The Application of User Design and Experience in Prospect Development

Dear Diary,

As of late, I have been extremely fascinated by the process and application of user design and experience. User Experience (commonly referred to as UX) is a process and field in which designers analyze how users feel as they navigate an application or website; or how to improve a user’s experience with a system or content. For example, a user must experience or feel like an application is useful, accessible, and/or valuable. 

To drill into the design of a user’s experience, there is a concentration on the visual elements, creativity, the data, and most importantly, the problem solving. 

In Prospect Development, tools and systems are consistently created for fundraising purposes. Reports are pulled from the database; Prospect profiles are written; Excel sheets are constructed for strategic use - there is an endless amount of content created by prospect development professionals for users, specifically, those who are not in prospect development. 

Therefore, my question to us (prospect development professionals) and what I would like us to hold near to the heart moving forward: Are we truly creating with the user’s experience in mind? 

I’ve seen prospect development professionals change fields, layouts, and functions in a database without thinking of the frontline fundraiser’s role, and the accessibility of information. I have seen the need for training on new applications become an afterthought during brainstorming sessions; whereas how to train on new functions should always be at the forefront of upcoming changes. And, I have heard the complaints on how a certain tool could be best utilized, with little query on the potential disconnect between what the tool does and how a user experiences it. 

In fundraising, we’re all focused on our specialties. As a prospect researcher and portfolio developer I focus on making sure fundraisers have what they need on prospects, and portfolios are updated and robust. Frontline fundraisers are focused on their specific dollar and engagement goals for the quarter, and the year. 

We’re all locked into what we need to create, and for us in prospect development we see the vision, and know the results - however, we completely ignore our users. We hardly ask, “what do they need to know?” Instead, we lead with, “well we should give them this and give them that.” We need to concentrate on what is efficient, and meets a user’s needs within the context as they use the tool.

Now, I want to make it very clear that we can’t control user perception and responses, but we can control our output and what we decide to create. We can decide how to edit the excel sheet to read the necessary data and have the “need to know” columns. We can make sure the content feels useful, especially when testing out the results. You can ask the following key questions, “How does this information feel to you?” “Is this what you wanted to see?” “As you’re clicking through what reactions can you share with me?” “Does this provide the information you were looking for?” “Do you feel like you can easily find what you are looking for?”

Usability testing is so crucial to the ways in which we can center our colleagues and users. It is how we realize collaboration. It is how we make tools functional. We need to ask these key questions so we can build content that is not only useful, it lasts. 

Again, the next time you create the template for your next prospect research training for new fundraisers, as yourself: Am I truly keeping the user’s experience in mind?

Until next time, June 15th!