VINNIES WA
An app as alternative support for all in need
Part of St Vincent de Paul Society, Vinnies WA provide emergency relief to over 65,000 individuals & families yearly. The need for such emergency relief is generally driven by a multitude of complex social issues such as domestic violence, mental health, and homelessness.
Vinnies WA offer an Emergency Relief Assistance (ERA) program through a volunteer-run call centre. The call centre captures the caller’s requirements, and based on their location, offers on-the-ground support via a home visit or support centre appointment. Types of support services include food relief, financial counselling, utility/rent support, bedding, clothing, and general emotional support.
Who are Vinnies & what do they do?
PROJECT OVERVIEW
What was the problem?
What were the key objectives?
What were the challenges and/or limitations?
It was becoming difficult for the program to offer support, or at the very least, tend to each and every caller. The call centre was functioning on a “first come first serve” basis with no triaging process or eligibility criteria, combined with staffing and resourcing issues. This meant that anyone who would call between 9AM-1PM would be serviced, regardless of the severity of their issue. This was also largely dependent on whether there were enough on-the-ground volunteers to provide the necessary support.
The task was to form a solution that addressed the triaging gap (process) or the technical side (system) within a 9-week time frame. This could have been anything from a procedural enhancement, to a client-facing digital solution for clients, to an internal touchpoint for volunteers.
As with most human-centred project work, the logistical side proved difficult (e.g. organising interview times/mediums). User testing with the same users of the business (volunteers or callers) was tricky, so we were to engage people in our own orbits. On the business side, there were budgetary considerations which meant that any short-term solutions had to be implemented cost-effectively. Long-term/broader solutions were welcomed and could be worked into the business product roadmap.
And so begins the deep dive!
User Research
Stakeholder interview
I met Maija - Vinnies WA Service Development Manager - who provided sharper context and extensive elucidation of the core user problems, expanded on the call centre flow from start to finish, scoped the target audiences of the project, and offered plenty of invaluable data and knowledge around the business. I found it useful to dissect insights into “facts” (green) and “feelings” (pink), drawing parallels between factual information and speculative musings to solidify empathy and clarity.
User groups & call centre process
A simple "happy path" process map I created to capture key steps from the moment the client calls the ERA to the point they are serviced.
The key users were segmented into three groups: client, call centre volunteer, and conference member. For this project, it was advised to place primary focus on the first two user groups.
User interviews
Following the stakeholder interview, there was opportunity to engage a select group of call centre volunteers and Vinnies clients to interview, where I was particularly interested in how they felt about their existing experience as a worker or a recipient of the service. I collaborated with and consolidated findings with other designers on the project.
I lead/facilitated the interview with Warvick via video. Of the Vinnies clients, I conducted a 1-on-1 interview with Tracey via phone.
Demography data
With the synthesis of stakeholder and user interview information as well as some primary research either by personally sourced material or resources provided by Vinnies, I developed deeper understanding of our key users.
VOLUNTEERS
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Majority in 45-60 age bracket
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Moderately technical - trained well on database usage
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Mostly English speaking
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Mostly retired and working multiple volunteer roles
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Volunteer no more than 2-4 hours at a time
CALLERS
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Majority in 36-45 age bracket
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Mostly English speaking
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Mostly vulnerable persons, such as sole parents with dependents, domestic violence victims, and drug/alcohol users
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Technically literate; most have smartphones 40% have registered emails and phone numbers
Enter Gerry & Valerie, our key personas.
Common insights:
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Straight-forward & basic handle on technology
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Gerry genuinely cares about making a difference to his community, however he possibly can
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Valerie wants to feel like reaching out for help is normalised, but would like to not feel overwhelmed in doing so
Converging business & technical data
Having enough first-hand information from the target user group/s meant that problem could be observed from a wide and varied lens, with some very specific themes emerging.
A customer journey map was created to capture and display emotive and practical steps for the volunteers and callers from the moment the call commenced to the point where action is taken after the call.
How Might We...
With a slew of problem statements arising, there was too much to solve in such little time. I focused on a few problems and created an overarching HMW that encapsulated them.
Ideation
Crazy Eights
My ideas covered both micro and macro ground, stemming from a solution that can be implemented in public phone booths, to an app, to web improvements, to database and system tweaks. I chose 3 that reflected my strong desire to create an additional access point for clients, as this was clearly becoming the principal bottleneck.
The stakeholder had suggested that there was a live chat feature in development for the Vinnies WA website, which was their main source of digital output. This then made me increasingly fixated on the mobile app idea.
Sketching
My "happy path" and initial scribbles for a client-facing mobile app.
As my app idea started to take shape, I developed a strong vision for its purpose.
Alternative and streamlined way to reduce phone line congestion at the call centre and visitation pressure of volunteers
Client support would be a few clicks away at all times
Client would have access to helpful resources, visibility of a range of alternative facilities, and utility of in-app features such as live chat
Would offer non-physical support which oftentimes is all that is required
Competitor Analysis
Naturally, I explored some other notable support services to see if they had apps that embodied a similar idea. There are definitely a number of gaps in the area that can be better addressed.
Low-to-high fidelity wireframing & prototyping
Small ideas...
...iterated and developed over a short span of time...
Usability & user testing
Tests
I had 4 people within my social and familial circle who had good context of the design objective that would regularly test my prototype and offer insights.
Results
All 4 testers had positive insights, as well as some useful feedback - some of which I applied to my design.
Final thoughts & reflections
A project would not be complete without equal parts praise and constructive feedback!
What did the stakeholder think?
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Impressed with concept as an alternative to systemic design and call centre redesign
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Appreciated the simplicity of the app navigation and the straight-forwardness of its intent
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Feels this could be a product best suited to the Vinnies organisation as a whole
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Feels it addressed the core of the Vinnies mantra quite well
Upon presentation of the prototype to the client (Business Development Manager), the following feedback was provided:
What did I think?
What went well and what I've learned.
Structure
It would have been useful to create or ask for a design system to maintain consistency amongst graphical elements.
Graphics
I would like to sharpen my UI and interaction design knowledge. Although I feel I captured the key essence of the product, developing these skills will improve the quality of the product in its pre and post production phase.
Testing
Testing with users who had a semblance of social support awareness helped inform iterations and changes. I would have loved the opportunity to test with actual Vinnies clients but understand we must be adaptable in particular situations.
"Create a more just and compassionate society by responding directly to the needs identified by the community."
Keep an eye out for Vinnies and their good work!