A co-op that runs on its members’ time.
Urban Recipe is an Atlanta food pantry that also runs a food co-op for low-income families. Members pay $4 and help package and distribute food, so the model depends on people showing up.
Its small staff had no one for technology or communications. Sign-up sheets and the news page had gone stale, and most publicity came by word of mouth. Our brief: how could more people find a way to help?
Most people had never heard of it.
- 15 of 16
- Had not heard of Urban RecipeSurvey respondents, mostly students.
- 11 of 16
- Preferred email for volunteer newsThe co-op already worked mainly by email.
- 2
- InterviewsA co-op representative, interviewed by our professor, and a student.
Half the respondents rated the co-op’s social media presence very weak. Finding where to volunteer was harder than navigating the site, and free responses asked for a clearer path to donating and volunteering.
The representative named transportation and the pandemic as the main deterrents. The student added weekday class conflicts, and liked one existing page where open days were visible at a glance instead of hidden behind each slot.
An app, after an event became unsafe.
An outreach event at a school met more of our goals, but in spring 2021 an in-person event meant exposure to COVID, a higher risk for the communities the co-op serves. We chose our second idea, a mobile app for signing up, referring friends, and donating, knowing it would leave out people without a smartphone.
Referrals were easy. The calendar was not.
Ten participants, all students, completed three tasks from the home screen while thinking aloud. We counted clicks and time, then asked for ratings out of 5.
Nine of ten referred a friend in the minimum five clicks. Registering for an event took longest: participants mixed up outreach events with regular volunteering, and on the calendar it was possible to deselect the day and sign up for the wrong thing. Several wanted to know how donations would be used before giving.
Overall usability averaged 4.4 out of 5. Likelihood of returning averaged 3.9: unless someone was already keen to volunteer, the app gave them no reason to come back.
| Task | Clicks | Seconds | Ease, of 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Register for an outreach event | 6.4 | 37.1 | 4.4 and 4.5 |
| Refer a friend | 5.1 | 22.9 | 4.9 |
| Donate | 6.5 | 27.2 | 3.9 |
What we would change.
Mark today’s date differently from event dates, and show event details before sign-up. Say where donations go. Let people browse without creating an account until they commit.
Every participant was a student, and most were comfortable with phones. The people the co-op serves, and older or less phone-savvy volunteers, were not in the sample.