2023
Direction / Amy Auman @ Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, Washington University in St. Louis
UX Strategy
UI Design
Branding
The Saint Louis Zoo is recognized as a leading zoo in animal management, research, conservation, and education, not just in the Saint Louis region but nation-wide. Using their conservation initiatives as my baseline, I set out to research the problem space of wildlife conservation, and how organizations like the Saint Louis Zoo make the public aware of efforts to get involved.
My target audience were people interested in conservation who may not know how to get involved or where their effort would do the most good. Based on a survey of peers ranging from outdoorsy to urbanite, I identified the following insights:
People form emotional attachments to zoos that keep them coming back
Zoo visitors indirectly support conservation efforts just by visiting for personal enjoyment
People explicitly interested in conservation choose what to get involved in based on what’s accessible and what they’ve been exposed to
People interested in supporting conservation efforts may not know where they can be most helpful or what efforts even exist
People appreciate efforts that are fun as well as impactful
Based on these insights, I developed a design that highlights an array of conservation efforts while providing emotional touch-points to resonate with users. I prioritized the following design goals:
Conveying a strong narrative about each effort and giving the impression of real people and community for users to connect with
Infusing the site with fun micro-interactions that encourage exploration and further engagement by the users
Encouraging involvement by offering the ability to either get involved directly or simply provide financial support
