Communication Calendar

The Communication Calendar is an artefact I designed while working towards my Post-Graduate diploma in Innovation Through Design Thinking. The goal of this project was to investigate disengagement and retention within volunteer organisations, and to design a solution that would create a culture of engagement within organisations.

This project was completed using Action Design Research, integrating design thinking and action research methodologies. This approach provided a comprehensive understanding of the issue, as it is an iterative problem-solving method. Throughout the process, interventions were
introduced, observed, and fine-tuned based on feedback from stakeholders.

The Artefact

I developed an application designed for volunteer organisations, to facilitate seamless communication among members.

This platform serves as a centralised hub for conveying clear goals, providing feedback, exchanging messages, expressing appreciation, documenting completed training, sharing important documents, outlining targets to be met, and managing monthly rosters.

These features were chosen through the results of UX research completed on stakeholders.

The home page features the calendar, displaying the current month along with a directory to other pages or assets. Additionally, it includes visual highlights such as pictures taken at fundraising and other events.

Sticky notes attached to dates serve to highlight important announcements and events, so that key information is readily accessible to all users.

Ensuring that the communication calendar is user-friendly and accessible to all volunteers, regardless of their familiarity with technology, was crucial. Using the familiarity of a calendar interface helped in achieving this goal.

Volunteers can share images of their work, accompanied by emojis for reactions from other volunteers.

Additionally, there's an option for leaving comments under each image, fostering a feedback and appreciation feature within the platform.

The training checklist serves as a tool for users to track available training sessions within the organisation. It informs users about upcoming training opportunities and allows them to monitor their progress by indicating completed and outstanding training sessions.

As motivations and training needs may vary among users, the
checklist can be customised to align with the organisation's specific requirements.

The message board will notify users of available volunteer opportunities. Users can click on the sticky note corresponding to a particular task and send a message to a senior volunteer regarding the job.

The text in the bottom right corner will allow users to submit volunteer work they believe has to be done, this will be finalised by a senior member of the organisation before posting.

The feedback feature enables users to provide anonymous feedback to the organisation.

Volunteers can use this feature to communicate suggestions for improvement, express what they like, and share their overall experience within the operation.

The roster provides users with visibility into their scheduled volunteer shifts and allows them to manage their time commitments effectively.

Users can set personal goals for the number of hours they wish to volunteer each month and adjust their availability accordingly.

The User Journey feature allows users to review their progress and experiences within the organisation. It shares milestones and notifies users of completed volunteer outings, facilitating reflection on their engagement and contributions over time.

The "Targets" page will display the monthly goals set by the organisation. Achieved goals will be marked with a tick, while unmet goals will be marked with an 'X'.

This visual representation allows users to track their progress and feel a sense of accomplishment. By clicking on "change personal target hours," users will be directed to the roster page.

Design Principles

These design principles were gathered through literary research and user experience research.

Communication
Training
Feedback and Appreciation
Time Management
Clear Goals and Expectations

Effects of Volunteer Disengagement on an Organisation

Eleanor Walker (2023) identifies signs of volunteer disengagement, such as reduced productivity, absenteeism, and lack of accountability, which harm organisational culture and morale. Disengagement often results from overwhelming work demands (Afrahi et al., 2022), indicating a need for support rather than mere engagement initiatives.

Research Methodology

The study uses the Action Design Research (ADR) methodology (Sein et al., 2011), which integrates action and design research through iterative cycles of theory and artefact refinement, user participation, and feedback.

Literary Research

This literature review explores the factors contributing to volunteer disengagement and proposes solutions for fostering sustainable volunteer engagement. It also evaluates research methodologies to identify best practices for this study.

Proposed Solutions

Clear Goals: Pearl B. Cohen (1984) and Young (2011) stress the importance of clear, attainable goals to reduce disengagement.
Recognition and Appreciation: Strategies like social gatherings and recognition programs (Unkefer, 2017; Walk et al., 2018) boost retention.
Training: Thorough training correlates with higher retention (Unkefer, 2017; Costa et al., 2006), though its impact may vary by gender (Walk et al., 2018).
Diverse Motivations: Yanay and Yanay (2008) highlight that volunteers have diverse motivations, requiring varied engagement approaches.

Despite these solutions, volunteer disengagement persists, indicating gaps in current strategies.

Design Thinking Tools

Design thinking is a human-centered approach that involves users in the process (National Skill Council, 2020). Tools like personae, empathy maps, and Points of View (POV) help understand stakeholders and refine solutions (Dam & Siang, 2024).

First Iteration

Design/Build

I conducted stakeholder interviews, surveys, and an immersion exercise. Semi-structured interviews enabled me to ask targeted questions to elicit valuable insights, while ensuring credibility in responses. Surveys allowed for a broader range of perspectives and responses from a diverse audience. The immersion exercise provided first-hand experience and insights into the volunteer's environment, aiding in the creation of an effective tool based on the findings gathered.

Interviews

I engaged in stakeholder interviews with 3 potential users; a hospice worker; a CEO of a volunteer organisation, and a scout leader and NGO volunteer worker.

I interviewed the hospice worker about the challenges in the volunteer sector, reasons for volunteer turnover, effects of volunteer disbandment, retention strategies, organisational support systems, and work-life balance. The CEO was questioned on retention strategies, effects of disbandment, feedback importance, and retention trends. I also interviewed the scout leader/NGO worker to understand disengagement impact, training effectiveness, and retention strategies within their organisations

Findings

The interview responses revealed the value of training and support from senior members, the importance of acknowledgment and appreciation for volunteers' contributions, the significance of knowing that you are making a difference, and the need for constructive feedback on completed tasks. These themes were mentioned by multiple participants, highlighting their importance.

Training and support are essential in volunteer organisations due to the varied nature of roles and potential for emotional overwhelm, that can lead to high turnover. Volunteers often join with selfless intentions but struggle with emotional challenges. The volunteer hospice worker emphasised that training and support significantly enhance retention by equipping volunteers to handle challenges.

Training is crucial for role identification, providing volunteers with clarity on their responsibilities and expectations. Both the hospice worker and an NGO volunteer expressed that understanding their tasks brought ease and confidence to their roles, highlighting the importance of clarity in ensuring a positive and productive volunteer experience.

Acknowledgment and appreciation are vital for volunteer retention. The CEO noted that volunteers are more likely to remain committed when they feel valued. A hospice manager emphasised the importance of ingrained acknowledgment within their organisation’s culture, which fosters job satisfaction, a sense of inclusion, and general appreciation. This welcoming culture makes volunteers feel valued for their dedication.

The CEO explained that volunteers need to see their contributions as meaningful. An NGO volunteer echoed this sentiment, emphasising the fulfilment they recieved from witnessing the difference they made in the community, which prolonged their commitment.

Feedback is critical within volunteer organisations. The NGO volunteer shared that limited feedback from inactive superiors led to decreased passion, enthusiasm, and motivation, which highlights the importance of feedback in maintaining a sense of ‘making a difference’. The CEO emphasised the need to listen to volunteers’ needs and provide a space for feedback, advocating for a culture of continuous improvement. Having feedback flow both ways is crucial.

In summary, training, support, role clarity, acknowledgment, impact recognition, and feedback are vital in volunteer organisations.

Survey

A survey conducted among past and present volunteers aimed to gather insights into their actions, motivations, and experiences. Despite resistance due to survey fatigue in the volunteer sector, the survey covered topics including duration of volunteering, motivations, satisfaction levels, reasons for discontinuation, and perceptions of communication, support, and training. It also explored challenges, recognition, sense of community, and factors encouraging long-term engagement, offering insights for improvement and strategies for volunteer retention.

Findings

The survey responses highlight the critical need for improved communication between senior-level personnel and volunteers within organisations. Participants pointed out that junior volunteers often feel uninformed about future strategies and left to handle challenges independently. They stressed the necessity for clearer structures, expectations, and regular discussions about their needs. Lack of clarity was frequently mentioned as a significant challenge, contributing to volunteers discontinuing their work.

Effective communication, role clarity, and ongoing training were emphasised as vital for volunteer retention. While 78.9% of participants felt they received adequate training, 21.1% disagreed, linking dissatisfaction to insufficient training and poor communication. Expressing appreciation and recognizing volunteers' contributions were suggested as key strategies for enhancing retention. Simple gestures like ‘Thank You’ cards and recognition from senior management were proposed to validate volunteers' efforts.

Feedback emerged as crucial, with volunteers wanting to feel heard by senior management. The survey indicated a perceived 'us versus them' mentality, partly due to volunteers believing senior figures were not listening to them. The importance of a sense of camaraderie and community was also highlighted, with 83.3% of respondents feeling part of a community, though 16.7% did not. Organising volunteer gatherings was suggested to strengthen this sense of community.

A shortage of volunteers negatively impacted the volunteer experience, increasing workloads and limiting the ability to assist as desired. Time management issues were significant, with some volunteers discontinuing their work due to time constraints. Increased flexibility within organisations could help address this issue. Additionally, there was a need for centralising essential information, as volunteers struggled with scattered resources, impacting their efficiency and effectiveness.

Immersion Exersize

I asked volunteer project coordinators to share details about their surroundings while on duty, either through photographs or written descriptions. This approach enabled me to empathise effectively with their experiences, providing a vivid understanding of their environment and challenges.

One participant provided a detailed list of their surroundings, including items such as a notepad and pen, a Swirl Card, crates, a phone, a calendar, highlights, weighing scales, and a table and chair. Another participant shared photos of their car filled with boxes of products while out delivering items to charities. Initially, the images appeared unclear, but upon closer examination, it became apparent that they may signify the challenge of volunteer shortage within her organisation. The image suggests that her workload may be overwhelming, indicating potential strain on individual volunteers due to limited manpower.

Empathy Maps

I used notes taken during interviews, reviewing survey responses and the immersion exercise to compile observations into sticky notes. These sticky notes were organised into three empathy maps, each corresponding to one of my interview participants.

I then used the sticky notes to fill the empathy maps under the headings 'Says,' 'Does,' 'Thinks,' and 'Feels.' This approach allowed me to identify the different user needs.

Personae

Using the insights gathered from the empathy maps, I created three personae .

The persona profiles contained the headings: 'Goals and Motivations,' 'Fears and Frustrations,' 'Tasks and Activities,' and 'Needs.'

POVs

Using the personae I created Point of Views (POVs) to gain insights into what each persona would require from my artefact.

I used the template 'a [USER] ...needs a way to [user's NEED]... because / but [INSIGHT].' This framework helped me maintain a user-centered approach by identifying the user, their needs, and the reasons behind those needs

Pretotype

Using the design principles I gathered through my user research, I created the communication calendar. I choose a calendar as during the immersion exercise a participant mentioned they had a calendar with them while working. It is also a familiar tool to everyone, promoting ease of use.

The design principle ‘communication’ is exhibited all over calendar as it communicates information such as target updates and upcoming training seminars. It also has reaction emojis so others in the organisation can react to what is being communicated, such as announcements or images. The calendar also has a comment box so users can comment on things posted by other users. The images that people post will exhibit to other users of the work they have done, which will allow the user to show the difference they are making.

The design principle ‘time management can be seen throughout the whole calendar as a calendar is a time management tool.

‘Feedback and appreciation’ as a design principle can be seen in how the users can react to things with an emoji, and how users can leave messages of appreciation or feedback on images or announcements posted.

‘Clear Goals and Expectations’ can be seen through the ability to see the organisations targets.

The design principle ‘training’ can be seen through my training checklist and the training announcement in the calendar.

Evaluation

To begin the evaluation process, I conducted a self-assessment, questioning whether my proposed solution addressed the issues outlined in my 'How Might We' statement and adhered to all current design principles.

Upon reflection, I concluded that my solution effectively tackles the issue of volunteer retention by promoting sustainable communication and fostering increased active engagement. Additionally, it encompasses all designated design principles outlined previously.

However, I identified potential limitations, such as the time-consuming nature of filling out the solution and the need for ongoing monitoring and updates. Yet, I also recognised the potential benefit of relying on input from other volunteers, which could create a sense of peer pressure to participate actively.

User Testing

To evaluate my solution, I conducted user testing with five individuals, providing them with a video explanation of my design principles and the development process of my artefact. I solicited feedback through four targeted questions, aiming to gauge initial impressions on features and functionalities, thoughts on the layout, and viability in real-world scenarios.

Feedback from participants indicated overall positivity towards the calendar feature, with unanimous agreement that it could be effective in real-world settings due to its familiarity and usability. Valuable suggestions were provided, including the incorporation of a directory or glossary for easier navigation and a logbook feature to track users' journey with the volunteer organisation. This suggestion aligns with the need for volunteers to perceive their work's value, as highlighted in interviews and survey responses.

Participants proposed to add features like customisable volunteering hours and a roster, addressing concerns related to time management and fostering a sense of community among volunteers.