Five tips to improve the user experience of your charity website

For years, we’ve worked with charities of all sizes to build websites that drive real impact. Through designing, building and auditing charity websites, we’ve seen the same UX (user experience) challenges come up again and again, frustrating users and stopping supporters from taking action, whether that’s donating, volunteering, or accessing support.

In our UX audits, we look at how people navigate and interact with a site, identifying what slows them down and what stops them altogether. Below, we’ve shared five of the most common issues we see and what you can do to fix them.

1. Overcomplicated navigation that confuses users

One of the biggest barriers to engagement is a messy, confusing navigation. As charity websites grow, they can become bloated, with new campaigns, services and content added over time. But, without a plan in place, visitors are left frustrated, hunting for information or abandoning their journey altogether. However, there are ways to streamline content that can reduce overwhelm and help users find what they’re looking for.

How to improve navigation and user journeys:

1. Audit and restructure your Information Architecture (IA)
   • Review every page on your website. Consolidate similar content and remove anything outdated or low-value.
   • Create clear content categories that group information in a way that feels logical to your audience, for example, ‘Support Us’.
   • Use data: heatmaps and analytics will show where people drop off or get lost and which pages you should consider, removing, updating or adding.
2. Use UX research methodologies to guide your menu restructure
   • Card sorting helps you understand how users naturally group information.
   • Tree testing validates your proposed structure, checking if users can find what they need.
   • User interviews and testing reveal how different audience groups experience your site and what’s confusing.
3. Design a clear, accessible menu system
   • Use simple, intuitive labels that reflect what your audience is looking for.
   • Limit top-level menu items to 5-7 to avoid overwhelming people.
   • Optimise for mobile and consider structured mega menus for larger sites with lots of content.
4. Improve findability with search and wayfinding tools
   • Add a robust search function with filters.
   • Use breadcrumbs so users always know where they are.
   • Place clear calls-to-action (CTAs) where people expect them.
5. Test, iterate, and improve
   • Run usability tests to observe how people navigate the site.
   • Monitor analytics for drop-offs and confusion points.
   • Keep refining based on real data.

A good example of this was our website redesign and build for The Lullaby Trust. Our challenge was to simplify their bloated website and fix broken user journeys that had grown over time. We restructured their information and designed a simpler navigation to create a digital experience that works for everyone. Whether it’s bereaved families needing urgent support, healthcare professionals accessing vital resources, parents looking for safer sleep advice, or supporters wanting to get involved, the right content is now easier to find, when it’s needed.

When content is well structured, menus make sense, and navigation is tested and refined, the whole experience feels easier. Charities that invest in this create websites that are more accessible, more engaging, and drive key actions like donations and sign-ups.

2. Mobile experiences that don’t work

For most charities, mobile is now the main way people access their site. But too many still aren’t designed with mobile in mind. Slow load times, fiddly buttons, and clunky forms turn people away fast. Improving the mobile experience means more people can engage with your work and are more likely to take action when it matters.

How to improve the mobile experience:

1. Prioritise mobile performance and speed
   • Optimise images using formats like WebP.
   • Remove unnecessary scripts and compress code.
   • Use fast and reliable hosting.
2. Design for touch and thumb-friendly navigation
   • Make sure all tap targets (buttons, links, form fields) are at least 48×48 pixels.
   • Place key actions like Donate or Sign Up within easily accessible reach.
   • Remove hover-based interactions and replace them with clear tap functions.
3. Streamline donation and sign-up forms for mobile
   • Reduce the number of fields and only ask for the essentials.
   • Use mobile-friendly inputs like number pads and postcode lookups.
   • Offer one-click donations via Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal.
4. Make accessibility and readability a priority
   • Use at least 16px font size to avoid zooming.
   • Ensure high colour contrast.
   • Check that interactive elements work with assistive technology.
5. Test with real users
   • Use mobile usability testing, heatmaps, and session recordings to see where people struggle.
   • Run A/B tests on mobile call-to-actions to improve conversion.

For The Lullaby Trust, creating a mobile-friendly experience was a must. With over 80% of their users viewing the site on mobile, a bad mobile experience was causing huge issues. We streamlined donation flows, reduced load times and created a thumb-friendly navigation experience to guide users to life-saving information and support.

3. Accessibility issues limiting audience reach

Many charities help people with diverse needs, yet accessibility is still often treated as a ‘nice to have’. It isn’t. It’s essential! Without accessible design, you’re cutting people off from using your service and engaging with your cause.

How to make your website more accessible:

1. Use strong colour contrast and readable text
   • Aim for WCAG’s 4.5:1 contrast ratio for text.
   • Avoid relying on colour alone, combine with text labels.
   • Use clear, sans-serif fonts at a minimum of 16px.
2. Make your website screen reader-friendly
   • Add descriptive alt text to images.
   • Structure content with clear, hierarchical headings (H1, H2, H3).
   • Ensure buttons and links have clear labels that describe their purpose.
3. Ensure full keyboard navigation
   • All menus, buttons, and forms should be fully accessible via keyboard.
   • Provide visible focus states so users know where they are.
   • Avoid keyboard traps where users can’t exit a section.
4. Create accessible forms and error messaging
   • Use labels outside input fields (not just placeholders).
   • Provide clear error messages with guidance, e.g., “Please enter a valid email address.”
5. Add captions and transcripts for multimedia
   • Include closed captions on videos.
   • Provide transcripts for podcasts and webinars.
   • Use audio descriptions to explain key visual elements.
6. Test and keep testing
   • Use tools like Accessible Web to scan for issues.
   • Test with users who have disabilities for real feedback.
   • Follow WCAG AA or AAA standards, depending on your goals.

Accessibility was at the heart of our work with Transport for All – the only disabled-led group striving for equal transport rights. We’ve redesigned navigation for keyboard users, improved text contrast, and ensured screen reader compatibility. These changes don’t just help those with disabilities, they create a better experience for all users.

It is such a passion of ours that we created the Principles of Inclusive Design Guide. Helping designers, developers and website managers understand and embrace the WCAG compliance measures, and making sure their digital products put people first. Head here to download your free copy.

We also developed our own Colour Palette Accessibility Checking Tool to help charities check the contrast of their brand colours. While there are lots of tools out there to test the accessibility of colour combinations, we couldn’t find one that could test an entire colour palette, so we created one. You can read more about why we created it and how it works here.

By making your charity website more accessible, you expand your audience reach, improve user experience and ensure inclusivity for all visitors, helping more people connect with and support your cause.

4. Impact and purpose isn’t clearly communicated

Most charity websites will ask people to donate, volunteer or sign-up in some way, but forget to show why it matters. Without a strong emotional connection, people are less likely to connect with or trust your organisation.

How to communicate your charity’s purpose and impact:

1. Define your purpose clearly
   • Write a concise, action-oriented mission statement.
   • Feature it prominently on your homepage and key pages.
2. Tell human stories
   • Use real names, faces, and stories to connect emotionally.
   • Show before-and-after journeys to highlight transformation.
   • Use multimedia like videos or interviews to bring stories to life.
3. Create a ‘why your support matters’ section
   • Break down impact with relatable stats that illustrates the value of donations, e.g., “£10 provides five meals to someone in need.”
   • Add donor testimonials to build trust.
   • Use dynamic impact counters or real-time progress updates.
4. Weave impact throughout your website
   • Homepage: lead with a bold purpose statement and key stats.
   • Donation pages: show how contributions make change.
   • Service pages: share relatable stories that connect beneficiaries and supporters.
   • Volunteer pages: show the difference volunteers make and why they are needed.
5. Use data to strengthen your story
   • Create infographics or animations to visualise impact.
   • Publish progress reports in a digestible format.
   • Be transparent, clearly show where donations go.

An example of this approach can be seen in our work for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. We redesigned the donation module to show supporters exactly what their gift could do. Instead of just asking for an amount, we connected each donation to a real outcome.

We paired this with a short testimonial from a young person who’d been on a trip, sharing how it helped rebuild their confidence after treatment. That combination of impact and personal story helped supporters feel more connected to their donation and more likely to give.

5. Key user journeys are too complex

When someone is ready to donate or sign-up, the last thing they want is a long, complicated process. Every unnecessary step or request adds frustration for the user and charities lose out as a result.

How to create seamless journeys:

1. Reduce steps and simplify forms
   • Cut any non-essential fields.
   • Use autofill, address lookup, and inline validation.
   • Add a progress indicator if there are multiple steps.
2. Offer quick donation and sign-up options
   • Pre-set suggested donation amounts.
   • Enable quick sign-ups using Google, Facebook, or Apple.
   • Offer one-click donations for returning users (with consent).
3. Optimise payment methods
   • Include Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and direct debit alongside card payments.
   • Clearly offer the option to set up monthly giving.
   • Reassure users with visible security messaging and trust badges.
4. Minimise distractions
   • Keep the design clean and focused on the action.
   • Use strong, direct call-to-actions  like “Donate Now” or “Complete Sign-Up.”
   • Add live support or tooltips if users get stuck.
5. Test, analyse, and refine
   • Run A/B tests on form layouts and messaging.
   • Use Hotjar or MS Clarity to see where people drop off.
   • Ask for user feedback to improve the journey.

We’ve help countless charities using this approach and our broader experience of the sector. For example, our work to improve the donation journey on the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust website saw a 312% increase in donations and a 184% increase in the size of donations.

If your website isn’t delivering the results you need, you may be facing some of the same UX challenges we’ve covered above. It’s easy to guess what might be going wrong, but the only way to know for sure is by speaking to your users.

That’s where our UX audits come in. They help charities understand what their audiences need and how that aligns with organisational goals. Backed by data and shaped by experience, our audits give clear, practical recommendations. Whether you’re planning a full redesign or just looking to make smarter tweaks, the result will be a website that works better for the people who matter most.