Royal Caribbean x Make-A-Wish Hackathon Project

Project Overview

Project Type: Hackathon Project – BrainStation x Royal Caribbean
Industry: Travel & Nonprofit Partnership
Timeline: 5 days (2024)
Team: Cynthia Orelien, Maurice Wallace, and I
Tools: Figma, FigJam, Slack, Canva, Adobe Stock
My Role: UX Designer

As part of a 5-day hackathon, our team was tasked with enhancing the visibility and impact of Royal Caribbean’s partnership with Make-A-Wish America. We designed a high-fidelity prototype that seamlessly integrates donation opportunities into the cruise booking journey, inspiring meaningful action and highlighting the power of design to drive social impact. 🚢✨

The Challenge

Royal Caribbean’s partnership with Make-A-Wish America lacks visibility and seamless integration into the user experience. Potential donors and travelers face challenges in finding information and donation options, limiting their ability to engage with the program meaningfully. This gap prevents the partnership from achieving its full potential in driving awareness, donations, and community involvement.

Problem Statement

There is limited visibility and awareness of the "Wish at Sea" program on the Royal Caribbean website, making it difficult for users to access information and donate seamlessly. Currently, users must resort to external searches to find donation links, hindering engagement.

Make-A-Wish Campaign Research

Research insights highlighting the emotional and physical impact of wish experiences on children and families.

2022 Wish Impact Survey Results
A Make-A-Wish study found that 89% of medical professionals observed that wishes significantly help children build strength and resilience to fight critical illnesses, with 97% of parents reporting an increase in joy and hope.

Source: Make-A-Wish Foundation, 2022 Wish Impact Survey Results

Impact of Granting Wishes (2018 Study)
A study by Dr. Anup D. Patel and colleagues at Nationwide Children’s Hospital examined the effects of Make-A-Wish experiences on healthcare use among pediatric patients in the U.S.
The findings showed that children who received a wish had fewer unplanned hospital admissions and emergency visits compared to those who did not receive one

Source: Patel, A.D. et al., Nationwide Children’s Hospital Study on Wish Impact (2018)

500,000th Wish Milestone
Make-A-Wish celebrated reaching 500,000 wishes granted worldwide, including 16-year-old Karina’s wish to give sick kids a day to forget they’re sick — marking over four decades of bringing hope and happiness to children around the world.

Source: Make-A-Wish Foundation, 500,000th Wish Announcement (2023)

How Might We Question? 

How might we visually convey the impact of Make-A-Wish to Royal Caribbean’s socially conscious site visitors in a way that captures their attention, fosters transparency, and inspires donations?

✨ Research Plan

Goal: Understand the motivations and challenges of socially conscious travelers.

Target Group:

• Age: 35–55 (middle-aged adults)

• Travel Habits: Regular or occasional travelers

• Philanthropy: Actively supportive of causes such as children’s charities, community programs, or environmental initiatives

• Interests: Family-friendly and adventure-focused travel, particularly cruises

• Donation History: Donated to charitable causes in the past two years (online or in person)

Key Outcome:
This research revealed how socially conscious individuals engage with philanthropy while traveling, shaping project goals to align with their needs and behaviors.

✨ Interview Insights

From participant interviews, we uncovered several factors that influence whether socially conscious travelers feel motivated to donate:

1. Trust & Credibility

“A terrible website, someone seeming unknowledgeable about the subject, and lack of diversity in the cause would prevent me from donating.” – S.B.

• Donors need a professional, trustworthy presentation to feel confident.

2. Transparency & Impact

“Being able to see the hands-on work. That level of transparency helps people feel their impact is meaningful.” – G.D.

• Clear evidence of where donations go builds trust and connection.

3. Proof & Accountability

“Thorough information and actual proof that the donation is going to where they promised.” – G.R.

• Users expect follow-through and visible proof of outcomes.

✨Persona

Based on these insights, we created a user persona to represent socially conscious individuals who value emotional engagement, transparency, and a sense of community. This persona helped guide our design decisions, ensuring the solutions align with the motivations, pain points, and goals of our target audience.

✨StoryBoard

Based on our persona, Linda, we created a storyboard to showcase her journey.It highlights key moments, such as the user-friendly donation process, transparency, and her emotional connection to the cause. Inspired by the experience, Linda shares the initiative with her family, amplifying its impact.

✨UI Inspiration

✨Designing the Experience

✨ Solution

We designed an interactive experience for Royal Caribbean’s Wish-at-Sea program that enhances engagement and simplifies donations. The homepage highlights the initiative with compelling visuals and clear CTAs, while users can explore impact stories and donate seamlessly. Multiple payment options, personalized summaries, and a transparent “thank you” page ensure donors feel connected and part of a meaningful cause.

High-Fidelity Prototype → [View in Figma]

✨ Outcomes & Reflections

• 5 participants tested our prototype → 4/5 found the donation flow simple and easy to complete.

• 80% valued transparency most → seeing updates and proof of donations increased trust.

• 3/5 participants said they would be more motivated to donate if cruise credits or other incentives were offered.

✨ Key Learnings

• Emotional connection drives action → impact stories inspire giving.

• Transparency builds trust → live updates and proof increase confidence.

• Simplicity matters → a streamlined flow leads to higher participation.

✨ Next Steps

• Refine the donation flow with ongoing usability testing and live impact tracking.

• Add interactive features to strengthen the connection to the cause.

• Launch #WishesAtSea to expand reach and inspire more donors.

  
  

  
  

  💡 Although our team didn’t win the hackathon, this experience was invaluable. In just 5 days, we created a high-fidelity prototype that demonstrated the power of UX design to drive social impact. More importantly, it reinforced the importance of empathy, teamwork, and rapid problem-solving in creating meaningful digital experiences. 🚢✨