Case study
Ramadan Giving
Designing a trust-first donation and community engagement platform, bridging legacy trust signals with modern donation behaviour to reduce cognitive load, strengthen credibility, and support conversion on mobile.
- Role
- Lead UX/UI Designer · UX Research · Design Strategy · Prototyping
- Timeline
- 4 months
- Tools
- Lovable · Figma · Supabase · Stripe
- Outcome
- Trust-first donation platform
- Philanthropy
- Web App
- AI-Native
- Mobile
Overview
Ramadan Giving is a grassroots, volunteer-run nonprofit with real community impact and a digital presence that wasn't keeping up. People were arriving with the intention to donate and leaving without doing anything. The site didn't explain what the organisation did, the donation flow had too many choices at once, and the mobile experience had friction at every step.
The goal was simple even if the execution wasn't: help someone understand what Ramadan Giving does, trust that it's real, and take action, all in under a minute on their phone.
Problem & UX Research
People came with the intention to give. The site didn't meet them where they were. There was no clear explanation of what Ramadan Giving did, too many donation choices presented at once, and a mobile experience that made simple things harder than they needed to be.
Strategy & Discovery
Key Research Insights
- People hesitated when faced with too many donation choices at once, decision paralysis was measurable at the giving selection screen.
- Important actions were harder to find on mobile, where the majority of first-time visitors arrived.
- Text placed over images was difficult to read in several sections, undermining trust at a moment when credibility was critical.
Design Process
Home Page
The home page was designed to do three things quickly: explain what Ramadan Giving does, show that it is real and trustworthy, and point people to clear next steps. This meant a short, direct value statement; clear donate and volunteer actions; early impact highlights; and real photos from community events. Most users were able to explain the mission within seconds of landing.
Programs and Impact
This section connects donations to real outcomes. Each programme explains who it helps, what is provided, and how people can support it. Impact metrics and short stories were included to make the work feel tangible without overwhelming the user.
About Page
The About page focused on transparency. It tells the story of how the organisation started, who it serves, and how it operates. Including the founder helped make the organisation feel more personal and grounded rather than abstract, a deliberate trust-building choice for first-time visitors.
Donation Experience
The donation flow was designed to feel calm and reassuring. Instead of presenting many choices at once, the experience guides people step by step. Clear language explains where funds go, and the layout is optimised for mobile to reduce friction. Several users mentioned feeling more confident about donating because they understood exactly what their contribution supported.
Getting Involved
Not everyone is ready or able to donate. The Get Involved section makes it easy to volunteer, collaborate, or reach out with questions. Volunteer expectations are clearly explained so people know what to expect before signing up, reducing drop-off from the volunteer flow.
News and Updates
This page shows that the organisation is active and growing. Short updates share programme highlights, events, and announcements, helping build ongoing trust and transparency over time.
Results
After launching the MVP, I ran usability testing with eight participants unfamiliar with Ramadan Giving. The results consistently validated the trust-first design approach.
- 8
- Usability testing participants, all unfamiliar with Ramadan Giving
- < 30s
- Most participants understood the mission within the first thirty seconds
- 100%
- All participants found at least one way to get involved beyond donating
Learnings
- Moving impact highlights above the fold was the biggest single change to engagement. Proof has to come before the ask.
- Trust is built through clarity, not complexity. The simpler we made each step, the more willing people were to act. That's easy to lose sight of when stakeholders want to add features.
Conclusion
Nonprofit digital experiences fail when they prioritise the organisation's story over the visitor's need for clarity. Ramadan Giving works when a first-time visitor lands, understands the mission, trusts the organisation, and takes action, all in under a minute.
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