Amplify Local
A local impact app for volunteering, donating, and uplifting neighborhoods
Problem
Many people want to donate to local charities but face challenges in finding reputable organizations, trusting where their money goes, and staying updated on ongoing projects.
Opportunity
There was an opportunity to create a platform that not only helps users discover trustworthy charities, but also builds ongoing engagement through transparency, updates, and ease of use.
Role
UX Designer
Client
Client Project
Timeline
12 weeks
Skills
Figma, Prototyping, User Research, Usability Testing, Wireframing
Solution
I designed a mobile-first platform that:
Vets charities for legitimacy.
Allows users to follow organizations and receive project updates.
Simplifies donations and makes them transparent.
Key Questions:
How much do donors usually donate when making a donation and what are the ranges?
Are $1-$5 micro-donations viable (wrong word) with cryptocurrency?
What payment processors could be utilized to facilitate donations?
Who are the competitors in the volunteer and donation space?
What is the sentiment of users submitting their photos to be displayed on billboards? What are the concerns?
Impact
Use of micro-transactions with cryptocurrency cancelled as it was not viable with fees.
Created a more user-friendly experience for making a donation, charity discovery, and engagement.
Highlighted the importance of clear client alignment and building only what’s needed.
Crypto Payments Unpopular
I’m very skeptical about it. So I’m trying to stay as far away from that as possible... If it’s a donation, as long as the organization I am going to donate to can utilize the cryptocurrency, I have no problem with that. But asking me to like, buy and sell and try to invest in crypto... no.
Jasmine, Volunteer & Donor
Pushback on Crypto Microdonations
If it were up to me and I was scoping the product list, I would cut that [crypto micro donations] at least from the MVP.
Bobby, Stakeholder
Crypto holders are wary of KYC (Know Your Customer) and 1-Click Donations are not possible
Crypto is not taken seriously as a payment method
You want to keep up on a lot of the stuff especially if it’s donations and you don’t have that direct interaction, you want to keep up on what new projects they’re doing, newsletters from those organizations highlighting their work are very important to kind of keeping tabs on that kind of stuff.
A Red Cross Worker
“
If this app is successful, you would see more money funneling into organizations that are able to effectively utilize those resources and have transparency about how they're using them which encourages more people... I think that can make a difference....
A Stakeholder
“
I don’t think I’ve purchased anything... if you’re buying the stable coins to buy other ones that may be on a different exchange. You have Coinbase but then you also have all these other ones. I’ve moved the crypto, but I haven’t necessarily used the crypto to buy anything.
A Non-Profit Hospital Volunteer
“
As a Paypal user, if I see Paypal, I feel I’m familiar with this system. I know it so then I’m more likely to set it up.
A Non-Profit Volunteer & Donor
“
Design
Promoting Transparency
Provided a clear choice between one-time and monthly contributions, supporting flexibility in user decision-making.
Set a $10 minimum donation with higher preset options, encouraging generosity while keeping the experience simple.
Added a checkbox to cover the 3% processing fee, showing the exact fee for full cost transparency and user control.
Designed the review screen with a detailed breakdown of frequency, fees, and total amount, along with a prominent confirmation button to build confidence before final submission.
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