This conceptual project aimed to create a fresh, engaging web presence for the Friends of Schmeeckle, a nonprofit that supports the Schmeeckle Reserve. The concept centered around a proposed business idea: installing a live-streaming "bat webcam" to promote wildlife awareness and generate interest in local conservation. The website design followed the organization's existing design system to ensure brand consistency and visual harmony with their identity.

I was the sole UI designer and created my projects in Canva

Concept

The idea originated from brainstorming innovative ways the Friends of Schmeeckle could raise awareness and funding. A peer proposed a "bat cam" - a live night-vision stream of the bat monitoring station in Schmeeckle Reserve. The concept was intended to educate, engage, and encourage donations or memberships to fund conservation efforts.

Moodboard

The moodboard served as a visual anchor for the project. I curated imagery, textures, and UI inspiration that reflected:

• • Natural textures: forest imagery, bark, moss.
  • Wildlife focus: bats, birds, woodland animals
  • Color palette and Typography: Used the organization's existing colors and fonts to maintain brand consistency

This phase grounded my creative decisions in their existing branding while shaping a tone that was calming, inviting, and intriguing.

Wireframe First Renditions

At this stage, I prioritized structure and hierarchy, ensuring the livestream would be immediately visible, followed by calls-to-action and educational context.

• I focused on user priorities by identifying key user tasks:
  • Watching the bat livestream.
  • Learning about bats and conservation efforts
  • Navigating to additional content or ways to get involved (donations, contact, events).

At this stage, I prioritized structure and hierarchy, ensuring the livestream would be immediately visible, followed by calls-to-action and educational context.

Competitive Analysis & Peer Feedback

Before finalizing the wireframes, I conducted a competitive analysis of similar wildlife organizations live cam initiatives—such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Oakland Zoo and gathered peer insights to improve the design.

• Competitive Analysis Highlights:
  • Displaying webcam availability hours: Helps prevent user frustration and encourages return visits during active hours.
  • Animal Education: Deepened engagement and informs the public.

• Classmate Feedback:
  • Inclusion of time/date on webcam: Helped ground the viewer and made the experience feel live and authentic.
  • Redesign of the video player module: I overhauled the layout for clarity.

Wireframe Finals

In the final wireframes, I implemented refinements based on earlier critiques.

• This included:
  • Overhauled video player.
  • Includion of livestream time.
  • Education on local spices populations.

Though the bat cam is a conceptual feature, the project demonstrates a complete UX process—from problem identification to wireframed solution. It showcases my ability to blend brand adherence, creative thinking, and environmental storytelling in a usable, scalable way.