Rally
ROLE: UX/UI Designer for Team Frog (TCU design professors selected students to compete with students of UNT, and UTD through a pool of applicants)
A 9-week apprenticeship by Dialexa, an IBM company, Dialexa EDU (Spring 2024).
SCOPE: UI/UX Design, Branding, IOS App Design, User Research
TOOLS: Figma, Adobe Illustrator
TIMELINE: January 2024 - April 2024
Overview
As the product designer for a design sprint assigned by DIALEXA, I led the entire product design process for Rally, an internal app aimed at connecting individuals with volunteering opportunities across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. My role encompassed overseeing user discovery, defining user personas, conducting user testing, wireframing, creating high-fidelity prototypes, and collaborating with developers to ensure a seamless implementation. Rally's mission is to empower positive change through community engagement.
The Problem
In today's fast-paced world, finding meaningful volunteer opportunities can be daunting and time-consuming. Despite challenges, the strong desire to make a positive impact drives many individuals to seek out meaningful volunteer opportunities. Streamlined platforms are needed to centralize these opportunities, making it easier for people to engage in activities that align with their values.
The Solution
A user-friendly solution that enhances the volunteering experience, making it convenient for busy individuals to discover, manage, and participate in opportunities.
Rally at a glance:
Access to daily schedules of volunteer opportunities
New opportunities tailored to individual interests
Detailed information about each opportunity, including schedules
Smooth and simple registration process
Research
Volunteers provide immense value, saving organizations an estimated $725 per month. As we conducted extensive research and interviews before developing Rally, we discovered a significant issue highlighted by Shannon Georgecink, Executive Director of Metropolitan Counseling Service: a 75% non-return rate among volunteers. This high turnover requires 2.5 hours of re-training per volunteer to maintain service effectiveness. Despite these challenges, volunteers provide immense value, saving organizations an estimated $725 per month.
Competitive Analysis
In analyzing competitors like Digital Cheetah, Meetup, and VolunteerMatch, we observe their strengths in various functionalities within the volunteer management space. Each excels in specific areas such as event coordination, community networking, and volunteer matching. However, these platforms often lack comprehensive real-time impact tracking and personalized volunteer recommendations.
User Personas & Interviews
Based on our research highlighting the importance of accountability, we initiated interviews with two user personas who encounter challenges such as time constraints and lack of transparency in volunteer opportunities. Here are the questions we used to gather comprehensive insights into their concerns and preferences:
1: Which organizations do you often go to for volunteering?
2: Could you walk us through how you find your search in finding organizations?
3: What do you dislike about volunteering/donating?
4: Can you talk about when you mention to other people about volunteering opportunities?
5: What people do you find yourself volunteering with?
6: How do you know if your contribution has an impact on the community?
Empathy Mapping
To amplify our user interviews, we crafted empathy maps to delve deeply into the psychological and emotional experiences of volunteers. These insights drive our mission to create a volunteer platform that not only meets but exceeds the expectations of our users, fostering a more engaging and rewarding volunteer experience.
“How might we educate Dallas residents about the unique needs of local shelters and provide a seamless experience that fosters increased donations and volunteering?”
Features Prioritization & Road Map
In the feature prioritization process, we focused on addressing the most significant pain points identified during our research. We prioritized these features to ensure Rally effectively meets user needs, enhances engagement, and maximizes the positive impact volunteers can make in their communities. By focusing on these core functionalities, we aim to create a seamless and rewarding volunteer experience.
Crazy 8’s Sketches
During the Crazy 8 activity, our team brainstormed rapid sketches to explore diverse design ideas for Rally's user interface. Each member contributed innovative concepts within a short timeframe, fostering creativity and collaboration. This activity allowed us to generate a wide range of design possibilities and identify promising directions to further develop.
User Flow
The filtering system allows users to narrow down results based on location, cause, and time commitment, streamlining the search process. By prioritizing filtering options, we empower users to discover opportunities that align with their interests and availability, fostering a seamless and personalized experience from exploration to registration.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
Low-fidelity wireframes serve as the foundational blueprint for simplifying Rally's app interface, especially when incorporating numerous concepts. By starting with low-fidelity designs, we focus on essential features and functionalities, avoiding unnecessary complexity.
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
Based on valuable feedback from Catarina and Alex during the testing of the low-fidelity app version, we are prioritizing improvements in key areas. To address concerns about the initial interface complexity, our focus is on streamlining navigation and improving usability. The low-fidelity stage allows us to prioritize essential features and concepts, ensuring alignment with our core purpose of creating a user-friendly volunteer platform.
Accessibility Test
High-Fidelity Wireframes
Transitioning from low to high-fidelity wireframes, Rally successfully refined and finalized our design solution. The calendar provides a comprehensive view of upcoming opportunities, while the profile offers a personalized space for users to track contributions. The events scheduled page allows efficient management of registered events. While enhancing user experience, Rally prioritizes optimizing the registration process for simplicity. By iteratively refining these pages, Rally aims to deliver a user-centric platform that simplifies volunteering.