the Ocean Week in Review newsletter is the most effective way to inform the public and should be outlined throughout the redesign.
Evaluating usability
From a first impression, a few things were clear: the Sea Save Foundation's website faced several usability challenges, including a hero carousel that moved too quickly for users to engage with, excessive white space that disrupted visual flow, and unclear navigation that made it hard to locate essential information, articles, or to take action.
While a key item to our stakeholder, it was difficult to determine the significance of the Ocean Week in Review newsletter to a regular user.
These shortcomings gave the site an unreliable appearance, making it seem like an untrustworthy source of information.
Usability testing
The original website was tested with five users on Zoom to see how well it attracted Ocean Week in Review newsletter sign-ups.
When tasked, only 71% of users were able to sign-up for the Ocean Week In Review Newsletter and find an article from a specific date.
The general consensus amongst users was simple: many of the website's elements were distracting, frustrating, and unclear.
User research
What motivates people to engage with ocean conservation foundations or groups, and what do they hope to gain from donating or volunteering?
What challenges and opportunities do individuals face in their efforts to protect and raise awareness about oceans?
How do people perceive the factors contributing to ocean pollution, such as plastics, and what actions are they taking to help mitigate the issue?
Our research team conducted one-on-one interviews over Zoom and an online survey to learn more about participants' environmental concerns, conservation habits, and experience with online non-profit organization platforms. Several key takeaways were developed from our research notes and interviews.
Many believe the ocean is mistreated and we have yet to see the brunt of its consequences.
Most engagement is based online or on social media.
Most participants are not directly involved with any sort of non-profit organizations or foundations.
Many people try to incorporate sustainable practices into their daily life.
Ideation
Revamping the website's navigation would make it easier for users to find key information, including more opportunities to donate and sign up for the Ocean Week in Review newsletter.
Featuring the foundation's history on the homepage would highlight its long-standing dedication and impact, reinforcing its credibility and building trust with visitors.
Updating the look of the SSF website would show a commitment to staying current, reflecting seriousness about their mission and maintaining an engaging, forward-thinking image.
Sea blue
#1975B8
Sky blue
#36BAF2
Coral pink
#F86883
Rosa
#E691A1
White sand
#FFF0E2
Redesign highlights
The website’s navigation bar was redesigned using a card sorting exercise to organize the content more intuitively. Clearer dropdown menus were created, making it easier for visitors to browse the site, and a donation link was added to each menu for quick access.
Prototyping
The website was redesigned and tested with lo-fi & two hi-fi prototypes to improve usability, credibility, and highlight the Ocean Week in Review newsletter. Updates include a footer newsletter sign-up, interactive images, history timelines, and testimonials for a fresh look. Purposeful whitespace enhances readability, while hover effects and animations make navigation smooth and engaging, ensuring users can easily explore and find information.
Usability testing
The lo-fi & hi-fi prototypes were tested with users through Zoom. Like with the original website, users were tasked with signing up for the Ocean Week In Review newsletter, and finding a particular article from the Ocean Week in Review newsletter and the ability to share it on social media platforms.
71%
Original success rate
40%
Lo-fi success rate
100%
Hi-fi success rate
While the original website scored a 71% success rate for task completion, the lower score for the lo-fi prototype test can be attributed to the lack of images and colors that made users perceive the different webpages as too similar and confusing. These issues were negated with the hi-fi prototype, which had very few issues with user testing.
User feedback
Impact
The Sea Save Foundation (SSF) redesigned its website to make it easier to navigate, access conservation resources, and support their mission. A key focus was improving sign-ups for the Ocean Week in Review newsletter and making information more accessible.
Research showed that while many people care about ocean conservation, they struggle to find reliable ways to help. The new design features clearer navigation, interactive elements, and a modern layout, creating a smoother user experience. Testing confirmed major improvements, helping SSF expand its reach & user retention, and impact in protecting marine ecosystems.
