Role
UI/UX Designer, Tech Lead
Duration
10 weeks
Methods
User Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing
Tools
Balsamiq, Figma
Background
My Life My Choice (MLMC) is a Boston based non-profit, survivor led organization that empowers survivors of sex trafficking by providing them with tools, resources, and guidance.
Problem
MLMC does not have a centralized platform to communicate with their members about events, resources, and opportunities which is leading to a decrease in attendance of survivors at events as well as an increase in relapse rate of survivors back into trafficking due to a lack of community and access to MLMC resources.
Goal
Create a centralized platform for MLMC survivors to use - where they have access to events, resources, mentors, updates, and much more of what the organization has to offer to improve engagement and help survivors get the most out of the organization
The Process
Research
Competitive Analysis
I did a complete SWOT analysis to understand the weakness and strengths of the current internal system of communication and organization at MLMC and to ideate potential opportunity spaces as well as understand threats that would hinder the success of this product.
Key Finding from Interviews
In order to understand the user’s pain points regarding communication within the organization and engagement with aid and resources I conducted 10 interviews within the organization of which half were survivors in the mentorship program and the other half were management and mentors employed by MLMC.
From these interviews I found 3 main paint points that the new product needed to address:
1. Communication
There is no streamline system in place where events and meetings are organized, discussed, and communicated to the rest of the community
2. Accessibility
The community members are unable to quickly access and find resources offered by the organization or easily find information about events and groups within MLMC
3. Safety
Many survivors and members prefer not to make their involvement in MLMC known and the current forms of communication through text, email, and social media makes user discretion harder
Defining the User
After several client meetings and conducting all of the user interviews, I was able to identify two primary users.
Client Needs
Client Requirements
Considering the sensitive cases and situations that the clients deal with to help survivors, the organization requested certain limitations for the “survivor side” of the dashboard that would be in accordance with their policies as well as state law.
Survivors cannot know about events without prior approval from MLMC staff and their mentors.
Survivors should not be able to communicate with each other on the dashboard.
Survivors need to request to join groups they are not a part of and cannot access information about it until their membership has been approved.
Client Priorities
In several meetings with the client I was able to understand their needs and priorities over the span of this project and create clear guidelines for me and my team to meet their expectations.
Ideation
Given the client priorities and to stay in accordance with government policies, I decided to create a two end dashboard, one end for survivors and the other for mentors and MLMC employees. These designs focus on the survivor side of the dashboard.
User Flow
Lo-fi Wireframes
Branding
Colors & Fonts
Navigation Icons
Group & Resource Icons
Buttons
The Product
Dashboard
Survivors enter the website and are greeted with the number of meetings and tasks they have for the day. Users can view, add, edit, and delete tasks related to MLMC. The dashboard also shows users their scheduled events for the current date & onwards and users can also select any given date to see events from that date & onwards. Users can also view their groups and quickly access information and announcements connected to those groups.
Users can also search for information using the search bar and quickly exit the site using the button on the top navigation.
Calendar
Upcoming events shows survivors a list of pre-approved events that they can view a description for and RSVP to the event as well as access links to join the event.
Similar to the calendar on the dashboard, users can select a date to view upcoming events on a selected date & onwards.
Under “Scheduled”, users can view all the events they have RSVP’d for and access links to join those events.
Chat
The chat feature allows survivors to talk with their mentors and advisors in a discrete and safe fashion and gives them the opportunity to start conversations with MLMC staff and become more involved in the community.
Survivors only have access to MLMC staff in the chat in accordance with the guidelines the client set forward for the dashboard.
Groups
Survivors can view information about their groups as well as announcements and mentors in the group.
For groups that survivors are not a part of, the announcements and mentors are hidden but they can still access information about the group and request to join it and will be able to view the remaining information after their request has been approved.
Profile
Users can view, edit, and update their personal information. They can view their groups and mentors on their profile as well.
There is a detailed list on notification preferences on the profile that users can set based on their preferences.