Connecting Communities in Crisis

  • CONTEXT

    In October 2021, Global Shout, a non-profit organization, launched a humanitarian initiative to connect volunteers with Afghani refugees arriving in Northern Virginia. This platform aimed to provide sustained support for refugees through clothing, housing, language assistance, and more.

    Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

  • CHALLENGE

    How can we effectively connect volunteers with refugees who have diverse needs while ensuring privacy, trust, and accessibility? The primary user challenges that need to be addressed include:

    - Providing long-term, multilingual support
    - Matching volunteers based on proximity and skills
    - Protecting sensitive information for both refugees and volunteers
    - Supporting different user roles (admin, refugee, volunteer)
    - Ensuring scalability and mobile accessibility

  • KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

    UX Research
    UX Strategy
    Information Architecture (IA)
    UX Design
    Prototyping
    Stakeholder & Client Communication

The Impact

100%
Sign-Up Conversion Rate

100%
Volunteer Activation Rate

4/5
Net Promoter Score (NPS) for user satisfaction

  • Client

    Global Shout

  • Team

    UX Designer/Strategist – Myself
    Frontend Engineer – 1 developer

  • Timeline

    October 2021 – November 2021 (6 weeks)

Root Analysis

Privacy & Security – Sensitive refugee information had to be protected and accessible only to admins or assigned volunteers.

  1. Role-Based Access – Needed custom user interfaces for refugees, volunteers, and administrators.

  2. Service Matching – Efficient, location-based volunteer assignment system.

  3. Volunteer Oversight – Preventing burnout or misuse by limiting frequency of service.

  4. Mobile-First Usability – The experience needed to work smoothly on mobile for all user types.

Strategist Process

I researched volunteer coordination platforms and refugee aid systems to identify best practices and pain points. Inspirations included:

  • VolunteerMatch.org (filtering by proximity & skill)

  • Crisis Text Line UX (privacy + scalability)

  • Google’s role-based Firebase Auth for gated user access

These insights shaped:

  • Field-level privacy design

  • Location-based filtering for volunteers

  • Admin approval workflows

Based on user research:

  • I crafted detailed epics and user stories, each with acceptance criteria

  • Facilitated refinement workshops with the product owner to prioritize features

  • Mapped user goals to business objectives and confirmed alignment across stakeholders

Design Details

Visual Language:

  • Modern, minimal UI

  • Emotionally supportive design with rich imagery

Feature Highlights:

  • Admin-controlled field visibility per volunteer

  • Volunteer dashboard with request filters (location, skill)

  • Smart limits on repeated service to same refugee

  • Refugee progress tracking: "All needs satisfied" indicator

  • Financial assistance workflow (admin approval only)

  • Potential for CS chatbot integration for live help

Validate Design

Informal user testing with admin and volunteers:

  • Used clickable prototypes to validate role-based experiences

  • Feedback focused on clarity of filters, access control, and mobile usability

Adjustments made:

  • Improved wording for request types

  • Visual emphasis added to assigned tasks and progress indicators

Before & After

BEFORE:

❌ Manual and unstructured volunteer-refugee coordination
❌ No privacy protections in place
❌ High admin overhead to match users

AFTER:

✅ Role-based portals for admin, refugee, volunteer
✅ Proximity and skill-based matching algorithm
✅ Built-in abuse prevention features + privacy flags

Analysis & Conclusion

The Global Shout platform made a tangible difference in connecting people in crisis with those willing to help—through thoughtful UX and clear workflows.

Next Steps

  • Add analytics dashboard for admins

  • Implement chatbot for live user support

  • Expand to support multiple refugee populations across regions