Integrative Conservation Clinic Capstone

02 — Research and Discovery

Understanding the landscape and the people

With seven months and a real client, we had the time and the obligation to do this properly. Research was the foundation everything else was built on.

We began with a competitive analysis of five existing conservation platforms: Wild Labs, Bon in a Box, U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit, Conservation Standards, and Panorama Solutions. A key finding was that most platforms lacked meaningful social features. None of them allowed practitioners to connect, share insights, or collaborate in any meaningful way. That gap became a core design opportunity.

We then conducted six semi-structured interviews with conservation practitioners across North America. The client also provided results from 128 survey participants. From this research we developed three distinct user personas: the Worker Bee, focused on finding relevant information for active projects; the Messenger, focused on sharing and updating organizational resources; and the Bridge, focused on building partnerships and improving funding through connection.

Key Finding 01

Information is scattered across too many platforms

Conservationists were routinely forced to use multiple platforms to find the information they needed. There was no single reliable source. One participant noted that for some species and regions, no digital record existed at all.

Key Finding 02

Location-based search was the most requested feature

Practitioners consistently wanted to search by region and ecosystem. Most tools required keyword searches, which meant users had to already know what they were looking for. Location as a starting point addressed users in an unfamiliar state of knowledge.

Key Finding 03

Practitioners needed to communicate, not just consume

Existing platforms were read-only. But conservationists learned from each other and relied on peer insight to fill gaps in published research. Without a way to discuss and share, the platform would only solve half the problem.

Key Finding 04

Credibility and trust were non-negotiable

Users needed to trust that information on the platform was accurate and up to date. Conservation decisions have real environmental consequences. A platform with unreliable or outdated information would be worse than no platform at all.

03 — Process

Seven months of iterating toward clarity

We structured the project around the design thinking framework, moving through Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test in overlapping cycles across two semesters. With seven months to work with, we could afford to be thorough. We used affinity mapping to synthesize research insights into design requirements, which became the foundation for our first wireframe.

As co-lead, my focus alongside one other team member was on spearheading the testing process at every stage. That meant designing the test scenarios, coordinating participants, conducting sessions using the think-aloud protocol, and synthesizing findings into clear, actionable changes for the next iteration. The testing was not a formality. It drove every major design decision.

1

Competitive analysis and generative research

Analysis of five existing conservation platforms, six semi-structured user interviews with practitioners across North America, and synthesis of 128 client-provided survey responses. Three user personas developed: the Worker Bee, the Messenger, and the Bridge.

2

Affinity mapping and ideation

Research insights translated into design requirements through affinity mapping. Key features defined: interactive map, discussion forums, bookmarking with custom folders, filtering by location, species, and tools, tutorial videos, and an update request feature.

3

Low-fidelity prototype and first round of testing

Think-aloud testing with 6 participants across 3 tasks focused on the interactive map, discussions, and report page structure. Key finding: navigation labelling was confusing, particularly the terms Background, Approaches, and Tools.

4

Medium-fidelity prototype and second round of testing

5 participants tested across 5 tasks, adding bookmarking and update request functionality. Information architecture issues confirmed. The three-layer content structure was not intuitive for users who expected a single unified search experience.

5

High-fidelity prototype and final round of testing

3 participants tested the final prototype with click tracking added alongside think-aloud. Content sections were consolidated into a single unified structure. Navigation labelling was revised. Participants found the updated prototype significantly easier to navigate.

Every round of testing taught us something the previous one had not. The three-layer content structure we started with made logical sense to us as designers. It made almost no sense to the practitioners who actually needed to use it. That gap between our assumptions and their reality is exactly why testing matters.

04 — The Solution

A platform built around how practitioners actually work

The final prototype was a fully realized open-source conservation database designed around how practitioners actually search for and engage with information. The biggest structural shift from our early prototypes was consolidating the three-layer content hierarchy into a single unified search experience, a change driven entirely by what users told us during testing.

Feature 01

Interactive Map

The most requested feature from user research. The map lets practitioners search for conservation studies by location, starting from a region they know rather than a keyword they have to guess.

Feature 02

Advanced Search and Filtering

A robust filtering system allowing users to narrow results by location, species, tools used, conservation approach, and content type. Designed to support users at any level of familiarity with the subject matter.

Feature 03

Discussion Forums

Topic-specific discussion boards allowing practitioners to connect, share field experiences, and ask questions of their peers. A direct response to the finding that conservationists relied on colleague insight but had no dedicated platform for it.

Feature 04

Bookmarking with Custom Folders

Users can bookmark articles, reports, and discussion posts and organize them into custom folders. Consistently well-received in testing, particularly among users managing multiple ongoing projects.

Feature 05

Tutorial Videos

Short video tutorials explaining how to use specific conservation tools and approaches. Designed for users who wanted to learn quickly without committing to lengthy written documentation.

Feature 06

Update Request

A feature allowing users to flag outdated information and formally request an update. Gave the community a direct role in maintaining the quality and credibility of the database.

The screens below show the final high-fidelity prototype across all six features.

Screen 01 — Interactive Map

The global map view with location pins and keyword search, showing how practitioners can explore conservation studies by geography rather than keyword alone. Users can filter by habitat type and track their location to find region-specific content.

SNIPPET 6B — SEARCH AND FILTERING CAPTION