HCI 580 UX Practicum

Mustard Seed Mountain Ministries

Creating a unified digital platform to alleviate "logistical legwork" for families of children battling cancer.

The Challenge

The founder, JaNett, was managing photo sessions through a chaotic mix of Facebook, Instagram, and SMS. This fragmented system led to what we termed "Side Effects":

  • Extensive back-and-forth communication (avg. 15+ messages per session).
  • Difficulty tracking session history and photographer availability.
  • Lack of awareness for pediatric cancer signs on the primary platform.

Discovery Phase Activities

Stakeholder Interviews Completed
Competitive Analysis Completed
Affinity Mapping Completed
Family Outreach 1/1 Interviews

The Design Process

A systematic 7-week approach to solving organizational complexity.

Weeks 1-2

Discovery & Research

  • Documentation & Competitive Analysis
  • User Interviews & Finding Consolidation
  • User Archetype Development

Week 3

Definition & Ideation

  • Requirement Identification
  • Problem Area Mapping
  • Brainstorming & Solution Ideation

Weeks 4-5

Design & Prototyping

  • Information Architecture (IA)
  • Lo-Fi to Hi-Fi Wireframing
  • Interactive Prototyping (Wix)

Weeks 6-7

Testing & Delivery

  • Live Usability Testing
  • Analysis & Iteration
  • Comparison Metrics & Presentation

Impact & Results

Transforming the "Warriors" experience.

38

New leads

90%

Communication Consolidation

03

New Automated Workflows

1:1

Direct Support Connections

Development Journey

Phase 01: Mapping "Side Effects"

Understanding the Chaos

We began by documenting the "Omni-channel" mess. We realized JaNett was essentially a human database. We mapped the current process vs. the ideal process to identify where the "legwork" could be automated.

Research Insight:

"The current flow requires the family to enter their information 3 separate times across different apps. Our goal is a single-point entry."

Empathy Map
Affinity Diagram
family form
Photographer map
Phase 02: Information Architecture

Architecting a Two-Sided Portal

We developed a Site Map that branched into two distinct portals.

  • Warrior Family Portal: Focused on speed and low cognitive load. Required only essential info (dates, diagnosis, location).
  • Photographer Portal: Focused on logistics. Included a portfolio upload system and a simplified "Claim Session" workflow.

Technical Execution

We developed the final product using Wix Studio to ensure JaNett could maintain the site without ongoing developer costs.

Wix CMS Integration

Created custom collections for Photographer profiles and Session requests, allowing for automatic filtering and matching without JaNett manually re-typing data.

Accessibility Design

Implemented a WCAG-compliant color palette (Primary Blue & Compassionate Yellow) ensuring legibility for users who may be operating in high-stress, low-light (hospital) environments.

Performance Report

1-Year Analytics & Insights

Evaluating the platform's success after a full year of live operation through real user data.

Engagement by User Type

4m 20s

Photographers

Signup Completion Time

2m 58s

Warrior Families

Application Engagement

2m 15s

Nominators

Submission Efficiency

2.1

Pages/Session

Navigation Depth

Navigation Flow Insight: 41% of users enter via the Homepage, with nearly 40% immediately self-identifying and moving into either the Family or Photographer funnels, proving the efficacy of the "First Three Steps" design strategy.

Empathy Map Detail

Empathy Mapping

Uncovering the emotional state of Warrior Families to design a stress-free intake form.

Portal Interface

The Warrior Intake Portal

Simplified UI with high visual hierarchy to prioritize speed of application.

Geographic Matchmaking

Geographic Matchmaking

Integrating mapping logic to connect regional photographers with families instantly.

Geographic Matchmaking

Geographic Matchmaking

Integrating mapping logic to connect regional photographers with families instantly.

Geographic Matchmaking

Geographic Matchmaking

Integrating mapping logic to connect regional photographers with families instantly.

Geographic Matchmaking

Geographic Matchmaking

Integrating mapping logic to connect regional photographers with families instantly.

Project Reflection

Our major roadblock was the lack of user information and the struggle to understand the users and their needs with limited data. The "Warrior Family" interview conducted was informative, but the data was statistically insignificant due to constraints.

However, we learned that processes can become complex and hinder progress. By finding the balance between structure and flexibility, we were able to deliver a system that doesn't just look good, but actively saves time for a woman doing life-changing work.