COMMUNITY ROOTS
Designing a platform to help people find volunteer opportunities in their community
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Project Type
Case study: Designing for Social Good Challenge
The Team
Just me!
My Role
User Research
UX/UI Design
Wireframing
Brand Design
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Tools
Figma
FigJam
Miro
Overview
Recognizing the challenges in engaging the community to volunteer.
Volunteering is crucial as it strengthens communities, fosters social connections, and creates a positive impact on both individuals and society as a whole.
When I went about trying to find volunteer opportunities in my community, I found it challenging to discover opportunities that matched my interests nearby and connect with my peers. When I looked into it further, it turned out I was not alone. When I spoke with some of my peers, It turns out that they also faced similar difficulties, struggling to find accessible and engaging ways to get involved in their communities and staying motivated.
This insight inspired me to create Community Roots, a platform designed to bridge this gap by making it easier for individuals to find, participate in, and be recognized for their volunteer efforts.
The Problem​
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Many community members struggle to find and engage with local volunteer opportunities, leading to lower involvement and less community support.
How might we make it easier for community members to find and engage with local volunteer opportunities to increase involvement and support?
The Solution​
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A social platform that allows users to find volunteer opportunities in their community and motivate users to stay engaged using gamification.
​Gamification will motivate users to volunteer by making the experience more engaging and rewarding.
By incorporating elements like leaderboards, badges, and achievements, my goal is to create a sense of accomplishment and friendly competition, encouraging users to participate more frequently and consistently in volunteer activities.
Competitive Analysis
Recognizing the challenges in engaging the community to volunteer.
I looked into four other sites that seemed to offer a platform to search for volunteering opportunities to compare the strengths and weaknesses of each site to learn how I might be able to differentiate and improve upon.
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Community Roots sets itself apart by using gamification elements like leaderboards, badges, and achievements to boost user motivation and retention.
The platform focuses on creating a personalized and engaging volunteer experience, making it easy for users to find opportunities that match their interests and availability.
By addressing the gaps in existing platforms, Community Roots aims to be the go-to solution for connecting volunteers with meaningful opportunities and fostering stronger community connections.
Findings & Analysis
The need for a comprehensive volunteering platform.
Affinity map
I spoke with three of my peers to understand what they find challenging when it comes to volunteering in their community.
With each major insight on a sticky note, I grouped the insights by similarity and topic. The following themes emerged:
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The lack of motivation to volunteer consistently
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Difficulty finding opportunities
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Desire for community engagement
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Persona
I summarized my findings of the most common motivations, goals, and frustrations into a single persona.
Feature roadmap
From the three major frustrations that were expressed, I outlined the main features that this app could have.
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Ideation & Design
Designing a platform that fosters volunteer engagement.
Site map
First, I laid out the information architecture including the key features i wanted to include in the website.
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User flows
​After organizing the content, I started planning how users would navigate the app to complete essential tasks like creating an account, choosing volunteer opportunities, and logging their volunteer hours.
Low-fidelity explorations
​After being content with the content organization, I began exploring how this platform could look.
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Mid-fidelity wireframes
​After sketching some ideas, I chose some key frames to develop further
Homepage
I organized the homepage in a Z-shaped layout using tiers to show how the platform works at a glance.
Search page
I organized the search page so that you can easily see the different categories of volunteer opportunities, and filter a search result to get exactly what the user is looking for.
Profile
I wanted to include all the users stats on their profile, which includes total hours logged and badges earned.
I also wanted to include a section regarding upcoming commitments that were registered for through the platform.
This is also where you can see how you rank among your friends.
Your community
A dedicated page for your community, featuring upcoming events and a community leaderboard.
Branding
Building the Community Roots brand.
I wanted the Community Roots brand to be welcoming and earthy, reflecting the spirit of volunteerism. The logo features a tree, symbolizing growth and community support. With a warm color palette and a clean, modern look, the platform is user-friendly and visually appealing. My goal is to inspire action and foster a sense of connection among users.
High-Fidelity Prototype
Creating the high-fidelity prototype for Community Roots
This prototype brings together all the key features and elements, showcasing the user-friendly interface and warm brand aesthetics. It provides a detailed look at how users will navigate the platform, find volunteer opportunities, and track their impact within the community.
Homepage Mobile adaptation
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Volunteer opportunities
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Profile
Your community
Conclusion
Reflection and next steps
Creating Community Roots has been a rewarding experience, highlighting the need for effective community engagement tools. I’ve learned a lot about designing features that meet user needs and enhance their experience. Next, I plan to conduct user testing to refine the platform based on real feedback and ensure it makes a positive impact on community involvement.
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