Usability testing gives valuable insights when analytics fail. In a recent moderated usability study of the Joyful Heart Foundation website, I observed three participants complete five tasks designed to simulate real users’ goals. The foundation supports survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse. The goal of the study was to evaluate how easily users could find information, complete actions, and navigate the site on their own.

Each session lasted approximately 30–35 minutes and was conducted remotely via Zoom using a think-aloud protocol. Participants were asked to verbalize their thoughts while completing five tasks: (1) donate to the organization, (2) locate resources for survivors seeking help, (3) find the organization’s mission statement, (4) identify ways to get involved beyond donating, and (5) locate a recent news update or campaign. None of the participants had been to the website before.

The strongest area of performance was the donation pathway. All participants quickly identified the “Donate” button in the header and completed the task in just over a minute. The call-to-action was visually prominent and aligned with user expectations. This demonstrated effective visual hierarchy and strong action-oriented design.

In contrast, the most challenging task was locating help resources for survivors. Participants expected a clearly labeled “Get Help” option in the main navigation. Instead, they explored sections such as “Programs” before eventually finding relevant resources. Completion times for this task were the longest across all sessions. The delay was not caused by technical complexity but by labeling and prioritization. For an organization centered on survivor support, the absence of an immediately visible help button created hesitation at a critical moment.

Finding the mission statement was moderately successful. All participants navigated to the “About” section, but they needed to scroll to locate the mission. While accessible, the statement was not visually emphasized. This suggests that information hierarchy could be improved to highlight core identity elements more prominently.

The “Get Involved” task exposed some overlap while navigating. Participants hesitated between “Donate” and “Get Involved,” unsure where volunteer or advocacy opportunities were listed. The options existed but were hard to find. Similarly, when searching for recent news, users expected a dedicated “News” tab. Instead, they encountered varying terminology such as campaigns or blog-style updates, which slowed navigation.

Across all sessions, a pattern emerged: users performed best when navigation labels were direct and action-based. When labels were abstract or emotionally framed, participants paused, second-guessed, and explored multiple sections before finding what they needed. These moments of hesitation are where usability improvements can have the greatest impact.

The website is visually engaging and mission-driven. The donation flow is strong and intuitive. However, pathways for users seeking help require greater clarity. Recommendations include adding a clearly visible “Get Help” button in the main navigation, simplifying menu labels to be more task-oriented, consolidating news content under a single label, and improving information hierarchy on content-heavy pages.