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Overview

Geenees is a social gifting platform designed to connect donors with families and individuals in need through a transparent, engaging donation experience. The platform allows donors to browse family wishlists, learn their stories, and contribute specific items that make a tangible impact.

As Geenees' first product designer, I led user research, created the design system, and designed and launched the donor platform—working closely with developers, product, and marketing to build a solution that fosters trust, transparency, and meaningful connections.

The Problem

Despite abundant charitable organizations and generous donors, significant barriers prevent optimal matching between giving and need:

Lack of Transparency

  • Donors unsure how donations are used
  • Uncertainty about actual impact
  • Limited visibility into recipient needs

Limited Engagement

  • No meaningful connection with families
  • Impersonal donation experiences
  • Lack of emotional resonance

Friction in Process

  • Inconvenient donation flows
  • Complex multi-step processes
  • Barriers to repeat donations

These barriers reduce donor confidence, limit repeat donations, and prevent families from receiving the support they need in a timely manner.

Design Process

1
User Research Interviewed 10 millennial donors to understand barriers and motivations
2
Persona Development Created user persona to guide design decisions
3
Ideation & Wireframes Explored flows for discovery, connection, and transparency
4
Usability Testing Validated solutions through testing with target users
5
High Fidelity Design Created full design system and final platform designs

User Persona

Michelle, a 25-year-old Environmental Specialist, represents our core donor segment—eager to support causes that matter, seeking transparency and convenience, but constrained by limited resources and time.

User persona: Michelle Norman

Key Research Findings

Through interviews with 10 millennial donors, three critical insights emerged:

Financial Constraints

8 participants cited student loans and debts; 5 noted lack of disposable income as primary barriers

Trust & Transparency

3 participants concerned about how donations are used; 5 unsure if contributions make an impact

Personal Connection

All participants more likely to donate to causes they feel personally connected to

Convenience Matters

5 participants preferred to donate without leaving their physical location—digital-first experience essential

The Solution

A transparent donor platform built on three core pillars: storytelling, transparency, and ease of use.

1. Homepage & Discovery

A welcoming landing page with clear value proposition and easy access to browse families, organizations, and products. The design emphasizes emotional connection while maintaining intuitive navigation.

Homepage showing family discovery interface

2. Family Wishlist View

Each family page tells their story and displays their wishlist with clear transparency on impact. Donors can see exactly what each family needs and how their contribution will help.

Family profile page with wishlist items

3. Donation Cart & Checkout

A streamlined cart experience allowing donors to support multiple families in a single transaction. After completing their donation, donors are encouraged to share their contribution to amplify reach and inspire others.

Cart and checkout flow with social sharing

Design Principles

Storytelling First

Every family's story is front and center—creating emotional resonance and personal connection

Radical Transparency

Clear visibility into exactly where donations go and how they're used

Frictionless Experience

Streamlined flows that make giving as easy as possible—removing barriers to generosity

Social Amplification

Built-in sharing capabilities to inspire others and multiply impact

Impact & Results

Family Impact

Families received critical items tailored to specific needs—medical supplies, educational materials, and necessities—providing more meaningful assistance than traditional donations

Donor Impact

Transparency provided donor confidence—clear visibility into how donations were used created stronger connections with communities and families

Organization Impact

Organizations reached broader audiences of potential donors, resulting in increased donations and greater overall impact

The Geenees platform transformed the charitable giving landscape by creating a transparent, efficient, and personalized donation process—ensuring help reaches where it is most needed and fostering a stronger sense of community among all participants.

Key Takeaways

  • Transparency builds trust and confidence Clear visibility into how donations are used was the single most important factor in building donor confidence and encouraging repeat contributions
  • Storytelling creates emotional connection Family narratives resonated strongly with donors—personal stories transformed abstract giving into meaningful human connections
  • Reducing friction increases generosity Streamlining the donation flow and multi-family cart system removed barriers that prevented donors from contributing to multiple causes
  • Research validates before building Usability testing with real users before moving to high fidelity saved significant development time and ensured we were solving the right problems
  • First designer role requires versatility Wearing multiple hats—research, design system creation, visual design, and collaboration across teams—taught me how to prioritize and deliver impact quickly in a startup environment