Project Overview

PROBLEM: Many young adults who are starting their careers or raising children feel they’re too busy to look for or commit to volunteering.

SOLUTION: I designed Timely, a cross-platform tool to help young adults get involved in local community service. It effortlessly connects users with volunteer opportunities according to the amount of free time they’re willing to give.

DURATION: October 2023

MY ROLE: This was a solo project, I did everything as the Lead UX Researcher & Designer.

 

User Research: Empathy Maps

 
 

User Research: Pain Points

 

Digital Wireframes: Main User Flow Map

 
 

Usability Studies: Findings

I conducted multiple usability tests to further iterate my designs on both mobile and desktop.

Key Insights

  1. Add a map to visually show proximity of events (Round 1)

  2. Arrange categories alphabetically for easier navigation (Round 1)

  3. Add a proximity filter to narrow search by distance (Round 1)

  4. Add feature to filter events by mandatory or flexible scheduling (Round 1)

  5. Reduce information on event cards in mobile view (Round 2)

  6. Include minimum time entry to further customize event duration settings (Round 3)

 

Refining the design: Highlights

 
 

Hi-Fi Final Frames: Main User Flow Map & Solutions

 

Impact

“If I wanted to volunteer, and I knew an app like this existed, I think this would be the best thing for me.”
— Jian, 30, usability test participant
“What was once a very daunting thing to get initiated really is easy and smooth and decreased my anxiety in the whole process.”
— Faith, 24, usability test participant
“It worked pretty seamlessly and I liked that I could ‘add to calendar’ at the end or invite other people. It was very easy to complete. ”
— Paige, 27, usability test participant
 

Accessibility Considerations

 
 

What I learned

Keeping layout consistent across responsive designs is important to uphold continuity and familiarity for users. Even if it seems obvious as the designer – adding labels, names, and affordances to help orient your user where they are in your product is key to reducing drop-off rates. Conducting competitive analyses on both indirect and direct competitors lead to more efficient and rapid prototyping to build a superior product.