[Feedback] Contribution flow

[Betree]

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[Betree]

From https://opencollective.freshdesk.com/a/tickets/375920:

• There's a lot of (unnecessary) information in the first step. It feels overwhelming, and it doesn't feel right to have to opt-out of the optional platform tip. In addition, having to search for ways to remove or edit the platform tip hurts my sense of trust. For me, this could be enough to break away from the donation flow.

• The steps shown with circles around them and lines between them: it's a great idea, and I think it could it could be more effectively implemented. When I for instance see "profile" under number two, I find myself immediately thinking, "but I don't want to create a profile!".

• The "Share Link" option displayed at the top right of the box in each step, is confusing to me. I click it, see a message "copied!", and have no idea what's just been copied. To test, I opened the copied link in a new tab, and see that it directs to the first step of the donation flow. This somewhat clarifies what the link is for, although I can't imagine people using it while they are still in the donation flow.

• In the "payment info step "(step three) I see "new payment method". This again confuses me, as it's so deviate from what I've become used to when it comes to making online payments. I'm hesitant to click "New credit/debit card", because it makes me wonder why I can only choose that. Only after selecting it do I see that this option contains several payment method options. Plus, I'm not offered iDeal as a payment method, which might be because I'm located in Portugal right now, but even in online payments here I'm frequently offered the iDeal option, which most Dutch people use when making online purchases.

• In some instances, three steps become four steps, with an extra "summary" step added. This feels unnecessary and additionally confusing. Stick to three steps.

Recommendations

• Change the wording. I'm adding a screenshot of a little sketch I made for the main steps as an email attachment. It's a sketchy sketch; feel free to tell me it's not clear enough :-).

• Make the optional platform tip an opt-in step, adding it to the third step (preferred for me) or the second (not preferred) in the process, not in the first step — OR — add this as an in-between step, between steps two and three. To me that would feel as a powerful "can we brief you have your attention for the following?" message.

• Why? Allow contributors to focus on the donation they want to make to the initiative first, plus the personal details the need to submit before finalising the payment, then help them see how and why they would want to give a tip.

• Change the wording of the invitation. Currently it is: "Help us keep Open Collective sustainable. Adding a platform tip helps us to maintain the platform and introduce new features. Why?" My recommendation: start with the most important way, reasoned from the viewpoint of the contributor, and make it personal for that person, related 1st to the relation of the contributor to the collective their contributing to. That will be their first connection in most cases, or at least I believe it would be. Their relationship with the Open Collective platform is one that comes in second instance. Here's a suggestion:

Add a platform tip to your contributionThis helps us at [collective / organization name] to keep using this platform to build community and fund our initiatives.Your platform tip (suggestion 10%) [[I find 15% quite hefty and would feel more invited if you suggest 5-15%]]_____ € [input field, open, with the suggested amount, can also be set to zero][  ] I don't want to add a platform fee. [[when ticked, sets the input field to zero]]Why add a platform tip? [[perhaps an accordeon dropdown]]

• Open Collective offers its crowdfunding technology for free, taking no cut from your contribution to us. [[I'm not clear on payment method processing fees, do collectives pay for these or are these taken from the contributions? I would make this very clear, also to the collective :-)]]

• Your platform tip helps the team at Open Collective maintain and improve its platform, for us and for initiatives all over the world.

• Learn more [[link to a pop-up or page with more info, explained from a 'we at open collective' viewpoint]].

[ Continue to payment ] [[button]]

• For the sidebar with the contribution summary and FAQs, here are my recommendations:

  • Only show this sidebar during the very last step, when the contributor is about to finalise his or her payment. Before that, it's unnecessary, distracting, and overwhelming.

  • "Today's charge" -> "Your contribution today" (feels more friendly and close)

  • Drop the FAQs—it's overload. The "We protect your transaction" box at the top works very well for me and the link allows me to visit a page for any info I might need. On that info page, I recommend you put the FAQs; right now the page to which the "learn more" link leads to does not give me what I would expect from such a link. I would need a short overview of the information on that page, starting with the most important information for me as a contributor making a first-time donation via the platform, and wanting to know who and what I'm dealing with.

• For the final step, choosing the payment method: create booleans for each possible payment method offered to a person (segmented depending on the contributor's location; I believe Stripe offers possibilities for this). e.g: I do not perceive Bancontact or iDeal as credit/debit card payment methods. It would help me if I see them listed separately.

Generally, I would revise the word "collective". I already read some things about what you're looking into when it comes to revamping the platform, and I have good faith that you're looking into this in a really good way. For now I can say that for me, even have after having thoroughly investigated the platform possibilities and structure, I still struggle to maintain clarity when it comes to the division between fiscal hosts, organisations, collectives, and (crowdfunding) initiatives. Rather than go into depth here, I would happily brainstorm with you if that feels valuable to you.