Org Partner
Services
UX
Ui
Web design
Ecommerce
iA
Background
Human Connections is a nonprofit organization based in Bucerías, Mexico, with a mission to empower local communities by fostering authentic, meaningful relationships through responsibly curated cultural day tours and immersive student programs. Through its vibrant network of local artisans, Human Connections is able to authentically share local partner stories and provide a platform for them to showcase their craft and culture. In turn, these partnerships offer reliable income opportunities and contribute to long-term economic sustainability for the community.
Human Connections launched Camino — a sub-brand created to pilot a collection of handcrafted goods as an additional stream of income to further support local artisans. Camino represents more than just a collection of products; it symbolizes a path forward for the community, extending Human Connections’ mission into a new marketplace.
challenge
The website does not tell a cohesive story between Human Connections and Camino and lacks e-commerce support for both individual and wholesale purchasing.
Outcome
Conceptually redesigned the website and information architecture to support the launch of Camino by integrating the new brand identity and adding e-commerce capabilities. This bridged the gap between the two brands and created a seamless online shopping experience that drives support and sales for the pilot initiative.
APPROACH AND PROCESS
Through an initial mixed-methods research process (secondary research on the nonprofit donor landscape, user interviews with observational usability testing on the existing site, and competitive research on brands selling unique artisan-made products), key opportunity touchpoints were uncovered among our target audience of nonprofit supporters and conscious shoppers.
Shift in consumer shopping behavior with an increased commitment to buying from socially responsible companies
Brands in the artisan-made and fair-trade space highlight compelling artisan stories to reinforce their mission and demonstrate how consumer purchases create positive impact
ORIGInAL website
SEPARATE Camino catalogue experience
Since Camino was hosted on a different publishing platform, I explored how its branding and visual guidelines could be carried through to ensure a consistent voice and visual identity across the experience.
Their artisan-crafted products are shaped by traditional techniques, materials, and cultural practices, and fall into three key categories: kitchen, décor, and accessories. Bringing these elements forward helped tell the story of what makes Camino unique and informed how the sitemap should support this in the redesign.
PATH TOWARDS OPTIMIZATIONS
Enhanced information architecture
Restructured the primary header navigation and footer to enhance Human Connections's offerings and Camino's presence on the site
Created a dedicated Camino, e-commerce navigational sitemap to support e-commerce and wholesale
iterative ideation to bring ideas to life
The main focus was to integrate Camino into Human Connections’ website and create a store-to-checkout flow that highlights the story, impact, and uniqueness of the products.
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