A Micro - Volunteering Mobile App
Overview
The Problem
Voluntap is a mobile app that encourages volunteering by aggregating multiple micro-volunteering platforms and gamifying the volunteer experience.
How can we incentivize those who have had a positive volunteering experience with a service project to recruit and prepare others for new volunteering opportunities?
So what is micro-volunteering?
Micro volunteering refers to easy, no-commitment, cost-free actions that take less than 30 minutes to complete. There's usually little or no formal agreement needed before a volunteer can get started, and no expectation that the volunteer will return.
A micro-volunteering task should...
Take less than half an hour.
Require no training or screening.
Require no further commitment beyond the initial project.
Give visible feedback, proof of the users contribution.
Enable volunteers to connect and communicate.
Offer incentives, something in return for their time.
The next generation of volunteers...
Want to get involved in decentralized or local networks.
Are increasingly self-organizing around causes and issues.
Seek opportunities to give based on their interests and skills.
Prefer volunteer opportunities with a flexible commitment.
Want their involvement to be immediate and impactful.
Defining the User...
Primary Persona
Jessica Lane
Age: 20
University Student
“ I want an easy way to give back to my community so that I can make the most of my time.”
“ I want meaningful volunteering opportunities so that I can affect real change.”
“ I want an experience I can share so that I can connect with friends.”
Secondary Persona
Michael Boulders
Age: 29
Program Manager
“ I want a better way to connect with other volunteers so that I can expand my organization’s reach.”
“ I want a diverse array of volunteering opportunities so that I can better engage with my community.”
Brand Objectives
3 goals that informed the design of Voluntap
Catalyze
Spark an interest and get people volunteering!
1
Simplify
Streamline the process,
curate the experience
2
Retain
Keep users engaged and coming back for more
3
Tone / Voice
3 ideas that define the Voluntap brand
Personal
Foster an emotional connection
1
Impactful
Voluntap users are making a real difference in the world
2
Caring
Building a brand by building a global community
3
App Map
Wireframes
Icons
Navigation
Profile
Friends
Home
Housing
Education
Civic
Environment
Health
Other
Areas of Interest
Color Palette
Typography
Voluntopia Becomes Voluntap
Voluntopia initially focused on the gamification of micro volunteering tasks. However, our usability tests revealed that users were far less interested in growing a virtual city and far more interested in knowing they were actually making a difference. Voluntap still leverages the same city building mechanic, but shifts the focus to the ease of volunteering with just the tap of a finger.
Welcome to Voluntap Town
The design of Voluntap Town is fun, vibrant and lighthearted. It is comprised of 5 illustrations linked by a simple white road, that correspond to the five different areas of interest users can choose from to complete micro volunteering tasks. Voluntap Town serves as the home page for the Voluntap app.
High Fidelity
Splash Screen
The splash screen features the Voluntap logo, a cute snapshot of Voluntap town and the Voluntap slogan.
New users can connect with Facebook or sign up using an email address.
Location Verification
Onboarding Tutorial
Home Screen
The home screen is where users will find Voluntap Town and select a category from which to perform micro volunteering tasks.
Users can also access the on-boarding instructions by clicking on the info icon in the top left corner.
Friends
Profile
Task Screen
This is an example of a list of tasks. In this case, the user has elected to view “Civic” micro volunteering opportunities.
I leveraged a clean and modern card pattern and simple vertical scroll.
Task Card
This is an example of a task card. In this case, the user has selected the “Wheelchair Accessibility Map” task.
There is a short activity description followed by horizontal scrolling directions.
Completing a Task
Task Feedback
After completing a task, users are prompted to rate the task by simply clicking “more like this” or “less like this”.
This data will allow Voluntap to personalize their experience.
Farewell From Voluntap Town
The importance of our ability to connect remotely has never been more obvious. As work, schooling and social engagements have transitioned to platforms like Zoom or Teams, enabling users to contribute and give back to their communities safely is a natural next step. The micro-volunteering sector has only scratched the surface of it's immense potential. A platform like Voluntap, which centralizes and gamifies micro-volunteering opportunities, could have an enormous impact. Thank you for visiting. Stay safe out there!