User Research
Data Synthesis
Wireframing
Prototyping
Usability Testing
About Code for San Francisco
Code for San Francisco (Code4SF) is an organization made up of everyday folk who come together to work on projects with the aim of improving San Francisco. Through the use of technology, many of the ideas and dreams of its citizens can be realized thanks to this organization.
Current Code4Sf website
Duration
2 Week Sprint
Team Members
Aleksandar Medan and Joy Powers
Role
My partner and I made critical decisions together and collaborated on all of the methods and activities. As a team, our process covered the vast majority of the UX design process in order to address our client’s goals. We collaborated on the major components of the process, including planning, research, data synthesis, problem definition, wireframes, and service design strategy.
The problem
Code4SF has no problem reeling in the big fish, they just need help feeding their hungriest projects.
Our challenge at first was to help Code4SF better engage potential volunteers through their digital presence, and to help them understand how to make their organization and events more well known.
As it turns out, our onsite interview with the Core4SF core team (organizers) left us with a major takeaway that changed what we thought was a major problem. According to the core team and much to our surprise, Code4SF actually has no problem attracting new members.
What they struggle with from an organizational standpoint is:
Knowing what skills these new members bring to the table
Pairing these skills with gaps in their current projects.
As for the new members themselves, we found that:
There was an overwhelming sense of awkwardness from the lack of guidance and information presented
This made it difficult for these new members to comfortably dive into a project that was currently open.
The solution
Our solution for Code4SF tackled the two forms of their onboarding experience, the physical realm and the digital realm.
This involved:
Information presented on Code4SF’s website
Information presented to new members at the hack night itself
Onsite guidance
Code4SF standpoint- Our solution tackled recording and organizing what skills and goals each new member came to them with. This would allow Code4SF to guide and help new members towards specific projects when the time came to start working in groups.
New member’s standpoint- By presenting all the information needed online and in person about what to expect and what each project stood for and was looking for in terms of missing skills, new members would feel more confident when the time came to join a project.
Approach
Walk a mile in everyone’s shoes
Before visiting Code4SF, we conducted surveys to understand the motivation behind volunteering. We found that this wasn’t enough, and focused our attention instead on finding takeaways from people involved with the Code4SF organization itself, from newcomers to the organizers. The interviews were a goldmine of insights that helped us view Code4SF’s shortcomings from all stakeholders. An extra bonus was learning all of this early in the design process.
Each cookie gave us a fortune
Going into the hack night, my team was under the assumption that Code4SF struggled to attract new members, and that their in person experience was strong. Instead, Code4SF doesn’t need nor wants an increase in new members, and they are currently trying to improve their in-person experience in order to better match the skills new members possess with gaps in their projects’ needs. To go along with their digital onboarding experience, their in-person on-boarding experience also needed some tweaking.
Fortunes pieced together give you a tale
The success of our design relied heavily on creating a complete system that tackled multiple needs covering tactically different areas. This proved to be an exciting aspect of our project, since we had gathered really solid insights over a span of different problem areas and now needed to see what was an efficient use of our effort that would work with the time constraint. Our new system that we created touched on a lot of aspects, from how new members were greeted to a video explaining what to expect from the hack night.
Everything that was on the table solution-wise was evaluated for the most viable solution (MVP)
Deliverables
From the Digital World to the Front Door, Code4SF has it Covered
Code4SF’s current onboarding process is a good start, but misses out on key opportunities to really grab and assure the new member that they’ve come to the right place. Starting off, we added key information to their mobile and desktop site that gave the new user a more complete picture on project information.
Interactive Prototype
In upper right corner where it says 100%, select -Fit - Scale down to fit-
Onboarding Video
As a team, we also created an online video that helped paint a picture for newcomer’s on what to expect at a Code4SF hack night . This video is front and center on the Code4SF homepage, and while not a final product by any means, this video provides a starting backbone that the Code4SF organizer’s can use in order to create a more fleshed out introduction video.
Six Step Overhaul of In-Person OnboardinG
2 - Switch order of meetings
Switch to general meeting first, then newcomer meeting. This allows returning members to leave earlier in order to start working on projects. It also allows the Core Team an adequate amount of time with newcomers, rather than being rushed.
1 - Display information on static screen
Wi-Fi
Agenda
Slack sign-up
Core Team names and photos
4 - For newcomer meeting, explain current projects in greater detail
Explain in relaxed pace
Project needs
Open roles
Status
3 - Collect Information on Newcomers’
Through an online form, newcomers are able to input information on their skills and project interests, which helps Code4Sf build a database that enables them to see what current project benefits the most from which newcomer. Digital Survey
6 - Provide a guided handoff to projects for newcomers’
Having a dedicated group of members answer questions and provide introductions for newcomers’ towards team projects. Currently, newcomers are left on their own to find projects and introduce themselves.
5 - Give out design studio tasks to help ease in newcomers’
Usability testing
Research
Event promotion
Drafting tweets
Next Steps
Fleshing out the big ideas
Moving forward with this project, it would make sense to run by the new onboarding suggestions with Code4SF organizers, and to see which ideas they would want to implement and test. This would include testing the newcomer survey, seeing if they have the capacity to update their projects regularly online, and testing the six newcomer meeting ideas that are found above. Based on the feedback and usability testing, I can begin to update the current wireframes.
What I Learned
This project was a fulfilling and great learning experience in so many ways. My team was able to accomplish a great amount of work in a two week timeline. Personally, I learned a great deal about the design process, working with volunteer groups, and collaboration.
Below, I’d like to highlight two things that I believe will have the most impact on my ongoing career :
It takes two to tango
While I do have past experience working within interdisciplinary teams through my past job, this was my first time working with a fellow UX designer. While I’ve always been open to constructive critique, I found that the two week timeline for this project made me feel as though my design thinking mistakes needed to be curtailed in order for our final deliverables to be delivered on time, and shine. I learned to adapt and mimic the design thinking my partner was exhibiting in order for us to move forward, and on the right path. I believe I was able to develop new collaboration skills thanks to this project, and they will prove to be helpful for projects down the line.
Interviews are worth their weight in gold
By conduction interviews with people associated with Code4SF, my group was able to learn a great deal about our problem at hand. Without it, we would have been pursuing the wrong answer to the wrong question. Another key thing is that I was able to revisit the audio recordings from these interviews, and I was able to see what was working with how I delivered my questions, and what didn’t. Moving forward, I feel very confident in my abilities to ask, and not lead with my questions.