Repositioning The Donkey Sanctuary website from ‘pampered donkeys on a hill’ to leading global donkey experts

Digital strategy
UX design

Client overview

The Donkey Sanctuary, established in the 1960s, has grown into one of the world’s largest equine charities, dedicated to improving the lives of donkeys globally. With a vision of ensuring every donkey enjoys a good quality of life, they have positively impacted over 30,000 donkeys and 17,000 people in 2022 alone.

Their ongoing projects continue to reach an additional 13,000 donkeys and mules across various regions, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to equine welfare and community engagement.

We have proudly partnered with The Donkey Sanctuary since 2011, collaborating on a range of projects that include our website design and build, and hosting and support services. This long-standing relationship has allowed us to deeply understand their mission and goals, enabling us to provide tailored digital solutions that enhance their outreach and engagement efforts to support donkey welfare worldwide.

The challenge

The Donkey Sanctuary recognised that their previous website was outdated and did not align with their new organisational strategy. Users experienced a complex and inconsistent journey, which affected their ability to access vital information about donkey welfare, contribute financially, or engage with the charity.
“A special thank you to CTI for the amount of work that has gone in to getting us to this point. The amount of detail that is underpinning these recommendations is absolutely vast. We’ve been watching them as they’ve been working through it, and it’s an amazing piece of work. It will not only feed into this part of the project but will serve us beyond the project too.”
— Jason Bell Head of Digital

The approach

To ensure the new website effectively supported The Donkey Sanctuary’s mission, we undertook a thorough UX process that included the following:

  • Immersion and strategic research:

    We began by immersing ourselves in The Donkey Sanctuary's mission and goals. Through collaborative workshops, we engaged various stakeholders to identify the key objectives for the new website. We agreed that the site must encapsulate the charity’s refreshed brand position of credibility and expertise, serve as a leading source of information for donkey welfare, and generate increased revenue through enhanced fundraising efforts.

  • User research:

    Understanding users is at the core of delivering an exceptional experience. We executed a multi-faceted research strategy that included surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews with diverse audience segments. This helped us uncover critical insights into their motivations, preferences, and challenges when accessing information about The Donkey Sanctuary. Specifically, we analysed responses from prospective and existing supporters, donkey owners, and day-to-day professionals, ensuring that we had a well-rounded perspective on user needs.

  • Information architecture (IA) testing:

    Recognising that users were struggling to navigate the existing site, we undertook rigorous testing of the information architecture. Through tree testing, we tracked how users interacted with the site's structure and identified areas for improvement.

  • Visual design iterations:

    To translate our insights into an engaging and functional website, we employed the Atomic Design Methodology. This enabled us to build a flexible design system while maintaining a cohesive look and feel across the site. We created mid-fidelity wireframes to establish layout and functionality, followed by high-fidelity prototypes that incorporated user feedback to hone the aesthetic and usability of the site. By weaving storytelling into the design and ensuring that each element supported the charity's mission, we aimed to create a compelling narrative around the work of The Donkey Sanctuary.

  • Usability testing:

    To validate our designs and ensure they met user needs, we conducted an extensive series of usability tests. Engaging a diverse participant pool, we gathered feedback on the ease of navigation, content clarity, and overall user satisfaction. The insights we gained were invaluable, leading to adjustments that further enhanced the site's user experience.

The results

The website now serves as a powerful tool for the charity to connect with supporters and disseminate vital information about donkey welfare.
  • Enhanced user navigation: With a successful redesign of the information architecture, we achieved a 47% increase in users finding the information they needed. This improvement is critical for a charity that depends on clear communication and engagement.
    47%
    increase
  • Increased user confidence: The new website design secured an impressive 4.75/5 rating for credibility and trustworthiness from users. This indicates that visitors now view The Donkey Sanctuary as a reliable authority, encouraging greater visitor interaction and ongoing support.
    4.75/5
    rating
  • Boosted user engagement: Feedback indicated that users found the site not only informative but also enjoyable to navigate. Over 80% of participants in usability testing expressed enthusiasm about using the website, highlighting its user-friendly interface and compelling content.
    80%
    expressed enthusiasm
  • High satisfaction ratings: The usability testing yielded a 95% successful completion rate, indicating that users could easily navigate the site to achieve their goals. Furthermore, the site received a collective score of 4.25/5 for engagement and enjoyment, reaffirming its successful redesign.
    95%
    completion rate
  • Improved donation conversion rates: As a result of clearer calls to action and a more engaging user journey, the website has facilitated a notable increase in online donations, significantly boosting fundraising efforts.
    donors
    increased

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