PocketChange
USER EXPERIENCE · USER RESEARCH
PocketChange: a way to passively donate to those in need through micro transactional rounding. PocketChange is like Acorns for the homeless. Users can select a cause to support & a duration to support it, and then every transaction they complete is automatically rounded to the dollar and donated to their cause. Need a little extra motivation? PocketChange allows organizations to come together and challenge other organizations to see who can donate more.
​
This project was created in response to a challenge to develop a solution to contribute to one (or several) of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals identified by the United Nations.
Research, Analysis, Product Design, Branding, User-Testing
MY ROLE
TIMELINE
3 weeks
TEAM
5 Designers / researchers (flex role)
TOOLS
Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop, Miro
OVERVIEW
Problem
Within the donation space, our team found through our preliminary research that there was a twofold problem: donating face-to-face felt significantly more rewarding and personal, yet presented a lack of transparency to the effect of the donation. Alternatively, donating online was safer, and gave a sense of follow through as specific causes could be chosen, yet it felt impersonal without the face-to-face connection.
Goal
Create a simple and user friendly way to get involved with a donation space that was safe, transparent, consistent, and personal. Find a way to encourage users to stay involved.
OUTCOME
Solution & Innovative Features
PocketChange is the first ever donation platform that allows users to donate to those in need through micro-transactional rounding of their spending. Those in need can create a request for a specific cause and receive donations from those who join their cause. Those who join will round their spending up to the next dollar towards the cause they choose by default (they can choose to up their donations to a certain percentage), and can join groups that compete to donate the most.
​
By allowing donors to read the stories for individual causes posted on PocketChange, donors can both sense transparency in their donations and feel a personal connection through the safety of online donations. Finally, because the platform is gamified, users are encouraged to donate much more through their spending.
Innovative Features
Allowing users to join group competitions has been a great way to gamify the app and gain more attention from communities that would otherwise not be interested in donating.
​
Rounding up change spent on everyday purchases is an easy, low cost, high impact, one time setup process that once again puts homeless who frequently go forgotten come into the forefront of the minds of those who have resources to give.
