HelpOut

UX/UI Design

Prototyping

Mobile

HelpOut Mobile App: An integrated volunteer experience tailored for users.

Timeline

August - September 2023

My Role

Product Designer

Resposibility

End to end UX/UI design

Tools

kickoff

Ever had those moments when you hop online, all eager to find volunteer gigs, but end up slamming your laptop shut in frustration? Usability headaches, poor matching, zero motivation – it's like a whole obstacle course! That's where HelpOut comes to the rescue.

HelpOut is the solution that sweeps those annoyances aside. It's all about making volunteering a breeze and keeping you pumped up to get involved. With HelpOut, you can dive into activities that really make a difference in your community without all the usual online hassle. So, let's ditch the frustration and get out to HelpOut!

With the HelpOut Mobile App, you will:

Expand
your connections.

Introducing the story feed to the app enables users to not only stay connected with their friends but also find inspiration and motivation through their experiences.

Gain
as you contribute.

This unique feature aims to create a mutually beneficial ecosystem where users not only offer their time and skills to make a positive impact on causes they care about but also gain valuable benefits and enhance their skill sets in the process.

Monitor
your influences.

Users can easily access their contribution data and visualize the impact through diagrams on their Profile page.

Furthermore, users receive badges as they reach milestones within their chosen causes, creating a sense of accomplishment and collection for users to cherish.

Let's dive deep into the design process.

user interview & pain points

I conducted interviews with 5 participants and developed empathy maps. Through this process, I identified six specific pain points based on the research findings.

75% of participants expressed that they were unaware of their contributions after volunteering.

2/3 of participants expressed uncertainty regarding their qualifications for the tasks they were applying for.

Half of participants mentioned their interest in gaining knowledge and learning from the volunteer tasks.

Most of participants indicated that they feel uncertain about unfamiliar organizations.

Half of participants highlighted how their friends' volunteer stories act as an inspiration and motivation.

50% of participants conveyed that it's challenging to keep track of opportunities, especially when they have different interests.

Who are our target users?

personas & user journey

I created two personas and the user journey which are essential to building an intuitive experience.

Alex Reynolds

Age

Education

MBA

Occupation

Accountant

Location

Sydney

bio.

Alex is the head accountant in a corporate firm. Despite his busy schedule, he wants to cultivate a hobby outside of his office and contribute to the community. He wishes for a solution that allows him to actively engage with opportunities aligned with his interests. This way, he can efficiently manage his commitments while pursuing his desire to make a difference.

I'm eager to contribute to my community, but I don’t know the best way to do it.

Monica Parker

Age

Education

College

Occupation

Student

Location

Melbourne

bio.

Monica, a computer science major in college, often experiences dissatisfaction with her academic subjects and seeks a path to discover her passion. Monica wonders if she can find purpose and learn through giving and sharing. She envisions if there is a tool that could help her gain insights, contribute to her personal growth and discovery process.

I want to explore various possibilities to better prepare myself after graduation.

Goal: Find a volunteer opportunity at a local organization online

Sketch out every avenue to discover the suitable design.

ideation & sketches

I translated my initial ideas into sketches on paper. While some ideas may appear unconventional, certain elements within them speak with the core user experience.

From the papers to the digital space.

lo-fi prototype

I then converted my sketches on Figma to better demonstrate the user flow and interaction design.

How might we improve the prototype?

usability testing

Feedback is essential for developing an user-centric experience. I conducted a usability testing with 5 different participants and to learn the insights from their experience.

goals.

Determine if the users can complete the core tasks.
What difficulties that the users encounter when they try to complete the tasks.
Determine if the users feel engaged with the app.

participants.

5 participants
Age between 18-40
Include participants with different gender groups
Student and working adults

methodology.

15 minutes
Moderated
Remote, each participant will complete the testing in their own home

research questions.

What can we learn from the user flow, or the steps that users take to complete the tasks?

Are there parts of the user flow where users get stuck?

Do users think the app is easy or difficult to use?

What are the emotions users have during each task?

Do users feel engaged with the app?

activities.

From the home screen, do your best to sign up a volunteer opportunity.

Find the Profile page and play with it. Please describe what you like and dislike.

Find the filter feature and play with it. Please describe what you like and dislike.

Find the Event page and play with it. Please describe what you like and dislike.

How did you feel about this app overall? What did you like and dislike about it?

Unveiling patterns. Uncovering insights.

affinity map

I employed an affinity map to identify patterns and insights that are actionable for iteration.

insights & iteration

Improved confirmation page

80% of participants indicated uncertainty about whether they had successfully signed up for the task after clicking the button.

“Does this mean I’m registered? I would prefer to see something like “Thank you for your registration” - user A

iteration

Hierarchy of texts and images.
Clear and positive language.
Distinct background color to highlight the divergence from the user flow.

User-centric filter design

* More than half of the participants expressed a desire to search for activities according to their chosen location.

* 2 of participants felt compelled when seeing “all” as the default setting.

“I stay in a quiet neighborhood, and there aren't many activities happening around here.” - user A

iteration

Visualization makes it more efficient.
Eliminate pre-selected options.
Design an input field for user’s chosen location.

Integrated profile page

“Why do you need followers/following? feels like “connections” is more suitable” - user C

iteration

Create an integrated section for external social media links.
Consolidate connections.

visual cues to enhance user settings

40% of the participants wanted to see reminders about their filter settings.

“How do I know if the Explore is showing me the default events or filtered events?” - user D

iteration

Button state alters upon applying the filter.
Display filter categories on each card.
Additional language to highlight the user's personalized settings.

final design & hi-fi prototype

What I have learned:

Stories serve as inspiration, motivating users to get involved.

During this project, I observed that many users find inspiration and motivation from their friends' experiences. It's intriguing to note that some users also feel guilt tripped if they don't take actions.

Let the users feel interconnected and as a part of the community.

I see HelpOut as a platform that enhances the entire volunteering journey. Through the creation of this app, my goal is to provide a secure environment for users to foster deeper connections among participants.

Implementing KPIs and gather data to measure success rate.

Measuring success is a continuous journey, and to keep pushing our app forward, I'm keen to gather data on sign-up rates, user retention, new user sign-ups, how much content users are creating, and what the buzz looks like on social media.

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