ShelterBox volunteer portal redesign

Redesign of the volunteers portal taking a strong user led approach.

Role

Designer

Industry

Charity

Year

2019

Reflections

This project involved usability testing, but unfortunately, I didn’t gather as many metrics or detailed insights to include in this case study. The feedback from users helped refine the design, but the focus was more on the improvements rather than comprehensive data collection. Since then, I’ve made a point to incorporate more detailed analytics and insights into my process.

Reflections

This project involved usability testing, but unfortunately, I didn’t gather as many metrics or detailed insights to include in this case study. The feedback from users helped refine the design, but the focus was more on the improvements rather than comprehensive data collection. Since then, I’ve made a point to incorporate more detailed analytics and insights into my process.

Overview

When I joined the ShelterBox volunteer portal project, the platform was in its third edition but had significant usability issues. Volunteers found it difficult to navigate and disengaging, resulting in low usage. A fresh approach was needed to improve the experience, and a new technology platform was selected to rebuild the tool from the ground up.

​Research

To understand the pain points, I began by gathering feedback from key stakeholders regarding the known issues with the current portal. I also conducted interviews with several volunteers to gain insights into the specific challenges they faced while using the platform. These conversations helped identify recurring themes, giving us a solid foundation for developing a user-centered design. Additionally, I used these interviews to collect early-stage ideas and suggestions from the volunteers themselves, ensuring that the redesign would address their concerns and improve usability.

​Personas

Next, I worked closely with the project owner to define key volunteer personas. These personas were developed based on the research and feedback gathered from both stakeholders and volunteers. They represented distinct volunteer types, each with unique needs and behaviours when interacting with the portal. Throughout the project, these personas acted as a guiding reference, ensuring that the design decisions aligned with the requirements of all user groups and that the portal would work effectively for everyone involved.

Overview

When I joined the ShelterBox volunteer portal project, the platform was in its third edition but had significant usability issues. Volunteers found it difficult to navigate and disengaging, resulting in low usage. A fresh approach was needed to improve the experience, and a new technology platform was selected to rebuild the tool from the ground up.

​Research

To understand the pain points, I began by gathering feedback from key stakeholders regarding the known issues with the current portal. I also conducted interviews with several volunteers to gain insights into the specific challenges they faced while using the platform. These conversations helped identify recurring themes, giving us a solid foundation for developing a user-centered design. Additionally, I used these interviews to collect early-stage ideas and suggestions from the volunteers themselves, ensuring that the redesign would address their concerns and improve usability.

​Personas

Next, I worked closely with the project owner to define key volunteer personas. These personas were developed based on the research and feedback gathered from both stakeholders and volunteers. They represented distinct volunteer types, each with unique needs and behaviours when interacting with the portal. Throughout the project, these personas acted as a guiding reference, ensuring that the design decisions aligned with the requirements of all user groups and that the portal would work effectively for everyone involved.

Wireframes

To begin the design process, I facilitated a workshop with the project stakeholders, using the personas we had defined earlier to guide our discussion. During the session, I sketched low-fidelity wireframes directly on a whiteboard, focusing on the key screens and elements needed for the portal. By referencing the personas throughout the workshop, we ensured that each feature and layout was tailored to meet the needs of different volunteer types.

After finalizing the sketches and confirming that they addressed the requirements of all personas, I transitioned them into high-fidelity mockups. This allowed us to quickly move from conceptual designs to polished visuals, ready for further refinement and development.

Designs & Prototype

One of the key objectives for the ShelterBox volunteer portal redesign was to ensure the look and feel were consistent with the main ShelterBox branding, as well as the overall experience on the website. With this in mind, I created high-fidelity designs that closely aligned with the established brand guidelines, ensuring a cohesive and familiar experience for users.

These designs were then transformed into interactive prototypes, allowing us to visualize the user journey and interactions. The prototypes were tested with a small group of volunteers representing each of the different persona groups. User testing highlighted several pain points and uncovered opportunities for further improvements to enhance the portal’s usability.

Based on the feedback from these sessions, refinements were incorporated into the next round of designs. However, I moved on from the company before the project was fully finalised. At the time of my departure, the project was in its final development phase, with plans for a full launch to all volunteers. Wider feedback was expected to be gathered post-launch, which would have informed future development sprints.

Designs & Prototype

One of the key objectives for the ShelterBox volunteer portal redesign was to ensure the look and feel were consistent with the main ShelterBox branding, as well as the overall experience on the website. With this in mind, I created high-fidelity designs that closely aligned with the established brand guidelines, ensuring a cohesive and familiar experience for users.

These designs were then transformed into interactive prototypes, allowing us to visualize the user journey and interactions. The prototypes were tested with a small group of volunteers representing each of the different persona groups. User testing highlighted several pain points and uncovered opportunities for further improvements to enhance the portal’s usability.

Based on the feedback from these sessions, refinements were incorporated into the next round of designs. However, I moved on from the company before the project was fully finalised. At the time of my departure, the project was in its final development phase, with plans for a full launch to all volunteers. Wider feedback was expected to be gathered post-launch, which would have informed future development sprints.

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LJ Hazzard

Projects

Experience

About me

Contact

Copyright 2024 by LJ Hazzard

LJ Hazzard

Projects

Experience

About me

Contact

Copyright 2024 by LJ Hazzard

LJ Hazzard

Projects

Experience

About me

Contact

Copyright 2024 by LJ Hazzard