Aimset
Aimset was a platform where volunteers and project creators collaborated on social good initiatives. The platform faced challenges around trust and navigation, making it difficult for project creators to evaluate applicants and for volunteers to find relevant projects.
In this project, I led the UX design efforts to introduce user profiles, improve project discovery, and streamline the sign-up process, enhancing engagement and improving the user experience.
Duration
2 months
Year
2024
Tools used
Jira
FigJam
Figma
Hotjar
GMeet
Role
Product Designer
Responsibilities
Usability Testing
User Interviews
User Persona
Journey Mapping
Wireframing
UI Designing
Prototyping
🎯The Problem Statement
How might we help project creators assess volunteer applicants more effectively while ensuring a seamless experience for volunteers to showcase their skills and credibility?
Overall Process
Research
Usability Testing Insights
User Interviews
Define
User Persona Development
Journey Mapping
Defining KPIs
Ideation
Brainstorming
Wireframing
Design
High-fidelity Design Iterations
Prototyping
Usability Testing
Usability Test reporting - behavioural data (Hotjar)
Research
Usability Issues uncovered from user testing revealed
Behavioural data was obtained from Hotjar which pointed out some significant issues:
52%
High drop-off rates
in the sign-up flow
9.2 minutes
Users struggled to find relevant projects, leading to increased average search time
16%
Users interacted with profile while assessing applicants
User Interviews
Based on the data from usability testing, we noticed patterns in user frustration around navigation, the sign-up process, and profiles. To gain a deeper understanding of the underlying causes, we conducted 10 user interviews with both volunteers and project creators.
Project creators mentioned that the lack of detailed applicant information made it difficult to assess whether a volunteer was suitable for the project.
Volunteers expressed that the application process felt overly generic, and they didn’t feel their skills and experience were represented well enough on the platform.
Define
User Persona Development
I created two key personas based on research insights
Volunteer Persona
Mike, a young professional passionate about social good but feeling lost in the application process due to the platform's lack of transparency.`
Project Creator Persona
Jane, a non-profit leader seeking skilled volunteers, frustrated by a lack of detailed applicant profiles.
Journey Mapping
Mapping the user journeys revealed critical pain points, such as:
For Volunteers: Struggling to find relevant projects leading to disengagement.
For Project Publisher: Difficulty in evaluating applicants due to missing detailed profiles, leading to trust issues and increased rejection rates.
💡How Might We? (HMW)
How might we make it allow volunteers to showcase their skills and experience?
How might we make it easier for project creators to evaluate applicants and build trust?
How might we improve navigation to help users find relevant projects more quickly?
Defining Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
To measure the success of our design improvements, we established clear KPIs that aligned with user pain points and business goals. These KPIs helped track impact, validate design decisions, and guide future optimizations.
Ideation
Brainstorming & Wireframing
The team brainstormed and came up with the opportunities discussed during the Journey Mapping, I started working on the following:
Introduced Profile View
During user interviews, many project creators emphasized the need to view volunteers' previous contributions on Aimset, their portfolios, or details about their skills and expertise.
To address this, we introduced:
User flow demonstrating different ways to access a volunteer user profile
The user flow shows different ways of accessing a volunteer's profile. The orange blocks indicate changes to the flow.
Optimised Onboarding process
We aimed to obtain essential profile information through onboarding while reducing drop-offs and decision fatigue.
To achieve this, we:
Introduction of filters
During user interviews, volunteers mentioned difficulties in finding relevant projects by only using search. They often scrolled through numerous listings before discovering a suitable match, which led to frustration due to inefficiency.
We solved this issue by introducing a basic project filtering system. The user filters were prioritised based on the most commonly mentioned filters in user interviews:
Ideas in wireframe to improve navigation
Design
Onboarding Iterations
(Use the arrows to move through the carousel)
Prototypes
I designed interactive prototypes using Figma to showcase the redesigned platform, including:
Volunteer Profile Modals
✅ Structured profile layout showcasing bio, skills, experience, and past contributions.
✅ Portfolio & social media links to enhance credibility.
✅ Clear role definition to help project creators quickly assess fit.
Updated Onboarding to accommodate new Profile requirements
✅ Step-by-step onboarding flow with progress indicator to reduce cognitive overload.
✅ Mandatory profile creation before accessing projects to ensure complete user data.
✅ Portfolio & social links addition to enhance credibility and visibility.
Usability Testing
Testing Methodology
👥 Participants
10 users (5 project creators, 5 volunteers)
🔎 Methods
Task-based testing + heatmaps
Design Decisions & their Impact
⚠️ Some Challenges discovered in this iteration:
Many volunteers joined projects but later became inactive or dropped off entirely before making meaningful contributions.
Project creators had to input a significant amount of data manually when listing projects, which led to frustration and potential drop-off.
Next Steps
Before the project was sunsetted, the following improvements were in the pipeline to enhance user engagement and streamline project discovery:
We were planning to explore solutions like periodic check-ins, and gamification to improve retention.
We proposed an AI-powered project creation assistant to pre-fill common fields, suggest relevant skills, and reduce friction for project creators.
These were planned future improvements aimed at enhancing the platform's usability and engagement. However, since the CEO never implemented any pricing plans nor secured funding, sustaining the project without financial backing became increasingly challenging. As a result, the project was eventually sunsetted.
Key Takeaways
In reflecting on Aimset's journey, several key insights have emerged:
While usability improvements enhanced engagement, financial and operational stability are equally vital for success.
Pricing strategies and funding opportunities should be explored early to ensure long-term viability.
While the project was ultimately sunsetted, the design solutions provided valuable insights into user behavior, decision fatigue, and effective onboarding strategies. These learnings can be applied to future projects with a stronger foundation in financial sustainability.