Connect is an app for Red Cross case working volunteers used to streamline the registration and organization process for beneficiaries.
ROLE- UI/ UX/ Graphics/ Motion Graphics/ Video Editing/ User Testing
TEAM- Jordan Yep/ So Hyun Park/ April Diaz/ and Izaak Vinthers
PROGRAMS- Illustrator/ Adobe XD/ After Effects/ Premiere Pro
We had 3 main ideas which related to document keeping, disaster relocation, and Vancouver small businesses. Although the disaster relocation assistant had a better scope, it still needed to be narrowed down more. We divided the process into post disaster, and pre-disaster, looking at both immediate, and long term help for the people. From this, we decided to aim for a long term, post disaster related app relating to Red Cross. A more detailed version of the process can be seen here in the slides.
Upon further research, and having an interview with Red Cross, we realized that focusing on in field case workers would be a better, taking into account the defined audience and goal. Within the interview, we learnt about pre deployment, and during employment, as well as the general workflow of case workers. Based on this information, a persona, and a prototype wire frame was made.
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(For a more thorough walkthrough, take a look at the slides here. )
Upon further research, and having an interview with Red Cross, we realized that focusing on in field case workers would be a better, taking into account the defined audience and goal. Within the interview, we learnt about pre deployment, and during employment, as well as the general workflow of case workers. Based on this information, a persona, and a prototype app was made.
In the following weeks, we polished the mock-up, putting it into Adobe XD and making it so that the interactions would be clearer and more interactive. Eventually, we had another interview with Red Cross. We presented to them our app, and later learnt about the more detailed processes of the case workers and what they do specifically when being deployed. Changes were made to most of the functions implemented in the app. In the beginning, the registration process contained their basic information, needs, photo documentation, and signature. However during the interview, we learnt that their needs weren’t taken in on the system, and that photo documentation wasn’t allowed. The case workers would often take the beneficiaries email and addresses instead. With this, we discarded the two previous steps and replaced it with a section for their address, and email information. A confirmation step was also added at the end, in order to reassure the case worker that the registration process was completed and saved.
The beneficiary page itself also faced many changes. The first mock up highlighted the basic information, and put the needs in the gear icon near the top right corner. Iteration was done and eventually all the information would be displayed on the beneficiary page. However, after the interview, a more simplistic yet clearer approach was implemented, one which followed the changes made to the registration process beforehand.
During the interview, we learnt that a family would need a primary member, or someone who would take charge as the representative of the family. This function was implemented, along with the other members, and missing members of the family. The changes from the registration also affected this section of the app, and adjustments were made for this.
One of the major problems we had in doing this project lied in user testing. Because we were limited with only a little to a few months to finish this project, we didn't have enough time to fully understand and contact some of the Red Cross case working volunteers. Although we managed to get interviews with some of the relating staff, the case working volunteers were unavailable. The main takeaway of this project was meeting user needs. Our primary focus was to cater to Red Cross case workers, and to do this, every element of the design had to make sense for them. Language, visual style, and micro animations have to be taken into account for the app to work effectively.
