The mission
Native Woodland Trust works to engage the Irish population in restoring natural native flora and wants to increase awareness around their mission.
The brief
Design an Android application, which should include:
Home page
Our Sites / Our Woods
Trails (Subject for design after initial iterations on user feedback)
Tree identifier (Subject for design after initial iterations on user feedback)
Visual Audit & Strategy
The Problem: The existing branding was evaluated as generic, anonymous and typical to NGOs.
Segment strife: The audience divides into an Active Segment (volunteers, schools, communities) needing speed and scannability, and a Traditional Segment (corporate partners, traditional donors)
The scope: To prevent overextension, product design focused on Active Segment.
Brand identity
The logo: Created the “Oakrock” combination mark - a custom emblem embedding distinctive native oak leaves inside a symbolic Irish shamrock.
Typography: Balanced the playful Nunito accent font with grounded, institutional fonts to preserve core brand authority.
Colors: Muted palette for earthy shades and lighter visual expression, reserving high-saturated green purely for brand markers.
Product Design & Layout
The name: Separated brand and product for increased memorability and engagement from Active Segment.
Homepage layout:
Top viewport: Informative mission details (Low thumb priority).
Middle zone: Informative site overview.
Thumb zone: Main use cases.
Evaluative Testing
Methodology: In-person, moderated sessions. First impression & Task based testing.
Techniques: Concurrent Think Aloud & Retrospective probing.
Objectives:
Increase usability
Validate comprehension
Validate feature prioritisation
Validate brand recognition
Data-driven iterations
Home: Changed ‘Our Sites’ to ‘Our Woods’ and updated secondary link microcopy from ‘Explore’ to ‘See’ based on verified user confusion.
About: Replaced still image with informative video frame - satisfying Traditional Segment thirst for information without compromising scannability for Active Segment.
Our woods: Clarified name. List expansion extended further over map on scroll. Location & distance indicators added on cards.
Woods profile: Added clear location & distance indicators and doubled card padding from 4px to 8px to fix spatial friction.
Design system
Design System: Documented and added user-tested assets & functionalities in a design system.
