UX Case Study - KOLO Foundation
Date
Feb 2024
Service
Charity Fund
Client
KOLO
Project Overview
The KOLO Foundation is a team of IT professionals from Ukraine focused on assisting the Armed Forces of Ukraine in gaining the technological edge necessary to maintain security and peace.
Problem Statement
Increase the conversion rate of the KOLONA service: understand why subscribers unsubscribe and new ones do not come.
Testing several existing hypotheses on this.
Approach
7 user interviews to gather insights.
Persona & CJM creation to map user behavior.
Hypotheses on churn and subscription barriers.
HMW questions & Crazy 8 ideation for solutions.
Wireframes & prototypes to visualize changes.
5 usability tests to validate designs.
Team: 8 designers — collaborated during a design sprint.
Solution
To increase the conversion rate of the KOLONA service, we will analyze users behavior, test hypotheses regarding reasons for churn and barriers to new subscriptions, and iteratively implement targeted strategies based on insights gained from data and experimentation.
Kick-off main hypotheses
User Interview Insights
Key Takeways
🤔 Users hesitate to subscribe due to unclear value propositions and lack of control.
🔑 Trust is crucial but relies on initial transparency, not ongoing reporting.
🌍 International donors face practical barriers like currency restrictions.
💡 Simplifying the donation journey and reinforcing transparency is key to improving conversions.
User Persona
Creating a User Persona helps us empathize with our audience and design a more user-centric experience. Based on interview insights, we constructed a persona that represents a key segment of donors:
Customer Journey Map (CJM)
A Customer Journey Map helps visualize the donor’s experience from awareness to engagement, identifying key touchpoints and pain points that influence their decisions.
Generating Solutions
In our project, we crafted 'How Might We' (HMW) questions to identify challenges and employed the Crazy 8 ideation method to quickly generate diverse solutions.
HOW MIGHT WE offer a way to provide users with convenient tools to manage the amount of the donation and the withdrawal date
HOW MIGHT WE create a universal mechanism that ensures full transparency and awareness of users about the use of their donations
HOW MIGHT WE make the subscription process more attractive for people from abroad
HOW MIGHT WE improve the accuracy of accounting for donations in different currencies
HOW MIGHT WE make the subscription process easier and more intuitive
Prototype & Usability Testing
Conclusions
🔍 Understanding users — Our research revealed key barriers to subscription: lack of control over donation amounts, unclear fund allocation, and limited payment options for international donors.
✨ Design solutions — We introduced an impact-driven infographic, a unified payment form, and alternative payment methods, making donations clearer and easier.
🚀 Results — Usability testing confirmed that these changes boosted trust, reduced friction, and improved the donation experience—helping KOLOna grow its support for Ukraine’s defense forces.
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