Trees New York
UX/UI Design
Prototyping
Idil Agcagul
Alice Wong
How might we improve the usability of Trees New York’s website?
Providing a search bar function near the header of the website
Clear organization and labeling of the navigation bar
Re-labeling educational materials
Trees New York is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the urban environment through tree planting, education, and community engagement. Its website serves as a digital hub, promoting urban forestry and environmental stewardship by providing resources, educational programs, and opportunities for individuals, community groups, and policymakers to participate in tree-planting initiatives.
GOALS & MOTIVATIONS
Evaluating Trees NY’s website to:
- Enhance user engagement
- Promote donations
- Improve access to educational resources
- Drive action for urban forestry initiatives
USERS & TASKS
Two New York-based participants, unfamiliar with Trees NY, completed six tasks simulating website interactions, including:
- Event registration
- Finding contact details
- Donating
- Reviewing past activities
- Accessing tree care resources
Key Findings
01 Difficulty Navigating
Specific Pages
Unclear labeling and navigation cues made it challenging for users to locate pages like educational materials.
02Importance of a Search Bar
The search bar proved effective in helping users find information, highlighting the value of a robust search feature.
03Accessibility Issues
Low contrast and missing hover text negatively impacted navigation and overall usability.
04Preference for Consolidated Information
Users favored fewer pages with combined, related information for easier access.
05Need for Intuitive Navigation
Participants expressed a desire for clearer labels, simpler navigation, and fewer dropdown menus.
Recommendations
While Trees New York’s website is informative, users found it overwhelming and disorganized. Many wished for a search bar during tasks, struggling to navigate the site’s eight-tab menu with multiple dropdowns. Although a search bar exists, its placement in the footer makes it easy to overlook, causing frustration.
Provide a search bar near the header of the website
During testing, unclear navigation labels led participants to waste time in irrelevant sections or rely on trial-and-error clicking. They struggled to find basic information like the fundraising page, past projects, and educational materials, increasing effort and hindering task completion.
Clear organization and labeling of the navigation bar
Participants navigated to the FAQ section for more tree care and educational info, only to find an empty page, increasing frustration. The educational materials page, with images and titles that appear on hover, suffers from poor text contrast, making it difficult for users to navigate.
Re-labeling educational materials
- Collaborate with developers and web designers to implement recommendations.
- Conduct additional user testing to evaluate the impact of changes.
- Iterate based on feedback to address remaining UX issues.
- Maintain an iterative approach for continuous website improvement.
This was my first experience with conducting usability testing, including the preparation of informed consent forms, pre and post-test questionnaires, and execution of tests. I also developed patience and the ability to resist the urge to guide participants directly through tasks, which helped me observe their natural interactions with the website's interface.