Ripple

The Ripple App, partnering with the YMCA, is a transformative redesign of a previous mobile application project aimed at empowering youth. This iteration enhances functionality and user engagement, creating a comprehensive platform where young individuals can initiate and participate in community projects, effectively connecting them with mentors and like-minded peers, thus fostering a network of proactive changemakers.

The Problem

How can youth community programming spaces equip and resource young people to take action on the issues that matter most to them?

Today's youth are increasingly aware and passionate about social and environmental issues but face challenges in translating this passion into action. Community spaces like the YMCA have not fully adapted to the digital-first preferences and diverse needs of young people. This gap leaves many feeling unsupported and disconnected, lacking the tools and resources to effectively contribute to the causes they care about.

The Solution

Duration

6 months, Winter 2024 - Spring 2024

Role

User Research

Mobile UI Design

Visual & Branding System

A mobile app platform where youth can create and explore various projects that resonate with their interests and the issues they are passionate about.

Figma

Team

Ish Acharya

Jodie Yang

Tools

Main Features

Facilitates user interaction with community projects by allowing them to search, explore, or manage these initiatives. The tags for each project streamline the search and filtering process so users can easily find projects that align with their interests. Specific project page also allows youth to both see and showcase the impact of their projects.

Projects

Home

Integrates personalized content directly on the user's dashboard to keep them engaged and updated. This screen facilitates the creation of new projects, showcases projects initiated by the user, and enables discovery of new projects. The Home feature ensures that users are always just a tap away from discovering relevant content and engaging with their community, making the app a central hub for their community involvement activities.

Resources

Connects users with mentors and experienced adults willing to provide support for their projects, providing a robust support system that is integral to their development and success within the community.

Network

Enhances networking by incorporating interest tags directly into each user’s profile, coupled with a easy-to-access messaging system that supports personal, group, and mentor communications.

Research

Literature Review

We conducted literature reviews on the effectiveness of youth programming spaces, focusing on identifying successful strategies from existing literature that could be adapted to enhance the YMCA’s offerings.

A successful youth engagement program:

  • Create clear pathways

  • Establish relevant roles for youth

  • Tailor the time and place to youth needs

  • Teach adults to step back without tuning out

  • Recognize the contribution of youth

Survey

We wanted to understand young people’s perspective on how they make change, why they didn’t use youth programming spaces, and what they wanted from these spaces.

From the survey, youth indicated that they want:

  • Finding social programs that align with interests easily

  • More members within an ongoing  project

  • Connecting with experts, and mentors 

  • Visualizing impact of a project

  • Easier way of contacting youth spaces and mentors

Interviews

A Mobile App

Prototyping & User Testings

6 YMCA Branches

Previous interviews with YMCA leaders and changemakers from 6 locations were reviewed to understand their views on current youth engagement strategies and the effectiveness of existing programs. These interviews helped to gather nuanced insights about the organization's operational challenges and opportunities​

Current Problems:

  • Youth miss out on the bigger purpose — develop leadership and support the community.

  • Want to increase engagement in the community.

  • Want to allow the youth to see their impact on the community. There is currently not a good recognition systems in place. 

  • Difficult to reach a broader youth population - limited to the youth around the location of the YMCA Branch.

User Personas

We created user personas to help us empathize with and accurately represent our target users.

Ideation

We chose to develop a mobile app to engage young people in community programming based on the pervasive use of mobile devices among youth, ensuring accessibility and convenience. Mobile apps offer a superior user experience tailored for on-the-go access, crucial for maintaining youth interest and participation. They also support real-time updates and communication, essential for coordinating community activities and keeping users engaged through instant notifications and interactions.

Comparative Analysis

Low-Fidelity Wireframe Iteration

User Testings

In order to refine my design to ensure it meets the needs and expectations of our target users effectively, we conducted a series of user tests. These tests involved think-aloud interviews and were divided into three main stages: initial impressions, task-based assessments, and final feedback, utilizing low-fidelity wireframes.

Key insights

  • Users appreciated the user-friendly design, noting particularly the navigation bar and the well-organized layout

  • The need for quick descriptions and related interests/topics on project pages

  • Make the ‘create project’ button clearer and improve the intuitiveness of the ‘My projects’ section on the home page.

  • “Find projects” might not be the best descriptor, could be more specific like “Recommended projects”

  • Suggestions for the project page included adding sections for ‘upcoming events’ and more clearly distinguishing between projects users have joined versus those they have started.

  • Desire more robust filtering options for the Message page: different tabs on the top to differentiate by member/mentor and organization

Final Design

Style Guide

More Features

Start a project

A step-by-step process where users can name their project, choose relevant topics to help others find their project, add a descriptive overview, and invite members to join.

Create a profile

Users can select their interests from a range of topics. This customization enhances the app’s ability to tailor project recommendations and connect users with similar interests.

Similarity indicator

This feature highlights the similarities between the user’s interests and the projects they are viewing. By comparing the user’s tagged interests with the topics associated with each project, the app can visually indicate how closely a project aligns with the user's preferences.

Activity feed

A dynamic hub for updates and news from projects within the community, designed to keep users connected and informed about all relevant community activities.