Wilderlands

User Research

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Wilderlands

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2024

I conducted in-depth UX research to help Wilderlands boost user engagement after a shift from B2C to B2B. By exploring user motivations and refining the onboarding experience, I developed strategies to improve interaction with their biodiversity protection platform, focusing on creating deeper emotional connections and clearer impact visualization.

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  • Company

    Wilderlands

  • Year

    2024

  • Role

    User Research

  • Project Description

    This UX research project aimed to investigate how Wilderlands could enhance user engagement for individuals who purchase Biological Diversity Units (BDUs), focusing on fostering connection, pride, and advocacy for biodiversity protection. Over seven weeks, I conducted user research, surveys, and interviews to provide data-backed recommendations for improving the post-purchase experience and encouraging sustained interaction.

Context

This project was a UX research initiative conducted as part of a Harness Projects assignment, focused on enhancing user engagement for Wilderlands, a company dedicated to protecting Australia’s biodiversity. Wilderlands offers Biological Diversity Units (BDUs), representing 1 square meter of permanently protected land in Australia, allowing individuals and organizations to contribute to conservation efforts.

The project focused solely on user research, where I investigated user behaviors and motivations to improve post-purchase engagement for BDU owners. While that was a solo project, I completed it in parallel with other designers​

problem

The current problem is that...

Wilderlands is seeing very little engagement with users who receive Bio Diversity Units (BDUs) as a gift through one of Wilderland's corporate partnerships.

"It doesn't look like there's much engagement at all" - Nopera, Wilderlands CTO
36% Bounce Rate on Impact Page
Only 75% of new users access the Impact Page

Goals

The goal of this research project is to...

Investigate the root cause of low engagement among users who receive BDUs as a gift or product package and develop strategies to enhance their engagement and satisfaction.

Identify and correct UX pitfalls in Wilderland's current offering to ensure a frictionless user experience.

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Hypothesis

Meaningful Change

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I believe users are motivated to return only if they see meaningful product change.

Therefore, improving the visual storytelling of their impact over time will increase user return rates and engagement with their BDUs.

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Unaware Users

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I believe that users miss vital onboarding and marketing communication.

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Therefore, if we optimise email communication channels we will see an uptick in engagement.

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Highlight Impact

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I believe that users struggle to see the impact of their contributions.

Therefore, improving the visibility of the user's impact will evoke a powerful 'feel good feeling'.

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UNderstand

Stakeholder Interview

I conducted a structured interview with Ash (CEO) and Nopera (CTO) to gain insights into Wilderlands' business motivations, pain points, and priorities. This was essential for aligning the research objectives with their strategic goals.

Key insights included a shift from B2C to B2B, LinkedIn as the primary marketing channel, and a focus on expanding corporate partnerships.

Additionally, I gained the inisght that many users receive BDUs as gifts through these corporate partnerships and are often unaware of this gift.

The main objective of this project for the Wilderlands team is to understand what drives user engagement.

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Stakeholder interview with Ash (CEO) and Nopera (CTO) of Wilderlands

How might we?

…showcase the direct impact of individual contributions on conservation efforts?

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…enhance personalized acknowledgments in conservation efforts?

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…keep individuals engaged beyond initial interactions with Wilderlands?

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…streamline messaging to convey impact clearly and succinctly?

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Survey Insights

Survey Key Insights

There is incredible interest in preserving Australia's native habitat and combating climate change. This presents a significant opportunity to target and engage this interest in modern Australia.

A significant number of participants share conservation information on their network, indicating substantial room for growth.

‍Aiming for 30% profile sharerates is a lofty but achievable goal. Participants are open to receiving communication regarding conservation topics that their interested in.

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95 Participants

  • 97% Interested in enviromental conservation topics
  • 30% Actively share environmental conservation information to their network
  • 82% Open to receiving updates on conservation programs that they're interested in
  • 57% Open to donating to a enviromental protection cause

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Heuristic Evaluation

I conducted a heuristic evaluation to determine if there were any glaring UX opportunities in Wilderland's current offering.

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Key Findings:

  • Visually engaging content is hidden behind multiple clicks
  • The welcome email incorrectly describes the Impact page as a Profile
  • Loading errors on Threatened species photos
  • The welcome email doesn't highlight what the user has just received
  • UX writing on CTA buttons dosen't accurately represent the action
  • Can't differentiate the protected portion of the projects on the map view

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User Interviews

Key Takeaways

I conducted five 40-minute user interviews to explore the motivations and emotions of users receiving BDUs through corporate partnerships. The goal was to gain insights into user engagement and the emotional impact of receiving a BDU.

Each session also included a usability test of the onboarding experience to observe user navigation and gather feedback on their perceptions and satisfaction on the existing experience.

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"I know it’s protecting land, but I’m not sure what the biodiversity unit represents."
"I want to feel good about what I'm doing for the environment."
"I was impressed with the look, but wondered if they'd want me to donate more."

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Personas

USer Journey

Key insights

Need for clear communication

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Users often struggled to understand the significance of their contributions, particularly the meaning and impact of the Biological Diversity Units (BDUs).

Clearer, more contextual communication during onboarding and in follow-up emails is essential to enhance user understanding and engagement.

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"I'm just hesitant to open messages from things that I've never seen before"

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Desire for Personal Impact Visualization

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Users expressed a strong preference for seeing the tangible impact of their contributions. They wanted personalized metrics and visual storytelling that clearly show how their individual actions are making a difference in biodiversity protection.

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‍"Whenever you feel you're contributing something positive to a wonderful planet, it should make you feel good. And it does."

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Importance of Immediate Gratification

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Users valued immediate acknowledgment of their contributions, such as certificates or visual confirmations of their protected land. This instant gratification was crucial in fostering a sense of pride and ongoing engagement with the platform.

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"I probably just would have, quickly looked through it [the email] and probably not done too much more"

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Ideation

User Testing

Re-Designed

View Prototype
Reccomendation One

Refine Communication Channels

Simplicity Sparks Action

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Why?

Users were unclear/unaware about what they had received, and many emails ended up in spam folders, reducing engagement.

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How?

  • Audit email deliverability and run tests to ensure important emails reach the inbox.
  • Update the welcome email subject line to clearly relate to the user’s original purchase.
  • Simplify the content in the welcome email to reduce decision anxiety and clearly explain what a BDU is.
  • Rename the "Profile" section to "Your Impact" to better convey its purpose.

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Reccomendation Two

Enhance Visual Storytelling

Visuals Speaks Volumes

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Why?

Users expressed a desire to see the impact of their contributions visually, which would increase their engagement and sense of accomplishment.

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How?

  • Develop a visual onboarding experience that clearly communicates the user’s impact.
  • Introduce an "impact over time" feature that visually showcases project progress and the user's contribution.
  • Refine UX writing for call-to-action buttons to be more descriptive, like using "View your impact" instead of "Learn more."

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Reccomendation Three

Improve Sharing Capabilities

Sharing is caring

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Why?

A significant portion of users are inclined to share their contributions, but current tools do not effectively facilitate this.

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How?

  • Create a shareable infographic that users can generate and distribute on social media platforms, particularly LinkedIn and Instagram.
  • Implement easy-to-use sharing options directly from the Impact page to encourage users to spread the word about their contributions.

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Reccomendation Four

Personalize the User Experience

Tailor made

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Why?

Users want to feel that their contributions are personally significant and directly linked to their interests.

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How?

  • Allow users to select the specific conservation project they want to support during onboarding, giving them a sense of ownership.
  • Personalize follow-up communications based on the user’s selected project and their ongoing impact, reinforcing their connection to the cause.

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Reccomendation Five

Optimize Onboarding Process

First Impressions Matter

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Why?

The onboarding experience is crucial for setting user expectations and ensuring long-term engagement, yet it was found to be confusing and lacking in clarity.

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How?

  • Streamline the onboarding process to provide clear, step-by-step guidance.
  • Ensure the onboarding emails and in-app messages clearly explain what users have received and how they can track their impact.
  • Integrate certificates and other forms of immediate acknowledgment early in the onboarding journey to build user satisfaction from the start.

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