There is no feature that highlights volunteer activity and accomplishments within Democracy Lab. The volunteer profile page only shows a basic description of volunteers, and the project page shows recent Github activity.
1. Collect volunteer data to showcase progress and successes.
2. Display data on volunteer profile page.
3. Connect volunteers and employers.
For Volunteers: it would give them the ability to track the time and effort they contributed, which will strengthen their profile and make them more employable candidates.
For Companies & Project Owners: it would simplify the hiring process by providing transparent and reliable metrics to judge applicants with.
For Democracy Lab: it would provide a solid data set on the number of the active volunteers and the activities happening, therefore making better data-driven decisions.
1. Increase active volunteers by 20% in a year upon Phase I launch.
2. Reach a volunteer activity reporting rate of 30% of total users.
Current profile page doesn’t highlight volunteer achievements and progress.
Volunteers barely visit their profile pages once they join Democracy Lab. Even after Phase I, there are issues on how to motivate volunteers to log their hours and take an active interest in their profile page.
1. Engage and motivate the volunteers to track their time & activities
2. Utilize the data from Phase I to recognize volunteers for achievements and success.
3. Visualize the achievement, progress, and success by displaying badges on the profile page.
4. Design badges that can be shared to external social platforms so volunteers can be
noticed by recruiters and employers.
For Volunteers: it would strengthen their profile and assist in their job search.
For Companies & Project Owners: it would simplify the hiring process by providing transparent and reliable metrics to judge applicants with.
For Democracy Lab: it would further incentivize volunteer engagement and attract more talent.
1. Increase active volunteers by 25% in a year upon Phase II launch.
2. Aim to incentivize 20% of active volunteers to log min. 5 hours per week.
3. Reach a volunteer activity reporting rate of 30% of total users.
4. Retain 30% of volunteers for at least 3 months or more by
the end of 2023.
As a volunteer, I want to be reminded of my good work done, so I can stay
motivated.
As a volunteer, I want to receive badges on my profile so that I can stay motivated to do excellent work.
As a volunteer, I want to gain volunteer hours/experience so that I can get noticed by employers.
As a volunteer, I’m looking for a mentor so I can get a referral for employment and gain professional experience under their guidance.
As a volunteer, I want more project opportunities so that I can apply my knowledge/skills in real-life scenarios.
As a volunteer, I want a share button so that I can display my badges and
accomplishments on LinkedIn/internal profile page and be searchable by recruiters.
We began by casting a large net; focused on addressing ways for volunteers to:
Set goals and track their own progress
Engage with other volunteers
Achieve badges internally
Share badges externally
We continued to brainstorm and explore user needs highlighted in Phase I MVP user research while keeping in mind:
Simplicity for development hand-off
Integration with existing design style brand
Functionality for user
We shifted our focus to what external users will see on a volunteer's profile with the goal of increasing their employability. We considered the following audiences:
Recruiters
Internal project managers
External project managers
The features that exist/those that are in development are limited to single users and don't allow much community engagement. Users want more interactive tools in their volunteer journey.
1. Brainstorm internal communication features for volunteers to connect with both mentors and other volunteers.
2. Identify methods to build more resilient community networks within Democracy Lab.
3. Establish badge types and criteria for achieving them.
For Volunteers: it would provide a space for formal and informal networking.
For Companies & Project Owners: it would incentivize volunteers to regularly engage with projects and speed up project timelines.
For Democracy Lab: it would boost engagement and positively impact volunteer retention rates. A more robust community would attract more projects.
TBD
As a volunteer, I want a drop down list with all available badges/awards, so I
know what I can qualify for and the steps I need to take to get them.
As a volunteer, I want the ability to nominate other volunteers for awards.
As a volunteer, I want a reminder to nominate other volunteers for
certain awards.
As a volunteer. I want to gain experience in tools, software, and services.
As a volunteer. I want more access leadership or co-leadership positions so that I can demonstrate leadership skills to my
future employers.
As a volunteer, I want a 'share with volunteers’ button/feature, so that I can share helpful tips/knowledge with other volunteers.
As a volunteer, I want a way to communicate with mentors, so that I can receive references and recommendations from mentors.
As a volunteer. I want to attend training sessions.
As a volunteer, I want a way to connect with other volunteers, so that I can build my network.
As a volunteer, I want a way to communicate with other volunteers.