Ramadan Charity Campaign
A 48-hour designathon project to create a one-page website promoting Ramadan charity events and donation opportunities for Penny Appeal.
Objectives
McMaster Designathon Finalists | To encourage charitable giving during Ramadan by designing a visually engaging, easy-to-navigate donation site that balances Islamic design principles with clarity, accessibility, and emotional impact.
UX Research
Wireframing
Prototyping
My Role
Ux Design Estrella Lo
Creative Design Anna Belenko
Team
Figma
Photoshop
Miro
Tools
Duration
48 Hours
The Challenge
Design a charity campaign for Ramadan 2023 that highlights donation opportunities clearly and encourages user interaction across all ages.
Constraints & Considerations
A 48-hour time constraint that limited our ability to conduct in-depth research and iterations.
Single-page layout requirement, designed to be intuitive and accessible for older audiences with varying levels of digital literacy.
No portraits or human faces allowed due to branding and cultural considerations.
Must incorporate Islamic visual symbolism, a calm and respectful colour palette, and clear calls to action to encourage donations and engagement.
The Solution
We designed a one-page donation platform that’s visually clear, culturally sensitive, and easy to navigate for older users. Within the 48-hour limit, we prioritized Islamic symbolism, avoided human imagery, and used a calming colour palette with clear calls to action to support engagement during Ramadan.
Key Features
Cultural significance
Introduces the spiritual and cultural significance of Ramadan, emphasizing community, fasting, and faith through clear storytelling and accessible design.
Active campaigns
Showcases active donation campaigns, making it easy for users to support urgent humanitarian efforts with clear calls to action.
Donation process
Demonstrates a streamlined process for users to explore an event and contribute financially in just a few intuitive steps.
Joining
Highlights the seamless interaction for users to RSVP to community events, ensuring accessibility for all age groups.
Mission statement
Visually reinforces Penny Appeal’s values and long-term impact, using photography and text to build trust and emotional connection.
Instagram integration
Features live social media content to maintain engagement through community photos and updates.
Qualitative Interviews
To ensure the website was accessible, and guided users through the entire donation journey, we mainly interviewed older adults and non-Muslims to understand how design, language, and layout impact comprehension and ease of use.
Insights
Research
2 OLDER ADULTS
helped identify accessibility needs and clarity issues in layout and navigation.
1.
Users tend to feel overwhelmed when given a plethora of information and options
2.
2 NON-MUSLIMS
provided insight into how intuitive the donation journey is for users unfamiliar with Islamic terms or practices.
Payment processes that appear too long or inefficient lose users very quickly and increase their likelihood to not use the website again.
2 PRACTICING MUSLIMS
to share the spiritual connection of giving during Ramadan.
Market Analysis
We briefly analyzed competitors’ strengths and limitations to better our product.
While all platforms support charitable giving, they are overcomplicated and overwhelming.
Unicef
✅ Muslim-friendly language
✅ Clear call-to-action
✅ Strong branding
❌ Overwhelming content
❌ Sites feel institutional rather than community based
❌ Complex donation process
Islamic Relief
Launchgood
Wireframes
We sketched paper and low-fidelity wireframes to quickly map out key screens and user flows. The goal was to explore how donors could easily discover, trust, and contribute to campaigns.
Prototype
Usability Testing
We conducted a moderated usability study with four participants (ages 18–55) over Zoom to identify friction points in the donation and onboarding experience.
While overall feedback was positive, users struggled with unclear wording on the event page and the lack of prominent call-to-action buttons.
Revisions
✅ Concise wording for non-Muslims to understand
✅ Clearer call-to-action buttons
✅ Straightforward user flow
This designathon was my first, and it was an incredible and rewarding experience. In just 48 hours, I collaborated with two teammates I had never met before to tackle a cause that genuinely mattered to all of us. Despite the time pressure and fast-paced decision-making, we found a strong rhythm and pushed each other to stay grounded in real user needs. Being named design finalists was an honour; but more importantly, the experience deepened my appreciation for collaborative design in creating impact within the Muslim community.
🏆 Anna Belenko (top left) & Estrella Lo (top right) 🏆