Ron Finley Project

Ron Finley Project (RFP) is a non profit organization dedicated to making healthy, local food accessible. RFP needed a volunteer management system to improve communication and organization.

As one of two designers, I conducted user research and designed an entirely new web application for admins and volunteers. Post-launch, our team achieved a 14-16% increase in volunteer activity, a 60% increase in answered emails, and saved approximately 7 hours weekly for admins.

duration

Aug 2021 - Apr 2022 (9 months)

ROLE

Product Designer

TEAM

2 Designers, 10 Developers, 1PM

RESEARCH

RFP's Problem...

RFP faced inefficiencies in communication and organization, struggling to track volunteer applications, inform volunteers of opportunities, and manage events and company relations in one system. Volunteer engagement at events was declining due to slow communication between volunteers and admins.

RESEARCH

RFP's Goals

💼 Company Goals

👩‍💻 User Goals

‍Increase volunteer activity and engagement, save time in management, find a more efficient way to sort out volunteer information and applications.

Have more efficient communication methods with admins, more transparency between volunteers and admins.

RESEARCH

User Interviews

I was able to get some insights from current RFP admins on the issues they were facing.

Takes forever to go through applications as I need to manually sort out information and profiles into different files

A lot of emails sent out to volunteers are left unread, and event announcements get low response rates

RSVP rates to events are low, and there are frequent no-shows

It is difficult to find user data when needed, since they are stored across different platforms

It is time consuming to manually sort out volunteer applications

Inquiry emails from volunteers are often missed or not answered in time

RESEARCH

Target Users

For this project, we would be solving for two sides:

RFP Admins

Goals & Needs
Screens volunteer applications, adds/edits volunteer events. Needs more efficient ways to execute these tasks.

Pain Points
Frustrated with low volunteer activity rates and how time consuming it is to manually sort out information.

RFP Volunteers

Goals & Needs
Wants timely communication with RFP admins and be able to sign up for volunteer events.

Pain Points
Misses admin emails due to having a busy schedule outside of volunteering, inquiries are often not answered.

IDEATION

Information Architecture

Better understanding the relationship between the admin-side and volunteer-side platforms and key features to include in each side.

IDEATION

Drafting solutions

❗️

PAIN POINT

Emails informing volunteers of events or changes in events are often missed

Admins previously used Google Calendar to plan events and emailed details to volunteers, but this led to confusion and missed updates.

We created a cohesive event calendar where admins post details, and volunteers can easily view and sign up. By using a layout similar to Google Calendar, we ensured the tool was simple and intuitive for users.

❗️

PAIN POINT

It is time consuming to manually input and search for volunteer information

Volunteers would perviously apply via a Google form, and admins manually sorted their info into various files, complicating data organization.

We introduced a volunteer lookup system allowing admins to easily search, add, or delete volunteer profiles. An application screening system was also included for easy approval or rejection. We used expandable cards to help users retain more information at a glance.

❗️

PAIN POINT

Emails (both on the admin and volunteer end) get lost in a busy inbox

Volunteers and admin both have busy email inboxes, and there was increasing frustration surrounding the lack of communication between admins and volunteers. To address this issue, we decided to include a messaging feature for both admin and volunteer platforms so that they are able to prioritize RFP communication when using the platform.

IDEATION

A major pivot...

Initially, our team had planned to build two separate platforms, one for volunteer management and one for inquiries from different businesses and volunteers. However, as we progressed we soon realized that it might not be possible to finish both platforms within the given time frame.

After lots of difficult conversations and quick brainstorming, our team came up with the idea to take some of the key features from the originally intended inquiry platform and incorporate it into the volunteer platform - which resulted in being the messaging popup feature!

Finalize

Accounting for unhappy paths

Making sure that every occurrence that might happen while using the system was accounted for.

FINALIZE

Style Guide

Keeping a friendly, clean, plant-themed style guide to keep the design consistent.

FINAL SOLUTION

User Journey: Admin System

Add or edit event details - whatever is posted here will show on volunteers' calendars

Search up volunteer profiles by name - view full information by clicking on profile card

Screen volunteer applications and approve applicants or put them on hold

View inquiries from volunteers and respond

FINAL SOLUTION

User Journey: Volunteer System

Apply to be a volunteer at Ron Finley Project

See upcoming events and RSVP, check upcoming shifts

Send inquiries to admin and view responses

REFLECTION

Impact

14-16%

60%

~7 hours

increase in volunteer activity

increase in emails answered

saved weekly on admin's end

REFLECTION

What did I learn?

✋ Constraints

👍 Rooms for improvement

🪜 Next steps

Cross-functional team
Perfecting hand-off to developers, making sure that I'm communicating the process throughout every step.
‍
Deadlines and changes
‍Initially, we had envisioned two separate platforms for management and inquiries; we ended up having to backtrack and prioritize the most realistic approaches within the given timeframe.

Accessibility
‍‍Making sure that the designs are following WCAG: checking color contrast, font sizes, etc. Thinking of ways to structure the website so it is compatible with screen readers.

User testing
‍It would have been nice to be able to test our features to make sure the platform is as smooth and intuitive as intended.

Mobile version
‍Volunteers can be busy - have the platform be available on the go! Having a solid design system to make this platform be accessible on all devices.
‍
Notification system
‍Having a notification system could further help ensure that volunteers stay on track and active in the organization.

Ron Finley Project

You might also want to see...

Let's Connect!