I analyzed current volunteer trends to develop interview questions, which were then used to conduct user interviews. Most interview participants expressed their desire to volunteer more but struggled to find the free time to do so, however, most of those participants averaged around 4 hours of free time per day. The feedback received through research made it clear that users would be open to volunteering if they had access to an easy-to-use tool to help them maximize their free time for intentionally planned volunteer time.
REACH is a global organization focused on helping adults get involved in local community service. The organization needs a tool that helps adults maximize their limited free time for more volunteer opportunities that align with their interests. REACH's primary target users include young adult students and adults who currently do not volunteer as much as they would like to and would like to manage their free time better.
For the majority of adults in the United States, the reason why they do not volunteer as much, or at all, is due to their lack of free time. Through strategy, we identified a lack of volunteer opportunities that align with individuals' interests and disorganization among non-profits distributing tasks as key drivers for adults' lack of volunteer time.
I expounded on HMW questions to explore simple and radical opportunities within each user problem.
I iterated on these designs to come up with the first round of digital wireframes.
To prepare for usability testing, I created a low-fidelity prototype that connected the user flow of viewing a nearby volunteer need and scheduling a time based on REACH AI's matches.
I did a quick ideation exercise to come up with ideas for how to address gaps identified in the competitive audit. My focus was specifically on matching user interests with opportunities and identifying free time for volunteering.
Low-Fidelity User Testing
The main user flow needs to be altered for easy user navigation. An insight is to revisit bottom navigation to better serve our target audience.
Users need a better way for scheduling their time to volunteer. An insight is to design multiple time slots on the events homepage for scheduling time to volunteer.
Users are successfully able to choose a volunteer option, but could use clearer cues for faster selection. An insight is to create tags on each volunteer match to show the user the opportunity aligns with their interests.
Users can explore other opportunities but it isn’t clear how users should immediately do so from the confirmation page. An insight is to make the option to explore other volunteer opportunities visually apparent to users.
An insight was to revisit REACH's bottom navigation to better serve our target audience. We restructured our navigation to include titles for additional ease of use. We also replaced the organization icon with one that better fit our approach to saving a cause for future volunteering.
An insight was to create tags on each volunteer match to show the user that the opportunity aligns with their interests. We chose to add tags at the top of each match to draw the user's attention based on their interests. While also allowing them to have actions for changing their desired volunteer time.
An insight was to design multiple time slots on the events homepage for scheduling to volunteer. Instead of listing multiple timeslots, we gave users a secondary action to see other available times; this action will take them to their personal calendar linked with this specific volunteer event.
An insight was to make the option to 'explore other volunteer opportunities' visually apparent to users once they receive their scheduling confirmation. We developed this insight with a strong call to action, along with adding our updated bottom navigation to the confirmation page.
Based on the insights from the usability studies, I applied design changes such as easier-to-use navigation and key interest tags on each volunteer event. As well as enhancing the user's scheduling experience, by making calls to action more clear and identifiable, and giving users the option to explore alternative times.
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Reach incorporates clear labels for interactive elements that can be read by screen readers.
The focus on the home screen draws on the user's personalized interests to help define the primary task for the user.
Users shared that the app made volunteering seem like something they could set aside free time for.
One quote from peer feedback was that “the REACH app made it easy to find a place to volunteer that aligned with my interests, and I love how what it shows me already fits into my calendar's schedule."
I learned that even though the problem I was trying to solve was a big one, diligently going through each step of the design process and aligning with specific user needs helped me come up with solutions that were both feasible and useful.
Conduct research on how neighborhoods and small communities respond to the app, outside of organizations.
Add more resources for urgent volunteers or those with urgent needs seeking community help.
Design a reward system that incentivizes users to volunteer with their free time.
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