Connecting volunteers with communities
CURRENT PRODUCT Volu is a start-up based in Tech Garden in Syracuse, NY. Their main product is an application that allows users to sign up for volunteering events with simple on-boarding process.
limited offerings
short registration
Besides other obvious UX issues, Volu’s emphasis on minimal on-boarding process misses out a massive opportunity to understand its users and create a stronger connection between volunteers and the communities around them.
confusing icons unclear process
CURRENT SYSTEM Volu only allows organizations that use their management tool to post volunteer opportunities on their mobile application, thus, creating a cycle of restricted growth of users base and events offers from limited amount of organizations.
Limited user base
Limited partnered organizations
Limited event opportunities
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS There are several platforms in web and application format that offer similar service. One evident difference is that their on-boarding process are often dull and lengthy. On the other hand, they offer much more variety of opportunities.
ADVANTAGES
• Sufficient understanding of their users • Variety of opportunities offerings
WEAKNESSES:
• Lengthy on-boarding process • Complex filtering options
INTERVIEW Majority of the interviewees responded that they don’t volunteer simply because they don’t have time. But they later revealed they view the process of looking for volunteering opportunities as “work”. Some avid volunteers responded that a lot of time volunteering events got canceled due to low attendance or other logistic issues such as transportation.
FINDINGS
• Volunteering events searching process is often viewed as work. • Volunteering should not be an isolated experience but a gateway for a meaningful relationship with the community. • Social factor is a big influencer for volunteering motivation and commitment.
“Volunteering is all about building relationships.”
- Liz,Associated Director of Shaw Center, a volunteering organization center in Syacuse University.
“I have just been really busy with work, and volunteer opportunities don’t really actively present themselves.”
- Erol, Design Student, who volunteers twice a year
“Often volunteer events get canceled simply because we cannot get a ride, or people fail to commit to them.”
- Yaskira, Engineering Student, who volunteers every month.
MOTIVATIONS From the paper by Ram Cnann and Robin GoldbergGlen, published by American Psychology Association, he points out there 6 distinctive motivations of volunteering
Values
Career
I feel it is important to help others.
Volunteering can help me advance in my career
Enhancement Findings • Typical volunteers usually have 2 or more motivations • Tailored message about their motives can greatly increase their chance of volunteering.
Volunteering makes me feel better about myself
Understanding
Protective
Volunteering lets me learn through direct experience.
Volunteering is a good escape from my own trouble.
Social People I know share an interest in volunteering
ARCHETYPE Melisa
Nancy
Jacob
21 year old Avid volunteer Patient
43 year old Volunteer Manager Organized
28 year old Accountant Ambitious
Melisa volunteers because she enjoys helping others and making friends.
After retiring, Nancy started to help Salvation Army manage their social media and volunteerint events
Want to utilize his skill to help lower-income families in the city calculate their tax.
Nancy dislikes when people volunteer to fulfill community service hours because they tend to be half-hearted
Barely have time to look for the opportunities and often too tired or too unmotivated to do so
Melissa hates when her rides cancel on her or having events canceled due to low attendance.
EMPATHY MAP DURING
Users usually experience higher level of anxiety before the actual volunteering events due to the uncertainties of the outcome.
Excited, Content Energetic Enjoying the interaction with other volunteers and others. Feeling great that she has the chance to participate this event
After the volunteering event would be a great timing to reconnect with the users.
BEFORE BEFORE
Satisfied
Nervous, Unsure, Excited
Satisfied about the outcome of the events, and the connection she has made. Looking forward to do more similar events
Unsure about if the event will happen and if her friend will be able to give her the ride to the event
SERVICE MAP
Volu lacks of certain essential interactions between stakeholders to assist and encourage users to build a relationship with the community.
There’s a huge communication gap between non-profit organizations and the users. And Volu doesn’t allow users to share the even information with others on social media and other platforms.
Non-Profit
Family
Information
Information
Email Information
Volu
Information
User
Application Registration
Registration
Web
Information
Information
Physical Evidence
Other Organization
Friends/Other
INSIGHTS
Searching for volunteer events is considered “work� For people who seldom volunteers, some view the process of looking for volunteering opportunities as dull and tiring.
Commit the key t successfu
Volunteering events ofte low attendance. And use nervous befor
tment is to create ul events
en get canceled due to er often feel anxious and re the events.
Volunteering is all about building relationships The holistic goal of volunteering is building a strong, and beneficial relationship between the volunteers and the communities.
GAMIFICATION
The goal of the gamification system is to encourage to build a habit of volunteering, to commit and create a extended relationship with the organizations.
Understanding of both the internal and external factors of triggers and rewards can encourage users to achieve the said goal.
Trigger
Action
External
Internal
Peer pressure Friends & family Personal image Social
Values Enhancement Career Understanding Protective
Investment Register Add friends Sign up Match
Search Sign Up
External Social media share Friendly competition Personal image
Reward
Internal Trophy Levels Experience Points
STORYBOARD Variety of scenarios are explored through sketching possible storyboards to understand the potential experience this application can offer.
WIRE-FRAME Gamification system is added to create a habit forming experience.
Map View
No Registration
List View
Event Sign
Event Info
Menu
Profile
The flow of signing for event and creating a profile is switched to create a smooth and encouraging experience for users to register profile.
share
Events
Friends
Trophie
Expansion of gamification system to address the issue to user viewing searching for opportunities as ‘work’.
n
n-up
es
Completion
Register Option
Profile Register
Trophy
View more
Settings
On-boarding process is simplified down to digestible bits of information input on each page to encourage conversion rate of user registration.
USABILITY TESTING
The processes of signing up for events and creating profiles for the platform are clearly distinguished to avoid confusion.
The usability of the application is improved through careful word choice and icons to guide the users through the application
The profile registration section is improved by allowing more variety of interests, skills and motivations, along with a clearer UI
The interface of the gamification is improved and clarified to clearly explain the game system and the ways to achieve further progress.
SIGN UP Encourage conversion through digestible information and gamification award
As user invests their time to find an event and sign up, gamification system acknowledge the efforts and encourage them to go through the optional step of creating a profile. With more in-depth information of the users. The system gets a better understanding of them.
In the profile creation process, the system would gather user’s skills, interest, and motivations to better recommend him other opportunities, and create follow up email content that target to his motivations of volunteering.
User is encourage to share the events info on social media or complete daily match challenge to gain more points in the gamification system
GAME Create volunteering habit and relationship with communities through gamification.
User would receive trophy for various
row, and many more t
achievements accomplished such as volunteering with the same organization for three times, volunteer for three months in a
form a relationship wit and a habit of volunte
to encourage them to
th the organizations, eering.
Users are able to add their friends to have a friendly competition with them to compete points, trophies, and levels, to see who put forth the most effort in volunteering,
MATCH Fun experience of searching for volunteer events
To make the volunteering search process less dreadful, the daily match feature is implemented for user to find opportunities through a fun game.
There would be 10 rou User would select the
prefer. Through deduc system would present that matches the prefe
unds of selection. e one card that they
ction process, the t the user the events erence the most.
This feature can be implemented with the possibility of machine learning in the background to learn more about the user beyond the information they input in the registration process.