The Wild Center
The Wild Center
Abstract
Abstract
Me and a team of five worked closely with a non-profit organization, The Wild Center, to revitalize their volunteer program after taking a devastating hit to their volunteer-base over the COVID-19 pandemic. This came in the form of a new and improved webpage and evergreen marketing materials.
Our efforts resulted in $116,227.26 worth of volunteer hours in the first 6 months of our implementations.
Me and a team of five worked closely with a non-profit organization, The Wild Center, to revitalize their volunteer program after taking a devastating hit to their volunteer-base over the COVID-19 pandemic. This came in the form of a new and improved webpage and evergreen marketing materials.
Our efforts resulted in $116,227.26 worth of volunteer hours in the first 6 months of our implementations.
Before
Before
After
After
Introduction
Introduction
Located in Tupper Lake of the Adirondack Mountains, The Wild Center is a non-profit, natural history and science museum that provides the local and global community with a variety of exhibits and programs. The Wild Center’s volunteer program is essential to operating their programs, and enables them to expand their programs. Our team primarily worked with a team of five from The Wild Center:
Ruth Burnell
Volunteer Coordinator & Development Director of Operations, Data, and Volunteers
Nick Corcoran
Volunteer Coordinator & Education Services Coordinator
Nick Gunn
Marketing Director
Jen Tremblay Moore
Marketing & Communications Manager
Kerri Ziemann
Program Director
Located in Tupper Lake of the Adirondack Mountains, The Wild Center is a non-profit, natural history and science museum that provides the local and global community with a variety of exhibits and programs. The Wild Center’s volunteer program is essential to operating their programs, and enables them to expand their programs. Our team primarily worked with a team of five from The Wild Center:
Ruth Burnell
Volunteer Coordinator & Development Director of Operations, Data, and Volunteers
Nick Corcoran
Volunteer Coordinator & Education Services Coordinator
Nick Gunn
Marketing Director
Jen Tremblay Moore
Marketing & Communications Manager
Kerri Ziemann
Program Director
Problem
Problem
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, The Wild Center lost 75% of its volunteer base. As a non-profit organization with limited full-time staff members, The Wild Center’s volunteers are essential to successfully driving The Wild Center’s mission and services to the Tupper Lake community and beyond the Adirondacks region across the world.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, The Wild Center lost 75% of its volunteer base. As a non-profit organization with limited full-time staff members, The Wild Center’s volunteers are essential to successfully driving The Wild Center’s mission and services to the Tupper Lake community and beyond the Adirondacks region across the world.
Solution
Solution
Our solution to this problem was to create digital solutions to help support The Wild Center's volunteer program. Through meetings and research with the Center's staff and volunteers, we settled on two primary deliverables: an updated volunteer webpage and a marketing campaign.
Our solution to this problem was to create digital solutions to help support The Wild Center's volunteer program. Through meetings and research with the Center's staff and volunteers, we settled on two primary deliverables: an updated volunteer webpage and a marketing campaign.
My Role
My Role
I filled a number of different roles in this project:
I filled a number of different roles in this project:
UX Researcher
UX/UI Designer
Photographer
Videographer
Audio Engineer
Video Editor
UX Researcher
UX/UI Designer
Photographer
Videographer
Audio Engineer
Video Editor
Need Finding
Need Finding
Surveys
Surveys
As a part of my user experience research, me and my teammates designed two surveys: one directed at current volunteers and one at visitors.
Insights:
60% of volunteers were 65 years or older
➞ Need to include younger volunteers
90% of volunteers lived less than 15 minutes away
➞ Need to welcome volunteers in the greater region and remote locations
20% of volunteers preferred non-email communication
➞ Need to offer more options including text, phone call, and in-person meetings
Only 2 volunteers found out about the center via website
➞ Need to build stronger webpage and social media
As a part of my user experience research, me and my teammates designed two surveys: one directed at current volunteers and one at visitors.
Insights:
60% of volunteers were 65 years or older
➞ Need to include younger volunteers
90% of volunteers lived less than 15 minutes away
➞ Need to welcome volunteers in the greater region and remote locations
20% of volunteers preferred non-email communication
➞ Need to offer more options including text, phone call, and in-person meetings
Only 2 volunteers found out about the center via website
➞ Need to build stronger webpage and social media
Interviews
Interviews
I also helped run a number of interviews in order to gather more qualitative data and learn more about the volunteers and staff that work at The Wild Center.
Insights:
Volunteers
➞ Specific details behind volunteer roles
➞ Application and on-boarding user experience
➞ What keeps volunteers coming back
➞ How The Wild Center can better support volunteers
Staff
➞ Specific details behind volunteer program staff
➞ Staff side of training volunteers
➞ What success look like for this project
I also helped run a number of interviews in order to gather more qualitative data and learn more about the volunteers and staff that work at The Wild Center.
Insights:
Volunteers
➞ Specific details behind volunteer roles
➞ Application and on-boarding user experience
➞ What keeps volunteers coming back
➞ How The Wild Center can better support volunteers
Staff
➞ Specific details behind volunteer program staff
➞ Staff side of training volunteers
➞ What success look like for this project
Site Visit
Site Visit
Our first visit to The Wild Center was in November, 2023. On this trip, we met The Wild Center's staff in person, learned about the 18 volunteering opportunities across all departments, and experienced the volunteering orientation process from online sign-up all the way to hands-on helping.
Our first visit to The Wild Center was in November, 2023. On this trip, we met The Wild Center's staff in person, learned about the 18 volunteering opportunities across all departments, and experienced the volunteering orientation process from online sign-up all the way to hands-on helping.
Webpage
Webpage
Ideate
Ideate
We began by asking ourselves a number of questions based on our need finding research:
How can we show more information?
How can we make applying faster?
How can we target a younger audience
Our main goal while ideating was to create a website that is visually engaging, informative, and simple to navigate. Armed with these questions, we were ready to begin designing.
We began by asking ourselves a number of questions based on our need finding research:
How can we show more information?
How can we make applying faster?
How can we target a younger audience
Our main goal while ideating was to create a website that is visually engaging, informative, and simple to navigate. Armed with these questions, we were ready to begin designing.
Design & Iterate
Design & Iterate
Wireframing
As a team, we came up with a number of different options for the website layout. We ended up falling in love with designs that utilized opportunity cards to display information about what volunteering at The Wild Center looked like. We wanted the user to interact with these cards to develop a connection between the opportunity and the person. One design featured a carousel of opportunities, and the other included a hover interaction.
Wireframing
As a team, we came up with a number of different options for the website layout. We ended up falling in love with designs that utilized opportunity cards to display information about what volunteering at The Wild Center looked like. We wanted the user to interact with these cards to develop a connection between the opportunity and the person. One design featured a carousel of opportunities, and the other included a hover interaction.
Prototype Testing: Round 1
From these three wireframes, I helped create three prototypes in Figma to test for usability. We tested for speed of navigation, access to information, and intuition across different demographics. Participants enjoyed our hover card design more than the other three, and it also led to the fastest application time.
Prototype Testing: Round 1
From these three wireframes, I helped create three prototypes in Figma to test for usability. We tested for speed of navigation, access to information, and intuition across different demographics. Participants enjoyed our hover card design more than the other three, and it also led to the fastest application time.
Prototype Testing: Round 2
Our final prototype brought to life our vision of a volunteer program that is diverse in it's opportunities and demographics. In addition, we found a need for a mobile version so that the design would be more accessible on touch screens.
Prototype Testing: Round 2
Our final prototype brought to life our vision of a volunteer program that is diverse in it's opportunities and demographics. In addition, we found a need for a mobile version so that the design would be more accessible on touch screens.
Implementation
Implementation
In order to keep the webpage sustainable, we implemented the prototype into The Wild Center's live website using Wordpress and Oxygen. In doing so, The Wild Center will be able to make changes using a software they currently know and with our webpage design as a template.
You can visit the page here!
In order to keep the webpage sustainable, we implemented the prototype into The Wild Center's live website using Wordpress and Oxygen. In doing so, The Wild Center will be able to make changes using a software they currently know and with our webpage design as a template.
You can visit the page here!
Marketing
Marketing
My primary job on the marketing front was to brainstorm, record, and edit multiple video projects.
My primary job on the marketing front was to brainstorm, record, and edit multiple video projects.
Brainstorming
Brainstorming
As a team, we got together at the white board to establish marketing goals and content pillars to guide us in creating dynamic social media and long-form videos, alongside visually impactful posters and banners.
As a team, we got together at the white board to establish marketing goals and content pillars to guide us in creating dynamic social media and long-form videos, alongside visually impactful posters and banners.
Recording Footage
Recording Footage
In February 2024, we visited the site to capture video and photo content for our volunteer webpage and publicity campaign. We put together a production schedule and divided up the work. My primary objectives were setting up video and audio equipment and run scheduled interviews with The Wild Center's volunteers and staff.
In February 2024, we visited the site to capture video and photo content for our volunteer webpage and publicity campaign. We put together a production schedule and divided up the work. My primary objectives were setting up video and audio equipment and run scheduled interviews with The Wild Center's volunteers and staff.
Post-Production
Post-Production
In February 2024, we visited the site to capture video and photo content for our volunteer webpage and publicity campaign. We put together a production schedule and divided up the work. My primary objectives were setting up video and audio equipment and run scheduled interviews with The Wild Center's volunteers and staff.
In February 2024, we visited the site to capture video and photo content for our volunteer webpage and publicity campaign. We put together a production schedule and divided up the work. My primary objectives were setting up video and audio equipment and run scheduled interviews with The Wild Center's volunteers and staff.
Volunteer Program Video
Otter Trunk
Vega Interview
Results & Impact
Results & Impact
Deliverable Hand-Off (Site Visit #3)
Deliverable Hand-Off (Site Visit #3)
With a final visit in May 2024, we gave a presentation on our work, provided The Wild Center with the documentation necessary to maintain the volunteer webpage, and handed off our final deliverables to The Wild Center team.
With a final visit in May 2024, we gave a presentation on our work, provided The Wild Center with the documentation necessary to maintain the volunteer webpage, and handed off our final deliverables to The Wild Center team.
Impact
Impact
In the 6 months after the deployment of our website and marketing campaign, The Wild Center saw 101 new applications and a substantial increase in active volunteers to 90. They also saw an increase in the younger demographic getting involved with volunteering.
This all culminated in 3472 volunteer hours, amounting to $116,227.26 in value.
In the 6 months after the deployment of our website and marketing campaign, The Wild Center saw 101 new applications and a substantial increase in active volunteers to 90. They also saw an increase in the younger demographic getting involved with volunteering.
This all culminated in 3472 volunteer hours, amounting to $116,227.26 in value.
Testimonials
Testimonials
"I really think… that there'll be an increase in numbers of volunteers, awareness of the program, and hopefully also expanding who is volunteering"
- Kerri Ziemann, Program Director
"Everybody seemed to be accepting of each other and each other's ideas"
- Carol Denit, Volunteer
"You really looked deeply into what The Wild Center is and what it's all about and what we want to accomplish… you have created something new for us and something innovative and something you know that we needed"
- Rick Godin, Photographer and Videographer
"I love everything that they did… If I did not work here and I watched that video that they created, I would come here and volunteer."
- Hillarie Logan-Dechene, Executive Director
"I really think… that there'll be an increase in numbers of volunteers, awareness of the program, and hopefully also expanding who is volunteering"
- Kerri Ziemann, Program Director
"Everybody seemed to be accepting of each other and each other's ideas"
- Carol Denit, Volunteer
"You really looked deeply into what The Wild Center is and what it's all about and what we want to accomplish… you have created something new for us and something innovative and something you know that we needed"
- Rick Godin, Photographer and Videographer
"I love everything that they did… If I did not work here and I watched that video that they created, I would come here and volunteer."
- Hillarie Logan-Dechene, Executive Director
Digital Media Program Award
Digital Media Program Award
This project was distinguished by the University of Rochester's Digital Media Studies Program Award for Outstanding Capstone Project, the achievement that recognizes one senior capstone team for their outstanding commitment and success.
This project was distinguished by the University of Rochester's Digital Media Studies Program Award for Outstanding Capstone Project, the achievement that recognizes one senior capstone team for their outstanding commitment and success.
Visit the team's collaborative case study here.
Visit the team's collaborative case study here.