.png)
.png)
ROLE
UX/UI Designer
(Reach4Help)
TEAM
Zina Codita (UX Lead)
Rebeka Kukusheva
(UX Designer)
STAKEHOLDERS
Customer (CHH),
Product Owner
(Shayan Chowdhury),
Developers (3+),
Marketing Team (4+)
TASKS HANDLED
User Interview,
Information Architecture
(user journey map, user persona, user flow),
Design (sketches, prototypes), Testing and Demos
DURATION
6 Months
BACKGROUND
EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC ON SENIOR CITIZENS
How might we empower local communities to ensure seniors have access to essential care and foster connections, combating social isolation and loneliness during the pandemic?
COMPANY
Reach4Help, a crisis relief non-profit, empowering communities worldwide by providing vital resources
during times of calamity, such as Covid-19.
CUSTOMER
Canadian Helping Hands (CHH) serves as a bridge, connecting volunteers with senior' who need assistance
with daily tasks and meaningful companionship.
GOAL
Design an automated & user-friendly application for CHH, that helps them manage and connect volunteers with retirement home residents to provide essential services — groceries, medications, and companionship.
CHALLENGE
ISSUES FACED w VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
How might we create an automated and user-friendly app for CHH to manage new and returning volunteers that facilitate the needs of the senior citizens in a retirement home?
During the peak of the pandemic, Canadian Helping Hands (CHH) faced a critical need to streamline their volunteer management system to ensure timely support for seniors in retirement homes.
Inefficient volunteer matching, limited data management and lack of automation, left them struggling to match volunteers with seniors. This hindered in providing the senior' complex and evolving needs of getting groceries, medicines and much-needed companionship in an efficient and timely manner.
Cumbersome Manual Data Entry
Mismanaged Data Silos
Difficulty Scaling
CHH' Existing Volunteer Management System: Google Streak
Ineffective Volunteer Matching
Challenges experienced by CHH during volunteer matching process with Google Streak:
Manual Processing
Updating volunteer records and resident needs manually lead to slow processing, inefficiencies and multiple errors.
Data Silos
Information was scattered across different Google Stream sheets, making it difficult to track progress and analyze volunteer effectiveness.
Lack of Automation
Pairing volunteers with appropriate residents remained a manual process, hindering responsiveness and optimal matching.
Scalability Limitations
As demand for volunteers increased, Google Streak struggled to manage the growing data volume and user base.
RESEARCH
UNDERSTANDING SYSTEM & PROCESS RELATED ISSUES
How might we create an automated and user-friendly app for CHH to manage new and returning volunteers that facilitate the needs of the senior citizens in a retirement home.
To design an automated and user-friendly app for Canadian Helping Hands that seamlessly connects volunteers with seniors, I began by immersing myself in the lived experiences of those doing the crucial work.
I conducted an in-depth interview with the CHH employee, gaining firsthand insights into her journey of coordinating with volunteers, the challenges she faced with Google Streak, and her hopes for the new app.
Here are some of the questions that were covered during the 2 hour interview with the lead volunteer at CHH:
Intake of new requests from seniors:
☞ Walk me through the typical process of a senior submitting a request for assistance. What information do you collect?
☞ Do you encounter any difficulties in understanding or clarifying requests from seniors? If so, how do you handle them?
☞ How do you prioritize requests based on urgency and need?
☞ Do you face any limitations in the current system for capturing accurate and detailed information about requests?
Management of new and returning volunteers:
☞ How do you onboard new volunteers and collect their information?
☞ How do you currently manage communication with volunteers, including recruitment, scheduling, and feedback?
☞ What criteria do you use to qualify and categorize volunteers according to their skills and availability?
☞ How do you currently match volunteers with senior requests? What factors do you consider?
☞ How do you currently track the success of matches and gather feedback from both parties?
Additional Questions:
☞ What are your overall frustrations or pain points with the current volunteer management system?
☞ What are your biggest hopes and expectations for the new app in terms of functionality and impact?
Leveraging the insights from the user interview, I've crafted a user flow journey visualizing the CHH employee's experience, providing a holistic understanding of the user's interactions with the system and process.
.png)
CHH Employee User Journey: designed using Figma
This interview was instrumental in building a user persona for those who will use the app to connect volunteers with seniors. By understanding and empathizing with their specific needs, goals, and frustrations, I can design an app that truly meets their requirements and delivers a seamless experience.
.jpg)
CHH Employee User Persona: designed using Miro
Analyzing user interviews revealed the top system and process pain points for CHH users, which I've prioritized below:
FOCUS ON PAIN POINTS
SYSTEM - RELATED
Manual processing of volunteer information and resident' requests.
Inconsistent records of volunteers and residents
Discrepancies in book -keeping each month
Unaware of request details, so difficult to track
PROCESS - RELATED
Constant back and forth with volunteers is time consuming.
Manually match volunteers with each resident requests.
Volunteers forget to send receipts of groceries and medicines bought
Time-consuming to close out each request.
DESIGN
WIREFRAMES
_edited.jpg)
Initial Sketches
First Iteration of Wireframes
Requires 2 clicks to accomplish the task of adding/viewing volunteers
Increased cognitive load due to excessive customization options
.png)
Complicated table functionality for MVP
Unclear and easy to miss on how the automation works
I tested the initial wireframes with the internal team consisting of product owner, developers and designers to gather feedback on the usability and feasibility of the designed functionalities. The changes focused on the volunteer detail screen and it's pipeline (programs), where the users struggled with creating their own tables using customizable fields. I solved this problem by providing an in-built table, focusing on the vital fields to the user.
Second Iteration of Wireframes
Entire Iteration can be viewed here wireframes
Usability Testing and Iterations
I went through one round of usability testing with the end customer, to test the usability of the clickable prototype. I had end customers interact with the clickable prototype to evaluate the design usability. I gave them some basic tasks to complete and took notes on their experience. You can see the tasks and my observations in this google doc.
Major changes made to the wireframes to address the uncovered usability issues involved
STYLE GUIDE
FINAL DESIGN
DASHBOARD
Entire Iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed.
.png)
.png)
FORM
Entire Iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed.
.png)
REQUEST FOR AID
Entire Iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed.
.png)
MATCHING VOLUNTEERS WITH PEOPLE IN NEED
Entire Iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed here entire iteration can be viewed.
.png)
.png)
NEXT STEPS
USABILITY TESTING AND ROADSHOWS
This sentiment analysis volunteering app, designed to not only streamline CHH's volunteer matching but also benefit retirement homes across the world, underwent further developments based on extensive user feedback.
I led the collaboration with the marketing team to ensure they have a deep understanding of the app's features and to develop impactful roadshow presentations aimed at non-profit leaders.
By analyzing post-roadshow data and user testing results, the app was continuously refined to maximize its positive impact on volunteer engagement and resident well-being.
PERSONAL LEARNINGS
MY KEY TAKEAWAYS
My journey designing a sentiment analysis app for connecting volunteers with retirement home residents during COVID wasn't just about designing features; it was a transformative experience in human-centered design and navigating the nuances of global collaboration.
Here are some key takeaways that shaped my approach towards user-centric projects:
1. User-centric Design: User research wasn't just a box to tick. Talking to volunteers grappling with isolation and residents yearning for connection revealed the true pain points of our system. This understanding drove us to refine workflows, simplify interfaces, and prioritize features that addressed their real needs.
2. Automating workflows: This project taught me the power of automation. Building workflows that seamlessly integrated volunteer data, resident needs, and sentiment analysis results saved countless hours and ensured quicker, more impactful matches.
3. UI for Sentiment Analysis: Designing for sentiment analysis was a fascinating experience between data and empathy. I learned to translate emotional cues from text, understanding how seemingly neutral words could reveal hidden anxieties or preferences.
4. Global Collaboration: Collaborating with a globally dispersed team presented its own set of challenges. Time zones, cultural nuances, and communication styles all played a role. I learned to adapt my communication, bridge geographical gaps, and respect diverse perspectives.