Client Interview

Interview Summary:

Freedom Project has been teaching mindfulness and nonviolent communication to prisoners for over 15 years. They are a small non-profit based in the University District employing one full time employee and two part time employees. Their volunteer base is made up of an older age group of mostly retirees. They’re actively trying to engage younger volunteers as well as legislators

For the redesign project they are looking to start completely fresh. They’ve recently had a branding audit from a UW team that had multiple recommendations for how they can improve their website.  They want to  rebrand with a new logo, color palette, and website design.  They want a website that more effectively conveys what they do and the clear benefits it produces.

Features they are looking for are info pages about what they do, volunteer signup form, contact form, events calendar, ability to receive donations, pre screening survey for volunteers

Background information:

1. Please choose which best describes you.

Not for Profit Organization

2. In your own words, please describe you and/or your organization.

We teach mindfulness and nonviolent communication to prisoners. A SAGE study shows that our work reduces recidivism and saves WA state over 5 million dollars in taxpayer money.

3. Background on Freedom Project:

• teaches nonviolent communication to help prisoners effectively convey needs/emotions without making demands.
• mindful meditation, mindfulness is a more recent addition
• one f/t employee 2 p/t employees currently
• office is in U District
• Freedom Project was established in 2001, 15th anniversary Feb 2016
• founded on the fundamentals of Marshall Rosenberg
• is partially funded by sales of books by Lucy Leu
• Tim is in charge of the website and technology although Brian is taking over

Reasons for Redesign:

1. What are the main reasons you are redesigning your site (new business model, outdated site, expanded services, different audience)?

• We are conducting research on a rebrand as the name freedom project has been taken over by a different group with different aims.
• (From CS) More effective in reaching target audience
• Rebranding for a fresh look and feel
• Renaming has been discussed, but they’re not to keen on it since they’re known, some are reluctant after the passing of Marshall Rosenberg.
• new logo (extra)
• Wants to reach more volunteers, funders, and partners.
• menus less confusing
• easy customization for them to update and add

2. What are your primary online business objectives with the site redesign? What are your secondary objectives? (Examples include increased sales, marketing/branding awareness, and fewer customer service calls.) Please discuss both long- and short-term goals.

• New customer engagement
• Increased Brand Awareness
• Donor and Volunteer pipeline
• From CS: Increase awareness of impact of nonviolent communication on recidivism
• Connect with more prison programs and legislators
• Reaching more volunteers to facilitate classes, and community outreach
• Give the most updated accurate information to funders, volunteers, board member.
• Reach new volunteers more efficiently
• Wants to use more text based versus photos ( photos are hard for them to get a hold of)
• Reach new funders more efficiently

3. What is the main business problem you hope to solve with the site redesign?

• Engaging new people in our work.
• User Experience
• Easy to navigate
• Reaching volunteers and funders
• Get the attention of Legislatures  

How will you measure the success of the solution?

• Email newsletter subscriptions is one way we might track the success but we are open to suggestions.
• Note: social media followers, donations, volunteer signups
• (From CS) Bounce rate, number of unique visitors, media mentions

4. What existing strategy (both on- and offline) is in place to meet the new business objectives?

We are currently working on these new strategies and hope to know more in the summer when Mike said one of his classes might be take us on as a client.

5. How do you find/engage new audiences offline? (Partnerships, Affiliates, Community Events, Fundraisers etc)

• The director and Tim go to community events
• Tim sets up two community meetings a month one in Seattle and one in Tacoma to inform people of their cause
• Wants to participate more in colleges, to get a younger demographic who has time to volunteer.
• networking with social justice organizations
• optimize their social media presents (working with a group at UW updating social media)
• GiveBig online fundraising campaign is their biggest campaign so far
• Year End letter appeal
• grant writing
• Fundraising music event at the tractor tavern

Target Audience:

1. Describe a typical site visitor. How often are they online, and what do they generally use the web for? Give basic demographics: age, occupation, income level, purchasing habits. (Use as much detail as possible in profiling your target user. Profile more than one type if appropriate.)

• Most visitors are existing volunteers who are older and retired
• Big push for younger volunteers though so it should cater to them as well
• Other visitors: prospective volunteers, community members, families of prisoners, general public, partners, legislators

3. What is the primary “action” the site visitor should take when coming to your site (make a purchase, become a member, search for information)?

• search for information
• donate
• volunteer
• Search for information
• request to volunteer
• Learn what freedom project is about

4. What are the key reasons why the target audience chooses your company’s products and/or services (cost, service, value)?
connection to values of social justice

Current Site:

1. Do you feel your current site promotes a favorable user experience? Why or why not?

No – it doesn’t have the right audience in mind for it’s content.

1. What audience do you feel it is catering to now?

From CS: It caters to donors, existing volunteers, partner organizations

1. What audience would you rather it cater to?

From CS: Want it to be extended to new volunteers, state/fed legislators, foundations

The navigation isn’t clear and it is hard for newcomers to understand what is going on.

2. What specific areas of your current site do you feel are successful? Why are they successful?

The contact page – it is clear, concise and what anyone going to a website would expect.

3. What shortcomings exist with the current site, and what three things would you change on the site today if you could?

• Navigation
• Make it easy to email subscribe
• The homepage
• (From CS) Calls to Action could be stronger, especially donate button
• Home page dominated by main image- should be more text based?

• no clear cause of action
• wants the flexslider more engaging
• Photos are hard to get so want’s it to be more text based graphics

4. Have you conducted usability tests or gathered visitor feedback for your current site? If so, how long ago? Please include any reports or findings.

No.

5. How important is it to maintain your current look and feel, logo, and branding?

not at all

Q: What are your brand colors? Orange and green?  Is there backstory to those color choices?

The colors were chosen haphazardly and are open for change

Website Content:

1. Does your organization have a logo that you will be providing?

Yes

Q: Would you be interested in us working on a new logo (as time allows) for the rebrand?

With time pending they would like a new logo

2. Does your organization have a brand or color scheme that you will be providing? Yes

Color scheme is open

they want to portray peace making, openness, mindfulness communication

3. Does your organization have photos for the site that you will be providing?

Yes

4. Does your organization have media (flash/audio/video) for the site that you will be providing?

Yes

5. Does your organization have written content for the site that you will be providing? Yes

6. What other content should be included from your current website? (fonts? other artwork or stylings?)
   None

Perception:

1. What are some adjectives of how visitors should perceive your site?  (prestigious, friendly, corporate, fun, forward thinking, innovative, and cutting edge)

• Approachable
• calm
• understandable
• fun ( when people think of going into a prison, their perception is so serious)
• engaging
• liveliness

2. How does your organization differ from other organizations who may be doing similar work?

They’re only 1 in 3 in the country that do what we do, their trainers are certified by Portland Prison Project and MVC

3. Are there any websites you’ve found that could be examples of what you want in a website?

They like the look and feel of One Children’s

http://onechildrensfoundation.org/

These are just organizations that are similar to the freedom project

 

• prisonmindfulness.org

• http://www.afsc.org/program/portland-peace-program

Website Technology:

1. Would you like any of the following features on your site? (Check all that apply.) Surveys:
   

Q: What would be the goal of these surveys?

Pre-screening survey for volunteer signups

Email Newsletter

News/Blog:  

Note: Existing blog has newsletter displayed in pdf format

Currently is using mail chimp for newsletter and would like a design and email sign up.

E-Commerce

Note: current donations accepted through LGL Forms

Better Event Integration: advertising events on all platforms

Improved Signup/Donation

MISC: They don’t like Event Brite

2. Do you currently use a content management system (useful, for example, in the management of e-commerce inventory or text-publishing databases) to dynamically update and deploy content?

Yes

Q: Your existing website uses WordPress, how has your experience been with that?
They enjoy wordpress and want to continue to use it

3. Will you be using any scripts or code that have already been established?

No

4. Who will be maintaining the site after it is launched?
   Bryan will be in charge of the website and updating content moving forward