Implementation of Design Thinking for a Mobile Application-Based Donation Recording System

Manual donation recording often causes problems such as data irregularity, limited transparency, and potential recording errors. To answer these challenges, this study implements the Design Thinking approach in designing a donation recording system based on a mobile application. Design Thinking was chosen because it can explore user needs in depth and produce innovative and appropriate solutions. This study uses five stages of Design Thinking, namely: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. The results of the study show that users (donation managers and donors) want a system that is simple, transparent, and able to record and display reports automatically. The prototype application developed can record donation income and distribution, produce real-time donation reports, and provide notifications to donors. Initial trials show that this application can increase recording efficiency by up to 80% and increase donor trust through data transparency. The implementation of Design Thinking has proven effective in identifying user needs and producing relevant technological solutions, especially in the context of donation management. This study provides a practical contribution to the development of social applications based on the real needs of the community.