Research
User Survey
In this survey, we aim to gather insights into users' familiarity with Fair Trade principles, their motivations for purchasing Fair Trade products, and their preferences for post-purchase engagement and loyalty programs. We distribute surveys and get overall 20 responses.
Finding 1: The reason visiting a fair trade site
🧐 A majority of users (57%) visit Fair Trade sites for both educational purposes and shopping.
Finding2: The factors that most influence users' purchasing decisions
🧐 When ranking factors influencing Fair Trade purchases, 36.9% of users prioritize product images, followed by 27.2% valuing product descriptions and 16.9% emphasizing fair trade certifications.
Finding3: Users’ motivations for Purchasing Fair Trade Products
🧐 Users consider environmental impact, product quality, and supporting Fair Trade practices equally important when purchasing Fair Trade items.
Finding4: Engagement Preferences Post-Purchase
🧐 All users consider engagement feedback important, with 50% preferring impact reports, 25% favoring community stories, and the remaining 25% opting for newsletters.
Finding5: Divice Preference
🧐 For device preference, over 60% of users favor laptops, while the remaining users have no preference among laptops, tablets, or phones.
For ethical consumers, purchasing decisions are influenced by product images, descriptions, and certifications. It's crucial for product information to include proof of the platform's contributions to the fair trade cause. Users also appreciate receiving an impact report after purchase to understand their involvement. Additionally, it's important for fair trade websites to offer educational information alongside shopping functions.
💡 Key insights
User Interview
Then, we selected 5 users for in-depth interviews. Based on these interviews, we developed two personas: one representing an individual Fair Trade buyer and the other a bulk Fair Trade buyer.
Device and Platform Preferences:
Laptops are the preferred device for browsing Fair Trade websites, followed by tablets and smartphones. Users generally favor websites over dedicated apps for their ethical shopping needs.
Interest in Educational Content:
Users are highly interested in educational content about Fair Trade and are happy to subscribe or join the community to stay informed and engaged.
Factors Influencing Purchases:
Product images, descriptions, and Fair Trade certifications are crucial for users. Trust is built through visible certifications and transparent information about the platform's Fair Trade initiatives, with users valuing clear evidence of the platform's impact.
💡 Key insights
Q1
”How do you assess whether the higher cost of ethical products is justified?”
Q3
”What helps you trust a new ethical shopping website?”
Q2
”How do you assess whether the higher cost of ethical products is justified?”
Q4
”How do you determine the quality and authenticity of ethical products?”
Persona
"As a bulk buyer, every purchase I make champions fair trade and sustainability, aligning our company with ethical practices."
35
City Manager
Toronto, ON
Michael
NAME
AGE
JOB
LOCATION
Michael is dedicated to ethical sourcing and fair trade to support sustainability and environmental responsibility. He plays a crucial role in his company by ensuring all purchases reflect these values.
Finding Consistent Ethical Suppliers
Balancing Cost with Ethical Standards
Navigating Market Variability
Commitment to Ethical Integrity
Influence Corporate Responsibility
Drive Sustainable Change
Strengthen Ethical Procurement Practices
Educate and Influence Peers
Enhance Sustainability Metrics
Background
Challenges
Motivations
Goals
“I want to do the right thing, not just for the environment but for the people who make the products I use every day. It's about fairness, respect, and sustainability.”
30
University faculty
Toronto, ON
Skylar
NAME
AGE
JOB
LOCATION
Skylar from Toronto prioritizes ethical sourcing and fair trade to support sustainability, social justice, and respect for people and the environment.
Information Overload and Trust Issues
High Costs of Ethical Goods
Limited Availability of Ethical Options
Motivated by fairness, respect, and sustainability
Driven by a desire to make ethical purchasing decisions
Supports brands that promote environmental responsibility
Live sustainably and promote social justice
Find reliable sources of Fair Trade information
Explore new ethical shopping and support more Fair Trade.
Background
Challenges
Motivations
Goals
Competitive Analysis
Brain Storming
Users are frustrated by the lack of transparency and detailed information about Fair Trade contributions, as well as the difficulty in finding and engaging with educational content and community features on the platform.
Develop engaging educational content that highlights the benefits and impacts of Fair Trade.
💡
Incorporate educational infographics and videos into the product pages.
💡
Create interactive online workshops and webinars to educate users.
💡
Regularly publish impact reports highlighting our Fair Trade contributions
💡
Showcase certifications and badges on product pages to verify authenticity.
💡
Provide detailed resource information about the origins and benefits of Fair Trade products.
💡
Add infographics to product page to better display products.
💡
Redesign the website for easier navigation and a more intuitive user experience.
💡
Implement personalized recommendations based on users' browsing and purchasing history.
💡
“How might we leverage education regarding fair trade and sustainability into impactful business result?”
01.
How might we improve trust and transparency on our Fair Trade platform to enhance user engagement and loyalty?
02.
How might we enhance the user experience on our Fair Trade shopping page to encourage more frequent visits and purchases?
03.
Solution
01
Enhance fair trade and sustainability content
02
Enrich the buying experience and add value to the products.
03
Boost customer trust by clearly showcasing GCC’s impact.
Sketch
Low-fi Design
Key Takeaways
We restructured the website to clearly distinguish the Education, Company Value, and Shopping sections. With the updated structure, users can more easily navigate to the information they need.
Streamlined Site Structure
We added two new sections: an Impact page and a Suppliers page, incorporating real-world data to show how Fairtrade and GCC can help global south producers. The strong and clear evidence can help build user trust.
Improve Transparency
We redesigned the shopping section by providing clearer product information, such as Fairtrade certification and producer information. This way, buyers can fully understand the impact of their purchases.
Simplifying Ethical Choices
We found more relevant pictures to replace the previous ones, helping users better understand the concept of Fairtrade. Additionally, we adjusted the overall layout to improve the reading experience.
Visual Enhancements
See Other Works
App Design: GrowUp
GrowUp is a mobile app promoting intuitive eating to help users form a stress free relationship with food.
Aug, 2024
GCC Website Redesign
A project to revamp Green Campus's fair trade website, focusing on improving user engagement and accessibility through strategic redesigns.
UX/UI Case Study
Project Overview
Objective
To revamp the Green Campus Coop (GCC) website to enhance user engagement and trust.
GCC promotes fair trade and sustainability on campus through selling cotton-made products and engaging in education and advocacy.
Created an Impact page to showcase GCC’s global contributions and fair-trade efforts, enriched product details, implemented CTAs, and updated all screens and UI elements to enhance overall user experience and trust.
Solution
UX/UI Desiger
My role
1 UX/UI designer
2 Content designers
Team
14 weeks
Jan - May 2024
Duration
Miro, Figma, Adobe Creative Suite
Tools
Ellie
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