Volunteer Disaster Relief iOS App

Role: UX Design Lead and Researcher
Client: Haitian Red Cross and the Chamber of Commerce
Tools: Sketch and then Figma, Figjam, Notion, UserTesting, Google Meet
Year: Spring 2020 – (Project Paused due to Change of Government)

Overview

The Haitian Red Cross and the Haitian Chamber of Commerce have collaborated for 18 years to provide support, safety, and political guidance for disaster relief efforts in Haiti.

The rise in volunteerism and tourism has inspired new ideas to engage both locals and visitors in providing assistance during disaster relief situations.

Problem

The decline in voluntourism was largely due to inadequate security measures and the lack of background checks, compromising both volunteer safety and the local tourism industry. Our challenge was to create an app that would address these issues by connecting with local transportation services, coordinating curfews, and vetting volunteers to ensure their credibility and safety.

Team Composition and My Role

As the Lead Product Designer, Mentor, and Researcher, I restructured our pairs for a tight-deadline project, expanding the team to two junior designers and one additional researcher. We closely collaborated with Toribio, a UX developer from Spain, through remote sessions on Slack, and Google Meet.

Research

Kick-off Workshops and Research Plan List

Comprehensive Research: Quantitative, Qualitative,
Ethnographic Sessions
Recruit Volunteers.
Craft Interview Scripts.
Arrange schedules with Business Owners, Managers, and Remote Workers.
Product Roadmap for sprint planning
Collect User Feedback.
Develop Personas.
Market Analysis.
Developer Handoff

Craft Research Plans

Developing a brief research plan, including questionnaires and user feedback forms,
to gather valuable insights and enhance the user experience. I am unable to display all the Research information due to standing NDA Agreements with the client.

User Research and Ideation

In our project, we identified and shaped profiles for prospective users, from which we derived valuable feedback that informed our development process. We crafted user personas and use cases, enabling us to refine our ideas and direct our focus toward various application scenarios. This approach was pivotal in validating our concepts and ensuring they were aligned with user needs and expectations.

Harmonizing Development Handoff, UX Debt, and Sprint Planning

As a designer, I assisted the project owner in achieving a 14% increase in development stories delivered by effectively communicating research findings to stakeholders and developers. This ensured a seamless handoff, improved sprint planning, and enhanced collaboration. Working closely with the project manager, I implemented design thinking strategies to reduce the story backlog and mitigate potential delays.

Design Process

Unlocking Success: The Power of Sketching, Wireframes, and Collaboration

In our collaboration with a remote team, we conducted live sketching and wireframing sessions as part of our discovery process. By emphasizing sketching during wireframing, we were able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of our approach through creative sessions with team members and product owners.

We leveraged expert feedback and iterated on the design screens accordingly

Multiple iterations of the same design were essential after receiving feedback from subject matter experts. Their insights revealed critical nuances and industry needs that guided our refinements. This iterative process ensured the final design was user-centered and aligned with both technical and strategic goals, leading to a comprehensive and effective solution.

NDA-Approved Click-Through Prototype

What I learned

A responsive web interface powered by a CMS or a static site using GoFundMe’s API could have been the ideal solution for the project, reducing release delays and ensuring compatibility across all mobile devices, not just iOS. I suggested this midway through the project after understanding the requirements, but leadership remained convinced that the app was the better route.
Leveraging readily available Google technologies and APIs could have significantly reduced development time and minimized the need for multiple bug fixes.
Prioritizing additional developer handoff sessions was a missed opportunity, as many were frequently canceled.
I emphasized to the PM the importance of collaboration and maintaining open lines of communication between design and development, which was often overlooked due to team availability issues.