Work

About

Work

About

Work

About

Pivotal Alumni Network

Pivotal Alumni Network

Pivotal Alumni Network

Website and service design for nonprofit serving youth in the foster care system.

Mockup of Pivotal website
Mockup of Pivotal website

Overview

Pivotal is a non-profit supporting young people in and from foster care to realize their educational and career goals and ensure their equitable access to opportunity. Over 500 high school and college youth are served each year. I worked with Holly Henry, Sonny Stephens, Matthew Molloy to co-design the Alumni Network alongside the Pivotal team.

My Role

Overview

UI/UX Designer on a team of 4

Pivotal is a non-profit supporting young people in and from foster care to realize their educational and career goals and ensure their equitable access to opportunity. I worked with Holly Henry, Sonny Stephens, Matthew Molloy to co-design the Alumni Network alongside the Pivotal team.

My Role

UI/UX Designer on a team of 4

Timeline

Feb 2022 - June 2022

Tools

Figma, Mural, Zoom, Slack, Google Suite

Problem Statement

How might Pivotal expand and sustain a meaningful and engaging Alumni Network?

The Solution

I designed key pages that act as a hub on the Pivotal website for all things Alumni Network, allowing alumni to stay connected to Pivotal, each other, and current scholars. Previously, there was no dedicated area for alumni on the Pivotal website. We also provided recommendations for programming and communication alongside the website designs.

Mock of Posh Party LIVE page
Mock of Posh Party LIVE page

Design Principles

  1. Adaptive- Allows scholars and alumni to choose their level of engagement and customize their experience

  2. Accessible- Caters to a community that is geographically disparate and balances in person vs. virtual engagement

  3. People not program- Focuses on relationships rather than content and is not overly structured (in a way that feels like another ‘Program’)

  4. Inclusive- Open to all scholars and alumni, encourages mixing between alumni and scholars of all ages, and offers benefit to all members

  5. Not burdensome- Fits into scholar’s and alumni’s existing lifestyle by being simple and easy to engage with. Does not require additional work or a large time commitment

  6. Forward looking- Focuses on the shared aspirations, goals and interests of community members, balancing professional and social objectives

  1. Adaptive- Allows scholars and alumni to choose their level of engagement and customize their experience

  2. Accessible- Caters to a community that is geographically disparate and balances in person vs. virtual engagement

  3. People not program- Focuses on relationships rather than content and is not overly structured (in a way that feels like another ‘Program’)

  4. Inclusive- Open to all scholars and alumni, encourages mixing between alumni and scholars of all ages, and offers benefit to all members

  5. Not burdensome- Fits into scholar’s and alumni’s existing lifestyle by being simple and easy to engage with. Does not require additional work or a large time commitment

  6. Forward looking- Focuses on the shared aspirations, goals and interests of community members, balancing professional and social objectives

  1. Adaptive- Allows scholars and alumni to choose their level of engagement and customize their experience

  2. Accessible- Caters to a community that is geographically disparate and balances in person vs. virtual engagement

  3. People not program- Focuses on relationships rather than content and is not overly structured (in a way that feels like another ‘Program’)

  4. Inclusive- Open to all scholars and alumni, encourages mixing between alumni and scholars of all ages, and offers benefit to all members

  5. Not burdensome- Fits into scholar’s and alumni’s existing lifestyle by being simple and easy to engage with. Does not require additional work or a large time commitment

  6. Forward looking- Focuses on the shared aspirations, goals and interests of community members, balancing professional and social objectives

Discovery

Empathy research took three forms:

1:1 Interviews

1:1 Interviews

  • 8 Alumni

  • 2 Scholars

  • 4 Pivotal Staff

  • 2 Outside Orgs

Survey results

Survey results

  • 8 Alumni

  • 2 Scholars

  • 4 Pivotal Staff

  • 2 Outside Orgs

Conference

Conference

  • ~30 Pivotal Alumni, Scholars and Staff

  • Open conversations about alumni needs

Screenshots of onramp before redesign
Screenshots of onramp before redesign
Screenshots of onramp before redesign

Immersion Map on Pivotal's history, people, policies, and initiatives

What did we learn?

Alumni have a desire to support scholars 

"I want to be a shining part in their lives when it’s maybe dim."

— Pivotal Alumni


85% of alumni want to pay it forward by mentoring 

Scholars benefit from guidance of alumni

"Someone who has been through the journey… can set you up to be successful."

— Pivotal Alumni


“Scholars consistently rate alumni speakers the most highly out of all our programming."

— Pivotal Staff

Alumni and scholars want a stronger sense of community

"[Need] community first, program second."

— Pivotal Alumni


"Most people come and go, it doesn’t feel like a community."

— Pivotal Scholar

Ideation

Brainstorm on Google Jamboard
Screenshots of onramp before redesign
Screenshots of onramp before redesign
Screenshots of onramp before redesign

Design Constraints

Design Constraints

Design Constraints

  1. Cannot infringe on existing programming

  2. Must integrate with scholar’s schedule

  3. Must integrate with alumni’s schedule

  4. Uses existing resources

Defined metric to measure success

BASELINE: Scholars and alumni are regularly engaged with 0-1 peers outside of mandatory meetings/events 


TARGET: Scholars and alumni are regularly engaged with 3+ peers outside of mandatory meetings/events 


“Regular engagement” is defined as communication, for instance, texting, calling, or social media contact, more than once a month

Final Designs

After countless co-design sessions with Pivotal, my team designed the Pivotal Alumni Network to expand and sustain a meaningful and engaging network of graduated Pivotal scholars.

Alumni Network Landing Page

GIF of host adding a listing to their show
GIF of host adding a listing to their show
GIF of host adding a listing to their show

Alumni Network Landing Page

Alumni Calendar

GIF of viewer entering a Posh Party LIVE
GIF of viewer entering a Posh Party LIVE
GIF of viewer entering a Posh Party LIVE

Alumni Calendar

Pivotal Pods

GIF of sharing a listing to a Posh Party LIVE
GIF of sharing a listing to a Posh Party LIVE
GIF of sharing a listing to a Posh Party LIVE

Pivotal Pods

Learnings

Working with Pivotal was truly a collaborative, empathy-driven process. My team and I spent much of the project in the discovery phase and conducted detailed research before jumping into any solution. I also learned the importance of storytelling, which we used to as a tool to communicate to a range of stakeholders. Storytelling enabled us to establish the vision for the Alumni Network and how we could get there, creating understanding of how this program will enrich the lives of Pivotal alumni.

Learnings

Working with Pivotal was truly a collaborative, empathy-driven process. My team and I spent much of the project in the discovery phase and conducted detailed research before jumping into any solution. I also learned the importance of storytelling, which we used to as a tool to communicate to a range of stakeholders. Storytelling enabled us to establish the vision for the Alumni Network and how we could get there, creating understanding of how this program will enrich the lives of Pivotal alumni.