Lance

Arevalo

Project Info

— Timeline
2 week design sprint

— Role - Team Lead
User Research, User Interviews, UX/UI Design, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing

— Team
Ksenia Hardy, Courtney Lyons, Kelly Kuykendall, Meghan Holsclaw

The Client - Freedge.org

Freedge is a grassroots organization that promots equal access to healthy food through the installation of community fridges at the neighborhood level

The issue

Although they have a “Freedge Yourself” section on their website, they feel that it does not explain how to start the program well enough to new users because engagement appears to be low.

Here's the game plan for team

1. Research

2. Define

3. The Problem

4. Design + Test

5. High Fidelity

What makes you volunteer?

First, let’s find out what users have to say about community volunteering.
We interviewed 4 people about their relationship with community volunteering to understand what makes them start a project.
Through an affinity map, the team collaborated to set up main themes of the design.
User Frustrations
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— Emotional Fatigue
— Disorganization
— Time limits


User Motivations
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— Learning new things
— Communication
— The social aspect


In terms of frequency, according to our survey on volunteering opportunities, 28% of responses answered that they volunteer every 3 months.
In conclusion users seek the following when it comes to volunteering opportunities
‍
—It appears to be low-stakes
—Involves a social aspect
—Clear communication is easy to achieve
Let's do a quick UX Audit on the current website

Who's our focus user?

Given all of the insights from users about their frustrations, the hunch is that delivery of information on Freedge is the cause of the lack of engagement.
Jade is a 25 year old Grad Student at Boston University.
"It's always easier to motivate myself if there's other people involved."
Jade is searching for a well-organized community project to get involved with, but doesn't know where to start. She finds volunteer work fulfilling and enjoys meeting.
‍
She discovers Freedge, but the information and goals aren't clear. It takes a long time but she's able to decipher the information.
Goals
‍
— I want to start a new project and be part of something big.
— I want to limit my food wastage.
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Motivation
‍
— The socializing aspect is drives me to volunteer. I love being involved with my community.

Frustrations
‍
— When communication is murky, the experience becomes less appealing.
— Organizing a group for a project is big obstacle.

Needs
‍
—I need an efficient system to organize my team.
—I need to clarity on what the end result is.

The Problem

Problem Statement
After discovering Freedge, Jade gets inspired to start a community fridge but because the instructions takes her too long to deciper, she does not feel confident her community will engage in it.

Design + Test

I had the team go through a design workshop. For 3 rounds, we sketched solutions for the problem statement.
It’s important to remember, our client’s product is not a physical object, a Fridge with a shed in this case. Their product is information on how to build it.

Right now, Jade knows the information is there, it’s just not clear which as a results, decreases engagement.
Metaphorically, were designing a pair of glasses for Jade so that she can get clarity and feel at ease.
‍
We're not changing the world (we're not changing the product because we can't) we need to design something in between.
Let's talk solutions.
We have two goals when dividing the information architecture:
‍
1. Divide the instruction into individual steps
2. Create a space for a Freedge team to communicate
Testing the proposed solution
More questions means more doubts. The goal is for the users to feel confident that they can execute the project.
Success Rate:

If users asks 3 questions or less within the 5 tests
Task: Can you show me how you find steps to start a Freedge?
Results within 5 tests, had a total of 11 questions :'(
All tasks pertaining the portal.
Results within 5 tests, had a total of 8 questions :(
In summary, the team had to focus designing a clear language for the information.
These are questions that needed to be addressed.

High Fidelity

Main Features

—a way for users to send private messages,
—add and view tasks, schedule events,
—a public discussion board, —a contact list
—a budget tracker
Let's reflect a little. What just happened?

The main principal I wanted to uphold for the user is for them to be continuously engaged in their process. We don’t want them to feel like we’re leaving them after giving them the information to start a Freedge. Our users need to feel that, as much they’re building it on their own, they have the confidence that they can make this happen.
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So what’s the next step?
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Because the portal has shown great results as a concept into achieving productivity and efficiency within building a Freedge, I’d like to extend my interest by making an app specifically for this portal.

Coming soon!

Lance Arevalo

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Made by yours truly
Lance Arevalo 2022