Kailey Christensen
Website Feature
Company: Loggerhead Marinelife Center
Date: May 28, 2023
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Summary
An additional website feature that allows visitors to navigate the facilities at Loggerhead Marinelife Center can improve the experience of the visitors, especially during periods when there are fewer volunteers to educate the guests. This additional feature consists of an interactive map that allows guests to click on the exhibits to learn more about the specific marine animals in each tank. This feature will enhance the value of the guest experience which will encourage people to donate higher amounts of money.
Problem
Loggerhead Marinelife Center is a non-profit organization that relies on donations. Many staff members who interact with guests are volunteers. However, as volunteers are not paid employees, ensuring their attendance can be difficult. A shortage of available volunteers often leads to reduced customer service for visitors to the center. Due to conservation efforts, the center typically tries to avoid using paper which results in limited signage. Information about the exhibits is relayed to the guests through the volunteers who act as exhibit interpreters. When fewer volunteers are present it is harder for visitors to get the information they are looking for. As the customer experience during visits to the center is likely to impact the amount of donations made to the organization, this is a significant issue.
❗️VOLUNTEER AVAILABILITY DIRECTLY IMPACTS THE VISITOR’S EXPERIENCE WHICH COULD HAVE AN AFFECT ON DONATION AMOUNTS AND GUEST RETURN RATES.
Solution
Since the amount of volunteers is often inconsistent, guests may benefit from an additional source of information when there are no exhibit interpreters available. Since the organization is making several conservation efforts, paper options do not make the most sense. A sustainable solution would be to create a feature on the website that allows guests to navigate through the center while easily accessing information about the exhibits.
💡CREATE AN ONLINE FEATURE THAT ALLOWS GUEST TO NAVIGATE THE CENTER AND LEARN AS THEY GO TO ENHANCE THEIR OVERALL EXPERIENCE.
Process
Research
I collected feedback from 35 in-person survey participants who were actively visiting Loggerhead Marinelife Center. The goal of this research was to determine if my proposed solution aligned with the views of the visitors.
Insights
While the research indicated most guests visit the center for fun rather than to learn, much of the feedback I received revealed that visitors would prefer if a map were available and that a positive experience would in fact have in impact on the amount of donations people are willing to offer the facility.
Competitive Analysis
Design
Paper Prototype
Wireframes
Navigation
The Explore Map feature can be located by selecting the Visit button. Clicking the Explore Map option will bring the user to a new page that displays an interactive map. The user can click on the icons to learn more details about the exhibits.
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Mobile Version
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