PROJECT
Better Together
ROLE
Lead UX/UI Designer, from conception to delivery
DURATION
JAN - FEB 2023
PROCESS DECK
LOW-FIDELITY MOBILE PROTOTYPE
HIGH-FIDELITY MOBILE PROTOTYPE
LOW-FIDELITY LAPTOP PROTOTYPE
HIGH-FIDELITY LAPTOP PROTOTYPE
PROJECT VISION
The Better Together platform is a nonprofit volunteer and donation hub, created to support communities across the nation. It’s to encourage individuals and organizations to give back to the communities they come from, those they currently serve, and any in need of support.
PROBLEMS
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Users want to volunteer but aren’t sure where to find opportunities in their area/neighborhood
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Some users would like the opportunity to volunteer through their place of work because they don’t want to cut into their personal time
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Many users want to volunteer with friends but they’re not always available at the same time, don’t feel like it, or don’t have the same interests.
PAIN POINTS
Not sure how or where to sign up and participate in volunteer gigs in their area
Friends / Coworkers are not available at the same time, don’t feel like it, don’t live in the same area or don’t have the same interests.
Users have full work weeks and don't want to cut into their personal / leisure time.
If english is not a user's first language, they can become overwhelmed trying to search for opportunities.
RESEARCH CONDUCTED
Qualitative user research consisted of competitive audits, surveys, interviews, prototype testing, and multiple usability studies. Information gained from the surveys helped me to created targeted questions for interviews and 3-dimensional user personas. Users ranged from teachers and full-time employees to executive level and employees of nonprofits.
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What are the barriers people face when it comes to helping their communities?
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Other than the act of volunteering and doing something for the greater good, what other incentives would encourage people to participate?
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How often do people volunteer with friends / family / coworkers?
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Why are people not interested in helping their communities if presented with the opportunity?
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What areas are people most interested in volunteering for or giving back?
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Do people's place of work offer opportunities to volunteer within their communities?
BETTER TOGETHER
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Some companies were direct competitors even though their target audience was slightly different. Others that were not direct competitors had features that overlapped with what direct competitors were offering. All competitors did not account for accessibility, unfortunately, which is a huge missed opportunity for innovation and user-centered design.
Gaps:
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No accessibility options
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Minimal language options or just english
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Design's lacked energy (unremarkable designs)
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Some third-party ads were fraudulent. Some user selected ads thinking there were the product.
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Search tool not always easily accessible
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Hierarchy confusion with typography
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A lot of scrolling
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Some images are cut off (mobile)
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Websites functioned well but web apps and mobile apps would have multiple issues from not keeping track of activities so users can gain incentives to lack of support
Opportunities:
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Have a search function with filtering options so users can volunteer where they want
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Be clear and concise with directions and labels
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Offer accessibility options, especially language options
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Have actions meet users expectations
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Create energy through design to get users excited about giving back / volunteering
After conducting a usability study, I gathered key information to form actionable insights around the app and website's navigation, usability, expressions (emotions), expectations, and labels / language / buttons.
MOBILE AFFINITY DIAGRAM
LAPTOP AFFINITY DIAGRAM
USABILITY INSIGHTS
MOBILE AFFINITY DIAGRAM
Some users had a difficult time viewing opportunities in a specific area
Some users were unable to sign up for a volunteer opportunity.
Some users were unable to change the language and or didn’t think the accessibility button was a place to change the language.
LAPTOP AFFINITY DIAGRAM
Most users were confused by the language used in the “skills and experience” section when signing up to become a member.
Users had a difficult time logging out.
Some users weren’t sure if they were reserving or confirming at the end of a volunteer sign up.
METHOD & USABILITY FINDINGS
cont'd
I conducted a round of remote, moderate usability study for both mobile and desktop. For each round I interviewed 5 different people (10 total) and sessions were 20 to 30 minutes each. I kept my camera off to not be a distraction. My design research goals was to determine how quickly and easily users can become a member, sign up for a volunteer opportunity, and find opportunities in an area. Time on task, use of navigation vs search, and user error rates are the KPIs I focused on. For both rounds, some actions didn’t meet users expectations.
THE USERS
THE JOURNEY
I created 4+ user journeys to address the main issues users had:
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Easy account set up (become a member)
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Search for volunteers in an area by neighborhood
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Easy sign up for volunteer opportunity (which includes volunteering through place of work and inviting friends)
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Change language
HI-FI MOCK UPS: MOBILE
With my earlier designs, my goals was to get the necessary elements needed for such a platform, regardless of the layout. And once I understood the needs of the users, I was able to tailor the app to solve their pain points while creating an efficient layout. I also changed the language to “strive” and “thrive” instead of the negative energy of surviving.
PAIN POINT SOLUTIONS
PROBLEM #1:
Users are not sure about how or where to sign up and participate in volunteer gigs in their area. Some of these users are not tech savvy and need the product to be easy to use.
SOLUTION:
Better Together. A volunteer hub with easy account set up, search function for volunteer opportunities in neighborhoods and areas.
PROBLEM #2:
Users have full work weeks and don't want to cut into their personal / leisure time. Same users would like the opportunity to volunteer through their place of work.
PROBLEM #3:
Friends / Coworkers are not available at the same time, don’t feel like it, don’t live in the same area or don’t have the same interests.
SOLUTION:
When signing up for a volunteer opportunity, users have the option to volunteer through their job by selecting their job and dates their place of work makes available for volunteering. Also, users can invite friends (members and non members) to participate and even make a group invite.
PROBLEM 4:
If english is not a user's first language, they can become overwhelmed trying to search for opportunities.
THE SOLUTION:
Language and accessibility options located in the menu or footer of mobile and the header of laptop. Additional accessibility options includes using icons that coincide with page names and links, contrast between text and font (gradient colors checked with WCAG Compliance), and talk to text options for search bars.
USER'S POSITIVE IMPRESSIONS
"I think it was very easy to click on the things and put in the information."
"The process was easy. It wouldn't take long to set it up.”
“Very intuitive. Prompts are very similar to any membership service.”
"It was pretty easy. I like to know how far along I am in something which is cool.” (Showing steps)
"I like that you can give the group a name." (Inviting friends section)
"This is great." (The product)
"I like that you can invite other people and make it a group."
TAKEAWAYS
IMPACT
Having an interactive hub (yelp but for volunteering) where you can find opportunities in your area and the areas you travel to can allow people to make new friends while serving the communities that serve them. There are many programs out there that aren’t big but need help and a platform like this can get their voices heard.
WHAT I LEARNED
Designing products for the greater good can be rewarding. I would do it more often if more people were invested in helping making our communities and world a better place, and if you can make a liveable wage from doing it. From the project itself, I'm constantly reminded of how important white space is and how learning from users of communities that are underserved are the seeds of innovation.
