Description
Ask for help without shame, help others with ease
Role
UX Designer
Year
2021
In September 2020, when Malaysia entered into the 3rd lockdown due to a significant spike in COVID cases in the country, a group of young Malaysians got together to build a platform for fellow Malaysians to raise a white flag for help.
I worked alongside (virtually) with a band of 20+ young and passionate Malaysians across multiple time zones in Malaysia, the UK and the US to build a platform for people to get help without shame and for others to offer support with ease.
“I helped” Feature
Soon after the team launched the MVP, we ran a product evaluation session and noticed that there was no feedback system to validate whether our platform was helping people (aside from relying plainly on the 400+ visitors/day).
From there, I led and designed a feature to allow the Helpers to (1) leave a note when a request has been met and (2) see who has already been helped.
We figured a feedback/validation system would, in turn, propel the wheel of supply and demand, as the users can see the effect of their contribution.
By adding in the option to allow the users to leave their name can:
- Accommodate those who may want to leave their name to personalise their post, making their call for help “more human“.
- Friction’s added, but getting the user to “invest” more into their request (time needed to fill in the name, attaching a part of themselves onto the post) can lead to them leaving a better quality post.
- Helpers can make a better guess on what could be useful for the requestee based on the race reflected in the requestees’ names
The feature was built and launched within two weeks, thanks to the band of members who generously contributed their hours after work.
Share Feature (Concept)
Another project worth mentioning was the Share Feature that was brainstormed and designed but was later deprioritised as the team sought to pivot the platform towards a new direction (as the pandemic slowly got better).
I took a page out of Robinhood/Gotrade’s playbook. Their viral effect has added to how they allow their users to have mini-celebration along their journey (account creation, first purchase, winnings).
By having a customised mini-celebration image that is shareable on the social media platform, we could make our users’ kind assistance worth a little celebration.
Head to makasih.care to check it out!