Survey results

Literature review

Competitors

Facebook

Strengths: Community aspect, local groups

Weaknesses: User required to use name by default, account is attached to general facebook account. Meta retains user data

Nextdoor

Strengths: Community aspect, local groups, dedicated for local groups

Weaknesses: Can be gossipy, not always a positive environment

User research insights

I synthesized my research into 4 defined problems regarding potential users, and 4 proposed solutions.

Anxiety

People often hesitate when asking for help due to fear of embarrassment and uncertainty

Templates

Use prebuilt templates so users can ask for help without having to draft a request from scratch

Lack of trust

People feel uneasy trusting a stranger online to successfully complete a task for them

Reviews

Implement a review/rating system so volunteers can be verified as “trusted”

Safety

Existing tools such as Nextdoor and Buy Nothing require user data, increasing safety concerns

Anonymous pseuduonyms

Allow users to use anonymous pseudonyms. Don’t require any data beyond email or phone.

Volunteer burnout

Volunteer burnout is the #1 struggle for mutual aid organizations

Fluid roles

Allow users to switch between volunteer and user easily, so they aren’t trapped into a specific role.

User personas

I developed four distinct personas to expand upon the needs, desires, and pain points of potential help seekers and volunteers

Maria (The Overwhelmed Parent)

To support Maria’s busy schedule and low energy pain point, I implemented quick-tap categories (Groceries, Manual Labor) that auto-fill requests, reducing the time and cognitive effort required to ask for help.

Feature Idea:

Pre-built Templates

Ari (The Hesitant Student)

To resolve Ari’s fear of embarrassment and desire for dignity,"I designed an onboarding flow that generates randomized usernames, allowing her to seek financial or grocery aid without fear of social stigma.

Feature idea:

Anonymous Pseudonyms

Jordan (The Dedicated Volunteer)

To prevent Jordan's burnout, I created a prominent header toggle that allows him to switch instantly between "Volunteer" and "Seek Help" modes, signaling that it is okay to be on either side of the community.

Fluid Roles Toggle

Rosa (The Cautious Neighbor)

To ease Rosa’s uneasiness trusting strangers,I implemented a peer-to-peer Badge system (e.g., "Great Neighbor!") that serves as a visual trust signal from other community members.
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Feature idea:

Review & Badge System

User journey maps

I mapped the parallel journeys of the help seeker and the volunteer to ensure that at every point of vulnerability , the app provides a  safety net to put the user at ease.
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For the seeker, this meant emphasizing privacy during onboarding; for the volunteer, it meant providing clear role-based expectations.

Volunteer journey

Help seeker journey

The first designs

I began by exploring 5 different entry points for the user.

I ultimately decided to move forward with a hybrid of Option 2 and 5, with Option 2 as the landing screen and Option 5 as the dashboard displayed once the mode is selected.

This provided the clearest path for the two distinct user journeys (help seeker and volunteer).

Information architecture

I continued the early design process by mapping out a two-path information architecture.

My goal was to ensure that while the help seeker and volunteer have different primary tasks, the transition between these roles remains frictionless.

This branchnig logic allowed me to maintain a consistent navigation system while tailoring the feed to the user's mode.

Wireframes

I continued iterating on designs for more screens.

I continued this process until I developed wireframes for my planned user flows.

Prototyping

I protyped my wireframes in Figma to create user flows designed for 5 tasks

Tasks:

1. You’ve just heard about this app and want to see what's happening in your neighborhood. Set up an account without using your real name.

2. You need help moving a heavy sofa this weekend. Create a request for help in your local group.

3. Switch to 'Volunteer' mode and find a neighbor who needs help with groceries. Reach out to let them know you can do it.

4. You are currently looking at requests in 'Lake Jackson,' but you want to see if anyone needs help near your workplace in 'South side.' Change your group.

5. A neighbor just helped you with a task. Mark it as finished and let the community know they were helpful.

Conducting the usability study

To test my high-fidelity designs, I conducted a usability study with six participants.

By tracking their click paths and recording specific quotes, I was able to identify points of friction.
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Participants then participated in a System Usability Scale questionnaire to provide feedback on the design.

• Microsoft teams meetings were conducted and recorded for the test
• Participants were given each task consecutively
• Sessions were reviewed and observations were notated in a prepared Excel sheet

Usability study findings

New user sign up

Accept request as a volunteer

Create request as a help seeker