GRACE YU

WORKS

SELF

OTHER WORKS

American Heart Association

Collaborated with the American Heart Association as a UX Designer and Researcher to explore strategies for increasing donor engagement. Led primary research through surveys and interviews, uncovering key insights around user needs and platform expectations. Proposed the use of Mighty Network as a scalable solution and designed wireframes to demonstrate an integrated community experience for both general donors and Circle of Red members (major donor community).

PROJECT DETAILS

Roles

UX Designer / UX Researcher

Duration

10 Weeks

Team

SCAD Serve Team (11 Students)

Tools

Landing Page, Responsive Design, Conversion Optimization

The Problem

The Challenge

To create a platform that makes community participation as nature and compelling as the cause itself - removing friction, personalizing engagement, and making every interaction feel both individually relevant and part of a larger collective movement.

How Might We…

How might we create a content-driven, top of funnel digital experience that inspires women to connect both online and IRL?



Our Goal

  • Attracts women across all life and

    health stages

  • Promotes authentic connections

    online and offline

  • Drives revenue for AHA


Research Method

Methods

  • Survey

  • Interviews

  • Participants Recruitment



Why

  • To understand donor behavior

  • To assess awareness levels

  • To identify platform needs



How

  • Participants: 40+ survey responses, 20+ interview participants

  • Target Group: college aged women, career aged women, circle of red

    members

Concept

How Did We Define Our Concept?

Based on insights from secondary research, primary research, and client feedback, we finalized a platform concept for AHA and its Circle of Red members. We selected Mighty Network as a community building platform and designed various features to enhance engagement within it.

Key Features

  • Hyper local, community hosted events

  • Sub-community: Neighbor Hearts

  • Video education

  • Event preview / Event Feed

Final Design

What Is Mighty Network?

Mighty network is a platform for creating online communities that integrate discussions, events, courses, and memberships within a single branded space.


Why Did We Choose Mighty Network?

  • Variety of user engagement features

  • Subscription and course purchase options

  • Creation of a branded app



What Kind Of Function Did We Put It?

The platform features personalized onboarding, event RSVP and booking, community messaging, educational video content, and a centralized event feed with reviews to support engagement and connection.

Reflection

Looking Back

Through this project, I learned that real world constraints are an essential part of the design process and cannot be overlooked. Initially, we considered developing a custom platform for AHA, but as a nonprofit organization, budget limitations required us to find the best solution within given constraints. This experience taught me that design is not about ideal solutions, but about making realistic and practical decisions.

Additionally, I learned how to balance the different needs of major donors, such as Circle of Red members, and smaller donors. Through research, I explored how to find the right balance between these groups and gained experience in designing a single solution that can effectively serve diverse users.