Royal Caribbean Hackathon
Enhancing Wishes at Sea Initiative
This project was part of a hackathon challenge to update the Royal Caribbean website and bring visibility to the Wish-at-Sea initiative, a collaboration with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Our goal was to create a user-centered design that simplifies donations, improves transparency, and raises awareness, inspiring socially conscious visitors to support the cause.
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Project Overview
The Details
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Timeline: 5 days
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Platform: Website/Desktop
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Role: Copywriter & UX Manager
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Tools Used: Figma, Google Docs, Canva, Otter AI
The Problem
Royal Caribbean’s Wish-at-Sea initiative, in partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, grants cruise experiences to children with critical illnesses. However, the program lacked visibility, making it difficult for users to find information and contribute.
The Solution
We redesigned the website to increase visibility, simplify the donation process, and enhance transparency, ensuring a seamless, user-friendly experience that inspires socially conscious visitors to support the cause.
Context
Royal Caribbean and Make a Wish Foundation have a partnership called Wishes at Sea. This initiative grants cruise experiences to children with critical illnesses. However, its limited visibility on Royal Caribbean's website prevents potential donors and travelers from easily accessing information and making contributions.
Problem Statement
Wish-at-Sea’s lack of visibility reduces community engagement and potential donations. Our goal was to improve discoverability, simplify donations, and highlight the impact of contributions.
User Research
To gain user insights, we conducted qualitative research through interviews with five middle-aged adults who had traveled on cruises and donated to charitable causes within the past two years. The goal was to understand their motivations, behaviors, and expectations regarding charitable giving while on a booking site. This will influence how we design and update the website.
Participant Selection
We recruited five individuals who met our criteria of cruise travelers and charitable donors within the past two years.
Interview Method
Semi-structured interviews were conducted via Google Meet. Participants were informed that their responses would be recorded and transcribed using Otter.ai for analysis.
Key Topics Covered
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Factors influencing their decision to donate (e.g., emotional appeal, trust in the organization).
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Barriers or hesitations they faced when donating.
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Preferred donation methods and engagement opportunities.
Key Findings
To gain user insights, we conducted qualitative research through interviews with five middle-aged adults who had traveled on cruises and donated to charitable causes within the past two years. The goal was to understand their motivations, behaviors, and expectations regarding charitable giving while on a booking site. This will influence how we design and update the website.
Pain Points
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Unclear donation impact discourages contributions.
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Overwhelming calls-to-action create decision fatigue.
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Lengthy checkout processes disrupt the experience.
Motivations
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Clear mission statements and visible impact increase trust.
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Emotional connection to causes drives engagement.
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Causes benefiting children or local communities resonate deeply.
User Persona: Meet Linda
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A socially conscious, middle-aged traveler who values transparency and simplicity.
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Wants a seamless, informative, and engaging donation experience.
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Represents the target audience, guiding key design decisions.
User Persona: Meet Linda
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A socially conscious, middle-aged traveler who values transparency and simplicity.
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Wants a seamless, informative, and engaging donation experience.
-
Represents the target audience, guiding key design decisions.
User Persona: Meet Linda
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A socially conscious, middle-aged traveler who values transparency and simplicity.
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Wants a seamless, informative, and engaging donation experience.
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Represents the target audience, guiding key design decisions.
User Journey Map
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Linda visits Royal Caribbean’s website, unaware of Wish-at-Sea.
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A prominent call-to-action leads her to a dedicated section explaining the initiative’s mission.
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A seamless, mobile-friendly donation process encourages her to contribute.
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She receives a follow-up message showcasing the impact of her donation, reinforcing trust and future engagement.
Sketching & Concept Development
During the sketching phase, we aimed to merge the distinct identities of both brands—Royal Caribbean’s clean, professional aesthetic with Make-A-Wish’s playful and heartfelt vibe.
Initial Concept:
✔ Storytelling Parallax Design – An engaging, scroll-based visual journey.
✔ Brand Integration – Using Royal Caribbean’s donation page structure as a foundation.
✔ Wish-Inspired Elements – Infusing playful, heartfelt touches from Make-A-Wish.
Design Approach:
Our sketches explored ways to blend both identities seamlessly, ensuring a visually appealing and emotionally impactful experience. By maintaining Royal Caribbean’s structure and tone while incorporating Make-A-Wish’s warmth, we crafted a design that felt cohesive, engaging, and true to both brands.
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Optimizing Donation Page Placement
To determine the best location for the Wish-at-Sea donation page, we explored multiple placement options on the Royal Caribbean website, ensuring visibility without disrupting cruise bookings.
Placement Options Considered:
✔ Navigation Bar – High visibility across all pages.
✔ Hero Section – Engaging storytelling with strong emotional appeal.
✔ Footer – Subtle placement for users seeking more information.
✔ Hamburger Menu – Accessible but less prominent.
Final Decision:
🔹 Navigation Bar – Included the Make-A-Wish logo for continuous visibility.
🔹 Hero Section – Featured a compelling image to create an emotional connection.
This approach maximized awareness while seamlessly integrating with Royal Caribbean’s website design.
UI Inspiration for Donation Experience
To enhance Royal Caribbean’s donation experience, we researched platforms like Give Butter and GoFundMe to identify effective design elements that drive engagement. Our goal was to integrate these best practices while maintaining Royal Caribbean’s brand identity and seamless user experience.
Key Takeaways:
✔ Clear CTAs – Bold, recognizable buttons aligned with Royal Caribbean’s existing design language.
✔ Emotional Storytelling – High-quality imagery and narratives that complement the brand’s aspirational aesthetic.
✔ Seamless Navigation – A frictionless donation flow that mirrors Royal Caribbean’s intuitive site structure.
Implementation:
We ensured the donation page felt like a natural extension of the Royal Caribbean website by using consistent fonts, colors, and UI elements. This approach maintained brand recognition and trust, while enhancing usability and engagement.
Prototype: Bringing Ideas to Life
After the hackathon’s time constraints, we skipped creating low fidelity wireframes and jumped straight into high defination, we prioritized impactful yet achievable solutions:
✅ Added the Make-A-Wish logo in the navigation bar for constant visibility.
✅ Updated the hero section with an inspiring image of a wish recipient.
✅ Streamlined the donation process with clear CTAs and mobile-friendly forms.
✅ Implemented follow-up messaging to highlight donation impact and encourage repeat contributions.
Key Features of the Prototype
🔹 Dedicated Wish-at-Sea section with a compelling mission statement and real-life impact stories.
🔹 Seamless donation flow with reduced friction and an intuitive mobile-friendly design.
🔹 Tax-deductible donation receipts to encourage contributions.
🔹 Follow-up emails with updates on how donations are used, fostering trust.
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Sailing Towards Impact
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Test: Validating Our Design
We conducted one user test via Zoom with a participant matching our target audience.
User Feedback & Iterations
Issue: User overlooked the navigation bar placement.
✅ Solution: Added a call-to-action in the hero section for better visibility.
Suggestion: Implement a round-up donation feature.
❌ Decision: Omitted based on previous user feedback indicating potential frustration.
Key Takeaway: User testing confirmed that small design tweaks can significantly impact engagement and usability.
Final Outcome & Impact
Time was up, and the five days of the hackathon flew by. After conducting research and creating a prototype, we had seven minutes to showcase our project to a panel of judges, which included members of the Royal Caribbean design team.
Presentation & Feedback
✔️ Positive Feedback:
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Maintained brand integrity while incorporating thoughtful features.
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Strong storytelling and engaging visuals.
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Seamless checkout process with tax-deductible ID.
⚠️ Critique:
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The call-to-action felt disruptive and might distract users from booking a cruise.
Future Improvements
🔹 Replace the Make-A-Wish logo in the navigation bar with a “Partnerships” dropdown to showcase multiple initiatives.
🔹 Further refine the hero section to ensure it complements the booking process without distractions.
Key Learnings
📌 Balance user needs with business objectives for a sustainable solution.
📌 Iterate based on real user feedback to refine usability.
📌 Effective teamwork and adaptability drive success in constrained timelines
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© 2025 Cynthia Orelien