Finding time to volunteer is so difficult! I wish there was a way to fix that!

My Role: UX Design & UX research
‍Year: Mar 2021 - Dec 2021
‍Client: Comida For Familias

Overview

Comida For Familias, Inc., a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation, is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, 509(a)(2) publicly supported scientific organization as defined by 26 CFR §1.501(c)(3)-1(d)(5)), primarily organized and operated in the public interest to conduct fundamental research and scientific research aiding in the scientific education of college or university students.

The Challenge

Comida For Familias, Inc., aims to increase the number of volunteers at its partner food banks. Through extensive interviews with existing volunteers, we identified the ideal volunteer profile: an undergraduate college student. Based on these insights, we developed a persona named Valerie, representing the typical target volunteer. We were challenged in designing an app that effectively motivates and engages college students to volunteer their limited time with food banks.

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Valerie desperately wants to help her community...

  • But she realized she didn't have the time to search for vacant volunteer positions
  • She found it very difficult to find volunteer times in the awkward bits of free time she had
  • She is really hoping there is a way to find open positions and fit it in her busy schedule!

The Approach

After the creation of our persona Valerie we created a journey map of how Valerie tried to volunteer with the first iteration of this app. Based on feedback from her and other users we moved onto creating the final version.

Valerie's Journey Map

  • Valerie needed a system that would match her free hours with food pantries that have open shifts
  • Valerie also found it frustrating that she could not create automatic notifications for certain tasks

The First Iteration

  • The first pass of the Feedr app left users like Valerie confused and overwhelmed.
  • Users felt confused about the use of the map feature.
  • Users also wished there was a way to add hours and see local food pantries in their areas.

Feedr Competitive Analysis

  • The Feedr app left some users like Valerie with questions about how to customize their hours for availability
  • Feedr additionally left users in a state of confusion over how else to get the confirmation notification

The Solution

5
Interviews

5
Usability Tests

8
Interations

Final Design

  • Valerie and users like her would have benefited with a more clearer scope and resources devoted to this project.
  • This project is currently being retested with more users and gaining valuable feedback for version 2.0.