GiveTree is a platform developed by Sam Joel that combines the NFT (Non-Fungible Token) market and the metaverse world with the aim of creating a positive impact on the world. Every transaction on this platform is environmentally friendly and contributes to charitable organizations. Artists can also utilize web3 and NFT technology to generate income while supporting charitable causes. Sam Joel identifies and seeks to address several global issues through GiveTree, including:

1. The challenges faced by charitable organizations in fundraising.
2. The difficulties artists encounter in earning fair income from their work.
3. Environmental concerns within the crypto industry.
4. The intense competition in the NFT and metaverse markets is also a point of focus.

To address these challenges, Sam Joel collaborated with jbuxd to create GiveTree and develop solutions that are beneficial and have a positive impact. I was involved in the GiveTree project alongside Jackson Beale through jbuxd.

Some of Sam Joel’s expectations through GiveTree include:

1. The platform is expected to provide opportunities for charitable organizations to use web3 and NFT technology to create new sources of income.
2. Creators are also given the chance to earn income from their work while supporting charitable activities.
3. Furthermore, through GiveTree, Sam Joel is committed to sustainability, ensuring that all transactions on the platform are environmentally friendly.

In this way, GiveTree can contribute to a better world. Through the use of web3 and NFT technology, GiveTree offers a new way for charitable organizations and creators to participate in the rapidly growing digital economy. Therefore, GiveTree aims to be a key player in the NFT and metaverse industry, delivering a positive impact on the world and creating a better place for everyone.

Under the guidance of JB/UXD Studio, alongside Jackson Beale as the UX Facilitator, and the GiveTree team, I was involved in the NFT marketplace and metaverse game design process with a User-Centered Design approach. In this development, I prioritized diverse user groups, including charitable organizations seeking support, artists looking to contribute through their work, and collectors in search of valuable NFTs.

This approach allowed me to better understand the needs, motivations, and unique perspectives of each user group. Consequently, we could design relevant and beneficial features, making GiveTree an inclusive, functional, and inspiring platform.

At the beginning of the workshop, alongside Jackson Beale, who served as the facilitator, we engaged in in-depth discussions with stakeholders, including the GiveTree team led by Sam Joel. During this process, I meticulously gathered detailed information about GiveTree, including an overview of the platform, its target users, the business goals it sought to achieve, competitor analysis in relevant industries, desired design preferences, and other crucial aspects.

Together, we immersed ourselves in the essence, brand values, and vision embedded in the GiveTree project, and we were truly inspired by this unique and deeply motivating vision. To ensure a profound understanding without missing critical details, I conducted extensive user research. As a result, I identified three primary personas that would be the main focus in GiveTree’s development:

1. Charitable Organizations: These are organizations seeking innovative ways to support their missions by raising funds through blockchain technology and NFTs.
2. Artists: Artists who wish to contribute with their creative works, including NFTs, to support charitable organizations while generating income from their art.
3. Collectors: Individuals interested in building NFT collections with artistic and charitable values, eager to support charitable causes through transactions on the GiveTree platform.

The outcomes of the user research I conducted are as follows:

1. Social Consciousness
   87% of respondents exhibited a very high level of concern for social and charitable issues. This potentiality could significantly boost their active participation in charitable activities on the GiveTree platform.
2. Challenges with Web3 Technology Usage
   Many charitable organizations did not fully comprehend the concepts of web3 technology, its workflows, and often struggled with managing crypto wallets, private keys, and understanding cryptocurrency transactions.
3. Charitable Organization Preferences
   Users have diverse preferences when selecting the charitable organizations they wish to support, ranging from climate action to environmental preservation, flood relief, and support for the United Nations.
4. Revenue Expectations
   Artists expect to generate significant income from the sale of their NFTs on the GiveTree platform, while general users seek a high level of transaction activity as a measure of success.
5. NFT Interaction
   NFT collectors are generally cautious about safeguarding their portfolio’s security, maintaining NFTs regularly, and expecting asset values to appreciate. They are also active in the NFT community, compliant with laws, and diversify their portfolios.
6. Platform Trust
   Factors such as security, transparency, legal compliance, reputation, positive user experiences, community support, environmental sustainability, technological performance, measurable outcomes, education, and community participation influence users’ trust in the platform.
7. Motivation to Participate
   93% of users are motivated to participate when the platform enables them to sell, buy, and even introduce digital artwork as NFTs.
8. Response to Specific Features
   Users are highly responsive to features such as NFT fundraising, enabling them to donate while receiving rewards. They also desire diverse NFT categories and tax calculation tools to facilitate their tax transaction management.
9. Environmental Perception
   GiveTree’s efforts to maintain environmentally friendly transactions receive positive responses from users increasingly concerned about environmental impacts in the crypto ecosystem, enhancing the platform’s reputation as socially responsible and eco-friendly.

Based on the research findings, GiveTree is committed to addressing the primary issues by creating an innovative platform that connects creators, such as artists, with charitable activities using web3 technology and NFTs. The main goal of this project is to bridge the gap between opportunities for creators to contribute to charitable causes and charitable organizations to obtain the necessary funding.

Furthermore, GiveTree is also committed to operating in an environmentally friendly manner within the crypto ecosystem and providing users with a variety of features and tools, including NFT fundraising, diverse NFT categories, tax calculation tools, and more, to support their participation in charitable activities and income generation. All of this is aimed at creating a platform that has a positive impact on the world, encourages participation in acts of goodness, and unites concerns for both the environment and charity.

To achieve success and be well-received by the public, GiveTree must build a strong and appealing brand image. This image must reflect the noble vision and mission of the platform as a user of web3 technology that leverages blockchain and the metaverse game for sustainable and environmentally friendly fundraising.

As I plan the branding strategy, the challenge lies in effectively conveying this message to the entire spectrum of users, including charitable organizations, creators, and the general public. Furthermore, it is crucial to ensure that when users engage with the platform, they can experience the real benefits of using web3 technology and NFTs to create a positive impact on the world. The GiveTree brand should be a symbol of social good and a leader in the web3 ecosystem that is environmentally responsible.

I, along with all workshop participants, actively engaged in a brainstorming session using the ‘Mind Mapping’ technique to unleash creativity and discover innovative solutions. I inspired participants to share their ideas and concepts related to the GiveTree strategy with the aim of optimizing its impact.

Some successful solutions identified for GiveTree include:

1. Streamlining Transactions
   Improving the transaction process to be more user-friendly, enabling artists and collectors to easily donate a portion of their NFT sales earnings to the charity of their choice.
2. Leveraging Solana Blockchain
   Utilizing the Solana blockchain due to its high speed, low cost, and optimal security level, aligning with GiveTree’s sustainability vision.
3. Building a Strong Community
   Harnessing the community as a promotional tool, enhancing trust, education, and other aspects.
4. Diverse NFT Types
   Providing various types of NFTs so users can upload and sell a variety of digital assets, offering flexibility in contributing to charity through NFTs.
5. Charity Directory
   Allowing users to browse a list of cryptocurrency-accepting charitable organizations and choose the ones they wish to support.
6. Cryptocurrency Donations
   Enabling users to link their cryptocurrency wallets and donate using Ethereum or ether to support charity through digital assets.
7. KYC/KYT/AML Programs
   Implementing Know Your Customer (KYC), Know Your Transaction (KYT), and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) programs by requiring users to link their wallets with GiveTree to ensure compliance with financial regulations.
8. Receipts
   Providing users with receipts for their donations, which can be used for tax purposes and as proof of contribution.
   Increased Visibility for
9. Charities
   Offering a special feature that enhances the exposure of charitable organizations and their goals to platform users.
10. Special Charity Campaigns
    Hosting charity campaigns designed to support specific charitable goals, aiming to increase user participation in social contributions.
11. Reward and Incentive Programs
    Providing incentives to artists, collectors, and charitable organizations actively involved in charitable activities, including reward programs or special tokens and exclusive access to platform features.
12. Harnessing Web3 Technology for Transparent Funding
    Using blockchain technology and smart contracts to ensure full transparency in the allocation of donation funds to charities.
13. Effective Marketing and Communication Strategies
    Employing effective marketing and communication strategies to convey GiveTree’s vision and mission to a wider audience.

My team at JB/UXD and I have been actively articulating all these solutions into a visual concept that can be easily understood by all parties involved. We began by creating a simple Userflow framework, organizing a clear and intuitive information structure, and then crafting wireframe sketches that illustrate the effectiveness of this initial concept.

After testing it with the JB/UXD and GiveTree teams and making several improvements to the wireframe patterns repeatedly, I successfully produced wireframes suitable for the next design phase. After going through these stages to ensure that the message and values of the previous design concept were accurately reflected with high fidelity, without sacrificing its unique values, I created a style guide, design system, original visual elements and assets, and developed interactions and prototypes based on research data and the needs defined by Sam Joel.

Some design concepts I applied included:

1. Introducing two “Explore” buttons that provide options for all users to explore the existing NFT collections, as well as a “Start Minting” button for artists to begin selling their work. Also including a “Learn more about Givetree” button as an information source about Givetree to assist new users.
2. Presenting the “Impact Partners” directory page for charitable organizations with a clear and user-friendly interface to facilitate their registration as charity destinations for users.
3. Adding page numbering to the “Explore” page to improve platform performance.
4. Providing users with the ability to choose the area where they want to make a positive impact.
5. Presenting the NFT Detail page with clear attribute and metadata information to guide other users, including collectors who want to make a purchase and partner organizations receiving the impact from the transaction.

To implement the overall solutions, along with the JB/UXD and GiveTree teams, we conducted internal audits and performed comprehensive testing before exposing it to real users. Some minor iterations were made before user testing was carried out.

During user testing, I identified several obstacles faced by various user groups. Although most solutions were successfully verified, some needed further iterations to make Givetree more user-friendly and empower Sam Joel’s team in seeking external support. Some feedback that needs improvement includes:

1. Collectors who want to donate to charity through Givetree had difficulty selecting a donation area.
2. Some users, both collectors and artists, were not yet familiar with the Solana blockchain.
3. Collectors and artists wanted to see the impact of the causes they supported, but this information was not fully available on the Givetree platform.
4. Users had difficulty taking actions such as creating, selling, and buying NFTs before connecting to a blockchain wallet. However, they struggled to find the connection location.
5. Collectors tended to be hesitant when buying NFTs due to concerns about authenticity, fearing they might purchase counterfeit NFTs that could result in losses.

To address this feedback, I reanalyzed and sought the best solutions to resolve these issues.

Based on the previous research data and additional knowledge I have gathered, I have compiled various possible solutions. Some of the solutions I have chosen to implement include:

1. Area Causes Selection for Collectors
   Adding an attribute or metadata form for ‘area causes’ to collectors, allowing them to choose the impact area they want to support. This provides collectors with the freedom to select the causes they care most about, increasing their engagement in charitable activities.
2. Comprehensive Solana Documentation
   Providing comprehensive documentation on Solana to users, ensuring they have sufficient resources to understand and effectively use Givetree. This aims to address the learning curve that may be challenging for users unfamiliar with Solana blockchain technology.
3. Social Impact Reports and Statistics
   Offering reports and statistics on the social impact generated from artist and collector contributions. This allows them to see real results from their participation, which can serve as additional motivation to engage in charitable activities.
4. More Efficient Connect Wallet Flow
   Recognizing that wallet connection is a crucial step for security, authentication, transparency, and portfolio management, I have proposed improvements to this workflow. I suggest users receive feedback and a better experience when choosing to connect their wallets. The ‘Connect Wallet’ button will be embedded in the navbar for easy access and to indicate the user’s connection status.
5. ‘Verified’ Badge for NFTs
   To ensure the authenticity of an NFT, I have created a ‘Verified’ badge that can reassure buyers that the NFT has undergone verification and is an original item with certain value.

The implemented solutions have brought Givetree closer to the launch stage, but it is still in the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) phase and requires further development. From the results of the second round of testing, it is evident that all these solutions have provided unique value to Givetree in the context of the web3 platform and metaverse.

However, I have recommended priorities for the development of these solutions to Sam Joel, taking into account the level of effort required and the impact they will generate.

Solutions that should be developed earlier include:

1. Charity Directory
   Allowing users to browse a list of charities ready to accept cryptocurrency.
2. Cryptocurrency Donations
   Providing users with the ability to connect their crypto wallets and make donations using Ethereum or ether.
3. Cryptocurrency Wallet
   Providing crypto wallets for charitable organizations and enabling users to connect with wallets like Metamask or Coinbase.
4. Convert Crypto to Fiat
   Allowing conversion from cryptocurrency to fiat currency.
5. KYC / KYT / AML Program
   Implementing Know Your Customer (KYC), Know Your Transaction (KYT), and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) programs for compliance and security.
6. Receipting
   Providing receipts for donations that can be used for tax purposes and other proof of contribution.

Solutions that can be developed in the next phase include:

1. NFT Fundraising
   Allowing the creation, sale, and auction of NFTs as a fundraising tool.
2. Crossmint Integration
   Integration with the Crossmint platform.
3. Multiple Categories of NFTs
   Adding various categories of NFTs such as Art, Digital Art, Photography, Web3 & Web2 Game Assets, Carbon Credits, domains, and more.
4. Expanded Cryptocurrency Functionality
   Adding more blockchains and tokens, other crypto wallets, and support for Bitcoin donations.
5. Tax Calculators
   Tax calculation tools to assist users.
6. Subscriptions
   Free and paid subscription systems.
7. Data Tools
   Visualization tools, reporting, and gamification tools like leveling systems and rewards.
8. AI
   AI-based tools such as Text-to-Art AI and AI data tools.
9. Expanded Donation Categories
   Adding more donation categories.

With this approach, Givetree’s development can be carried out more efficiently while seeking funding from potential sponsors or investors who may support the project.

After successfully introducing GiveTree, I also assisted Sam Joel in optimizing its business aspects. This included creating a strong pitch deck and sales deck that met the social media needs of GiveTree to make it more appealing. This enabled Sam Joel to smoothly and effectively promote the platform.

After handing this project over to Sam Joel, I am delighted to hear continuous positive news about GiveTree. With my dedication and JB/UXD team’s efforts, along with the close collaboration with the GiveTree team during the workshop, this platform achieved extraordinary milestones and received several prestigious awards, including:

1. Receiving a $100,000 USD investment from CELO & Flori Ventures.
2. Obtaining a $9,500 USD grant from Polygon Studios.
3. Developing a Metaverse game using Unreal Engine, enabling the creation of stunning 3D worlds.
4. Participating in the Startmate Founders Fellowship program.
5. Joining the Blackbird Giants program.
6. Winning the People’s Choice Award at the Fishburners Social Impact Pitch Night.
7. Receiving the Tech-For-Good scholarship at Fishburners.
8. Participating in the Atlassian Engage4Good program to support the platform’s launch.
9. Gaining media attention from The Australian and featuring on AusBiz Cracking Crypto television show.
10. Developing a multi-chain NFT marketplace with a focus on interoperability.
11. Providing an eco-friendly NFT platform with carbon-free transactions.
12. Empowering creators to generate income and support charitable causes through NFT art sales.
13. Offering charitable organizations the opportunity to raise funds through web3 technology and NFTs.
14. Leveraging the funds raised for product development, operations, and marketing.

These achievements reflect the significant progress we have collectively made with GiveTree in realizing their vision of becoming a leader in the NFT and metaverse market, focusing on positive impact and meaningful contributions to the world. I am proud to have been a part of this journey and look forward to witnessing GiveTree’s continued growth and ongoing positive impact.