Manya Singh
UX Designer · Seattle, WA
Mitti Good Gifts: Gifting for Good
E-commerce Website on Shopify
ORGANIZATION
Mitti Social Initiatives Foundation
ROLE
User Experience Designer and Developer Intern
Team
Subashree Krishnan (Mitti Strategic Advisor), Nikhil Iyengar (Design Mentor)
Duration
5 Months (April 2021 - Aug 2021)
Overview
About Mitti Social Initiatives Foundation
A non profit organization committed to the cause of employment and livelihoods for people with special needs. They works towards economic independence and dignity for adults with physical, intellectual and psychiatric disabilities and persons from other vulnerable communities. The organisation’s outreach initiatives also help create awareness about inclusion and disability rights.
My project
Creating an accessible shopping experience for products made by people with special abilities for socially conscious users. This was part of the work I did during internship. The pilot phase of 'Mitti Good Gifts' was launched with 50 NGOs partners (who create livelihoods for people with disabilities / acid attack survivors / women rescued from trafficking and other vulnerable communities) in August 2021.
Problem
Background:
During COVID-19, remote work surged, causing in-house corporate cafes to struggle and canceling events that showcased the creations of people with special needs.
NGOs supporting these individuals faced challenges with large inventories of unsold products, including clothing, accessories, and food items, with limited distribution channels.
Solution: Mitti Good Gifts:
In response, Mitti Social Initiatives Foundation launched an e-commerce platform, Mitti Good Gifts, to provide an online marketplace for these products.
Given the urgency, they aimed for a quick launch within 3-4 months to help NGOs and individuals with special needs regain dignified means of livelihood in the post-COVID world.
Personas
There are total of 7 personas: 2 Mitti Team Members, 1 NGO Partner, 4 Consumers ( 50+ years, 20-30 years, 30-50 years and Corporates)
Competitive Research
Conducted a competitive research of organizations and websites that were selling similar products attached with community upliftment.
Key focus areas included:
How they highlighted the cause.
How they quantified consumer contributions.
Ways for corporations to showcase their support.
Product organization by specific causes.
Effective, subtle messaging on inclusivity.
RESEARCH: Shopify
Research of various themes on Shopify to find and suggest the one which matches most of the criterias. Cosen theme was Impulse.
PLANNING: Site Map
First step was to understand the requirements of Mitti and what all they wanted to put on the e-commerce website. After multiple sessions this site map was finalised. As the development progressed, this map was also used to keep a track of pages in different stages of development.
DEVELOPMENT: Categorising
The pilot phase had over 500 products that were sorted in 9 main categories. For usability, all categories were visible in the mega menu on hover.
DEVELOPMENT
WIREFRAMING
Purpose: Created wireframes before Shopify development to structure content placement and prioritize key elements.
Stakeholder Collaboration: Engaged with multiple stakeholders to understand their needs, balancing and managing varied requests to ensure the final design met everyone’s goals.
Highlighting Causes: Focused on subtly showcasing the causes supported by Mitti, including women in need, acid attack survivors, and children with special needs.
ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES
Tab & Keyboard Accessibility for users with visual or motor impairments.
Detailed Alt Text for screen readers.
Color Contrast adjustments for color-blind and visually impaired users.
Font Selection aligned with WCAG guidelines.
BACKHAND: Setting up & Guides
Guides for Content Submission: Created detailed guides specifying text and photo requirements for NGO partners. These were designed for easy understanding, even for non-tech-savvy individuals, to ensure high-quality content.
Structured Data Collection: Converted guides into Google Forms to organize data systematically and capture essential details consistently.
Enhanced Product Onboarding: Adjusted forms to include separate, clearly defined sections for product details, which improved consistency and made it easier for Mitti’s onboarding manager to add new products.
FINAL SITE: Mitti Good Gifts
Purpose: Designed to empower individuals with special needs, providing them a platform to earn a respectable living and support their families.
Setup & Handover: Established a streamlined backend with Shiprocket as the vendor platform, and created detailed guides for NGOs to manage inventory easily.
Design Goal: Focused on accessibility and user-friendliness, using a minimalistic design for a seamless experience.
Impact: Enabled 50 NGOs and over 200 people with special needs to showcase and sell their products, offering visibility and income opportunities.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
This project was part of work done for Mitti Social Initiative Foundation during an Internship. Get in touch for more details.
1. Mitti Good Gifts Website: The site has been updated
2. Mitti Social Initiatives Foundation: Parent company
3. User Testing Session: Connect with me for more details about this.