Pray For Myanmar
Basil Tech, Golden Shores Initiative (GSI), Crazy Love Ministries, Antioch Missions International, and Youth with a Mission (YWAM)
April 2021 - December 2021
Remote / Global
Responsive web design to launch a live news, fundraiser, and prayer campaign platform for Myanmar during military coup
My Role
As the sole product designer for this project, I worked directly with a project manager and several engineers to create a responsive, interactive website to effectively share recent news updates, raise funds to provide humanitarian aid, and mobilize prayer campaigns for Myanmar during the 2021 military coup.
The UX Challenge
The Golden Shores Initiative team along with several other missions partners wanted to launch an interactive website that would provide up-to-date news from local missionaries in Myanmar, so people could pray and donate to support those suffering under the military coup.
Because our team was working with multiple clients, I had to actively manage differing voices and objectives from different stakeholders. I assisted with synthesizing their goals by identifying the target user and advocated for users’ needs throughout the design process to hone in on our minimum viable product and optimize product usability.
The UX Design Process
After reviewing various sketch prototypes with the team, I closely collaborated with an engineer in Myanmar to design and build out a dynamic, interactive news platform.
Our design approach was inspired by a cross between Facebook’s UI and a blog with regular news updates and chat boxes to post prayers and engage with content from our local sources in Myanmar. Newer posts populated top-down with CTA buttons to guide users to engage further and take action. Users could also subscribe via email for monthly/quarterly newsletter updates.
After initial design mockups, the website was initially launched to conduct usability studies. As the stakeholders’ objectives and desired functional components changed, we also iterated upon the existing design and user framework. What initially began as a news platform changed into an interactive prayer portal with an ongoing schedule of upcoming prayer meetings and zoom links to join them live. Shortly after reevaluating privacy issues, however, the design was rolled back to its original form.
UX Impact & Outcome
This platform was designed to increase awareness about the military coup in Myanmar, promote prayer, and raise funds for humanitarian aid. User engagement and newsletter sign-ups both in the United States and Myanmar increased by 36% after launch. Highlighted banner announcements and clear CTA buttons increased participation in hosted Zoom prayer meetings and donations to the cause.
Lessons Learned
Navigating competing stakeholder interests taught me valuable lessons in adapting design direction to meet different client demands. Despite conflicting goals, I learned the importance of establishing target user personas and our minimum viable product before diving into high-fidelity prototypes, while for also advocating for user needs throughout the design process. Avoiding rushing into quick production is critical to prevent inevitable, costly post-launch iterations.
Working on a lean design and product team challenged me to manage human-centered design thinking along with client expectations. I learned the importance of educating clients on each step of the design process, highlighting user studies, and advocating for user needs to guide our design direction from ideation to launch.