Overview
Goalgiving.com is a tech-for-good platform that harnesses the power of sport to raise money for charity. It enables users to make donations based on the outcomes of sporting events, bringing fans closer to their teams in the process.
Goalgiving.com is a tech-for-good platform that harnesses the power of sport to raise money for charity. It enables users to make donations based on the outcomes of sporting events, bringing fans closer to their teams in the process.
By connecting charitable causes with the excitement and emotion of sport, Goalgiving aims to be the first charity platform in the UK to raise £1 million.
Challenge
The brief was to identify improvements to the Goalgiving website, to enhance usability and create a more engaging and shareable experience.
The brief was to identify improvements to the Goalgiving website, to enhance usability and create a more engaging and shareable experience.
Additionally, the model’s reliance on existing partnerships with clubs and sports stars highlighted the challenge to shift the focus towards engaging sports fans directly and encourage organic participation.
Deliverables
UI & UX Design
Responsive Website Design
UI & UX Design
Responsive Website Design
Research
User & Stakeholder Interviews
Competitor Analysis
Cognitive Walkthroughs
Customer Journey Mapping
User & Stakeholder Interviews
Competitor Analysis
Cognitive Walkthroughs
Customer Journey Mapping
Ideation
Storyboarding
User Flows
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
UI Design
Storyboarding
User Flows
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
UI Design
Testing
Prototyping
Usability Testing
Prototyping
Usability Testing
Discovery
Adhering to the Double Diamond model, the initial phase of the project employed a range of user research tools and methodologies to better understand Goalgiving’s audience and their motivations.
This began with an interrogation of the brief, followed by a detailed review of company documents, a stakeholder interview and a comprehensive competitor analysis of organisations operating in both direct and indirect competition with Goalgiving.
I conducted user interviews, cognitive walkthroughs and mapped customer journeys to gain insight into what motivates people to follow their favourite sports teams and sportspeople.
The key research findings showed that most participants followed football, rugby or cricket, preferred choosing their own charities and were open to donating regularly, especially when part of a group or community.
Common themes revealed concerns about transparency and trust, with users wanting assurance their donations reached the right cause. Technology plays an important role, particularly among younger audiences.
The findings were then organised into an Affinity Map, allowing me to group related themes and identify user needs, frustrations and opportunities for improvement.
Key Research Findings revealed the majority of participants:
• Follow football, rugby and cricket teams and sportspeople
• Give to different charities based on which are important to them
• Would be more likely to donate if they could choose the charity
• Only give to charity when asked
• Are open to donating on a regular basis
• Would be happy to donate £10 p/month on average
• Were more likely to donate if part of a group or community
• Follow football, rugby and cricket teams and sportspeople
• Give to different charities based on which are important to them
• Would be more likely to donate if they could choose the charity
• Only give to charity when asked
• Are open to donating on a regular basis
• Would be happy to donate £10 p/month on average
• Were more likely to donate if part of a group or community
Common Themes identified included:
• Concerns about how much of each donation reaches the cause
• Issues of brand trust and Goalgiving’s credibility
• An indication that users are betting less but more frequently
• Tracking/ monitoring donations is important to all demographics
• Technology plays an important part in younger people’s lives
• Concerns about how much of each donation reaches the cause
• Issues of brand trust and Goalgiving’s credibility
• An indication that users are betting less but more frequently
• Tracking/ monitoring donations is important to all demographics
• Technology plays an important part in younger people’s lives
Definition
Building on the research insights, I developed user personas representing Goalgiving’s key audience groups, enabling me to make informed, user-centred design decisions and build empathy with the target users.
In addition, I established a clearer definition of the problem by reframing the brief and creating a series of user stories to promote a more empathetic and user-centric focus.
Brief Reframe
"How might we persuade football fans to regularly donate to causes of their choice every time their team scores a goal whilst encouraging others to do the same?"
"How might we persuade football fans to regularly donate to causes of their choice every time their team scores a goal whilst encouraging others to do the same?"
User Stories
As an ethical person, I would like to raise money for charitable causes so that I can improve the lives of others.
(social sharing/ targeted advertising/ recommendations/ invitations)
As an ethical person, I would like to raise money for charitable causes so that I can improve the lives of others.
(social sharing/ targeted advertising/ recommendations/ invitations)
As a sceptic about fundraising organisations, I would like to know how much of my money is going directly to a cause so that I can feel good about my donation.
(transparency/ step-by-step guide/ brand video/ success stories)
(transparency/ step-by-step guide/ brand video/ success stories)
As an advocate of raising money for charitable causes, I would like to encourage others to donate regularly so that we can achieve higher monetary targets together.
(invitations/ goal targets/ campaign updates/ raffles)
(invitations/ goal targets/ campaign updates/ raffles)
As a football fan, I would like to compete against others so that I can have fun whilst raising money for charitable causes.
(sports updates/ blogs/ head-to-head competitions/ league tables/ social sharing/ mobile & email notifications)
(sports updates/ blogs/ head-to-head competitions/ league tables/ social sharing/ mobile & email notifications)
Development
As part of the development stage of the project a design hypothesis was established in addition to storyboards and user flows to visualise user journeys and key interactions.
To enhance user motivation and retention, the design incorporated gamification elements, introducing progress indicators, goals and celebrating achievement milestones. These features encourage sharing, friendly competition and foster a sense of shared purpose to the act of giving.
Based on the research and the user-centred process...
• We believe that by offering a transparent guide for sceptical visitors, we will achieve a higher number of visitors and a lower drop-off rate.
• We believe that by creating an online community for users, we will improve engagement and promotion opportunities and achieve increased donation revenue and profits vs the current model.
Delivery
Low-fidelity wireframes were developed in Figma to define content hierarchy and explore layouts for desktop and mobile devices. An interactive prototype was then created to test user flows, uncover usability issues and validate layout and navigation decisions before progressing to final designs.
The final designs centred on creating visual and interactive elements that were not only aesthetically pleasing but also intuitive, functional and user-friendly.
Key considerations included colour, typography, imagery, layout, information architecture and navigation, all designed to deliver a cohesive and accessible experience that aligned with the brand’s vision to encourage sustained user engagement and make sharing as seamless as possible.
A priority area was the donation process, where I streamlined the checkout flow by reducing unnecessary steps and improving clarity to help users donate quickly and with confidence. The resulting unified interface reinforced Goalgiving’s mission to make giving through sport simple, engaging and rewarding.
Next Steps
• Undertake further usability tests across a broad demographic
• Conduct A/B testing for the UI/ Visual design
• Undertake additional research to better understand user needs and motivations
• Implement findings from ongoing research
• Simplify business objectives and refine the platform accordingly
• Explore marketing strategies alongside continuous improvements to goalgiving.com
• Consider investing in the development of a dedicated mobile app
• Undertake further usability tests across a broad demographic
• Conduct A/B testing for the UI/ Visual design
• Undertake additional research to better understand user needs and motivations
• Implement findings from ongoing research
• Simplify business objectives and refine the platform accordingly
• Explore marketing strategies alongside continuous improvements to goalgiving.com
• Consider investing in the development of a dedicated mobile app
