Institute of Art Design + Technology Dún Laoghaire
Ireland’s campus for the Creative Industries

Ashling Smith 

MSc User Experience Design

Senior UX/UI Designer with five plus years of experience in user-centric design. They are known for their passion for creating products prioritising empathy and accessibility for all users and their ability to craft engaging and intuitive user experiences. Through their design thinking, research, and prototyping skills, they consistently deliver exceptional solutions that meet the needs of users and businesses alike—constantly seeking to improve their craft through ongoing learning and experimentation.

Project Description

This UX design project is for a charity marketplace app for all registered charities in Ireland, focusing on trust and ease of use via A/B testing and the Double Diamond Method. It explores the charity app landscape, identifies user and charity challenges, and applies the four phases of the Double Diamond Method: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. Extensive user research guides the Discover phase, while the Define phase synthesises findings into problem statements, goals, and personas. The Develop phase incorporates user-centered design, and the Deliver phase conducts A/B testing to evaluate trust and ease of use. Although no statistical difference was found, qualitative data provides valuable insights. Recommendations emphasise user-centric design and acknowledge study limitations.



Enhancing the User Experience of a Charity Platform: A Study of Trust and Usability

This thesis presents a UX design project that aims to design a charity app for all charities based in Ireland, focusing on measuring trust and ease of use through A/B testing and utilising the Double Diamond Method. The research begins with an in-depth exploration of the current landscape of charity apps in Ireland and identifies the gaps and challenges faced by users and charities. The Double Diamond Method, a well-known design thinking approach, guides the UX design process, including four distinct phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver.

The Discover phase involves extensive user research and identifying user needs, pain points, and requirements for the charity app. The Define phase the research findings to define the app's problem statement, goals, and objectives and create personas and user journeys to guide the design process. The Develop phase focuses on designing and prototyping the app, incorporating user-centred design principles. Finally, the Deliver phase involves conducting A/B testing with both qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate the app's trust and ease of use. The data was analysed and interpreted; the qualitative data revealed valuable insights into user preferences, behaviours, and perceptions of the app's usability and trustworthiness.

The dissertation concludes with recommendations for further enhancements and potential future applications of the charity app, highlighting the importance of user-centric design.