Project Relief

Inspiration

After natural disasters like wildfires, the need for help is overwhelming. Many people want to assist but don’t know where to start. Simply showing up at a disaster site can cause confusion, diverting trained professionals from their critical work. During a conversation with a local from Los Angeles, we discovered that while many people were eager to help after the wildfire, they felt lost in a flood of information. This highlighted the need for a more organized, streamlined approach to volunteering in times of crisis.

What it does

Project Relief is a mobile app designed to streamline the volunteer experience during times of crisis. Volunteers can easily explore tailored opportunities on the For You page, where the app curates options based on urgency, location, and individual preferences set during the onboarding process. This personalized approach ensures that volunteers can contribute their abilities where they're needed most.

One of the standout features is our live interactive map, which displays volunteer opportunities both locally and nationwide. Volunteers can click on location-based logos to access detailed popups with more information about each opportunity, making it easier than ever to find and participate in meaningful events. Whether you want to help in your local community or on a larger scale, Project Relief brings the opportunities right to your fingertips.

Additionally, the app includes an Event Tracker, allowing users to effortlessly track their upcoming volunteer commitments and see their past contributions. This feature helps volunteers stay engaged and connected, ensuring they can continue making a difference wherever they're needed.

How we built it

Competitive analysis link: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGf2Ahisgo/CEHwpP4DHbDyqJhGdoW9_w/edit?utm_content=DAGf2Ahisgo&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

Our survey revealed that while many people want to help with post-fire efforts, they struggle with organization and clarity on how and where to contribute. Reddit threads echoed this, with volunteers often showing up at disaster sites without clear guidance, causing confusion and hindering professionals. Survey respondents also had an overwhelming positive perspective on community aid compared to government aid: "Community driven aid is something more responsive"; "I like community-driven one as it is more immediate and we understand each other's needs"; "It’s amazing how people come together to help one another, especially in cases of crisis such as the LA Fires." Thus, we decided to focus on the community aspect of fire relief, helping community members support each other in these difficult times.

From our competitive analysis, we found that no apps or websites include an organized volunteer system, real-time updates, contact methods, and personalized volunteer opportunities specific to fire relief efforts. These insights reinforced the need for Project Relief - a platform that offers personalized, real-time volunteer opportunities based on urgency, skills, and preferences. We designed Project Relief to address these shortcomings, streamlining the process and empowering volunteers to make meaningful, well-organized impacts.

What we learned

Through our journey, we gained a deeper understanding of the immense power of community aid and how volunteers can make a life-changing impact during times of crisis. We learned a great deal about the devastation caused by the LA wildfires, both from firsthand accounts and by extensively researching the events and their aftermath. Regarding the design of the project itself, we learned that changing direction after already coming up with a plan is completely okay and can even be beneficial in the long run. We also learned that more traditional research methods such as surveys and interviews, while extremely useful, are not the only means to gain user insight. Sometimes we need to think outside of the box, which proved true for this project, making it an unfamiliar yet immensely rewarding experience.

What's next for Project Relief

Next steps for Project Relief include ensuring that those with disabilities or other hindrances can also contribute to these alleviation efforts. No one understands their needs more than others who have had similar experiences, and enabling them in volunteer environments helps with the goal of inclusivity and equitability, which is especially crucial in times of crises and emergencies. We believe it would be beneficial to categorize different volunteering tasks based on how disability-friendly they are. We also want to offer training modules to expand the scope of what volunteers can do and create a means for volunteers to collaborate on and coordinate tasks to further encourage a meaningful, effective effort toward supporting and rebuilding their communities.

Built With

• canva
• figma