The Call to Adventure aka The Challenge
How might we help artists find meaningful and sustainable work that is accessible?
Overview
Connected Dots is an innovative platform designed to foster meaningful connections within communities by bridging individuals and organizations with shared goals. As the lead product designer, I was responsible for shaping the platform from concept to MVP. This project required a deep understanding of user needs, accessibility, and stakeholder alignment, culminating in securing a million-dollar grant to bring the vision to life.
Link to Executive summary
Link to White paper
User research
User Interviews and Stakeholder Consultations
Understanding the needs of both end-users and organizational stakeholders was critical to shaping the vision and design of Connected Dots. We employed a dual approach of user interviews and stakeholder consultation meetings to ensure the platform aligned with user needs and Tirgan’s strategic goals.
User Interviews
To gain insights into the challenges and expectations of potential users, we conducted interviews with individuals across diverse backgrounds, including community organizers, artists, and individuals with disabilities.
- Key Findings:
- Users wanted a platform that could facilitate meaningful connections without overwhelming them with unnecessary features.
- Accessibility emerged as a priority, with participants highlighting the need for visual cues, text-based alternatives, and customizable notification systems.
- Many users expressed a desire for streamlined workflows to manage events and collaborations effectively.
- Impact on Design:
- These insights shaped features like the simplified onboarding process, an intuitive dashboard, and the integration of accessibility-first design principles.
Stakeholder Consultation Meetings
We held recurring workshops and meetings with Tirgan’s leadership and grant writers to align the platform’s vision with organizational objectives.
- Key Focus Areas:
- Defining the core mission of Connected Dots as a bridge between communities and individuals.
- Prioritizing features that would deliver the highest value in the MVP, such as event management tools and user connection workflows.
- Ensuring the platform’s design would resonate with grant evaluators, emphasizing both impact and feasibility.
- Collaborative Decision-Making:
- Stakeholders provided valuable feedback on the platform’s roadmap, helping us balance user-centric design with business objectives.
By combining user insights with stakeholder guidance, we created a platform prototype that was not only functional and inclusive but also aligned with Tirgan’s mission to foster community connections.
Finding our path
The Lay of the Land
We worked on mapping out the flow for two different personas: the artist and the visitor/consumer. This would help figure out the architecture of the platform.
Who are we helping?
Target audience
User interviews and surveys revealed 3 types of personas for us to focus on. We named them Tamyra, Jin and Kayla. Each of them are in different stages of their career and have different needs based on that as well as their lifestyle, kind of art they create, etc.
The journey
Building a path
Objective: To determine if a single “Log All Activities” button for the entire work week improves user efficiency and satisfaction compared to daily buttons.
WCAG
Making the platform Accessible to all
Inclusivity was a cornerstone of the Connected Dots platform. During user interviews, we sought diverse perspectives, including feedback from a deaf individual who expressed interest in using the platform.
Key accessibility considerations included:
- Visual Communication: Designed intuitive visual workflows that relied on clear icons, color contrast, and text alternatives, ensuring the platform was usable without auditory cues.
- Text-based Features: Enabled seamless communication through text-based messaging systems and captions for all video content.
- User Testing: Incorporated feedback from the interviewee to refine specific features, such as making notifications more prominent and introducing customizable visual alerts.
This focus on accessibility not only improved the platform for individuals with disabilities but also created a more user-friendly experience for everyone.
Prototype
Landing page and onboarding
Automation relieves the burden of time tracking for the end user and lets them focus on doing actual work. This increases productivity and saves the company money.
Cost savings: If an average Software Developer at a SaaS company that has 50 developers earns $200,000 and they spend an average of ~30 mins per week manually logging time, the company would save millions of dollars (9 million in this scenario) per year if the developers use automation to log time, which reduces time spent on the task to around 1-2 mins per week.
Teamwork
Cross-team collaboration
Bringing Connected Dots to life required close collaboration across multiple teams and disciplines. As the lead designer, I worked alongside:
- Stakeholders: Collaborated with Tirgan’s leadership to define product goals and align the platform’s vision with organizational objectives.
- UX Researcher: Partnered to conduct user interviews, synthesize findings, and create personas that informed the platform’s core features.
- Developers: Engaged early to ensure the feasibility of the interactive prototype and iterated on designs to address technical constraints.
- Grant Writers: Provided visual assets and clear descriptions of the platform’s functionality to strengthen the proposal for the million-dollar grant.
This collaborative process ensured that the final prototype was user-focused, technically viable, and compelling enough to secure significant funding.
success!!
Outcome
Connected Dots’ innovative approach to bridging communities earned it a $1 million grant from The Canada Council for the Arts. My contributions to this achievement included:
- Creating a Compelling Prototype: Designed and developed an interactive prototype that showcased the platform’s core functionalities, helping stakeholders and grant evaluators visualize its potential impact.
- Storytelling Through Design: Crafted user journey maps and personas that illustrated how the platform would empower individuals and foster connections.
- Collaborative Pitching: Partnered with Tirgan’s leadership team to refine the pitch, ensuring the platform’s value proposition resonated with grant evaluators.
Winning the grant validated the project’s vision and demonstrated the impact of combining thoughtful design with strategic storytelling.
reflecting
Conclusion
Working on Connected Dots was an incredibly rewarding experience that combined creativity, collaboration, and user-centered design to tackle a meaningful challenge. By developing an interactive prototype that bridged diverse communities, we were able to secure a million-dollar grant, validating the potential of the platform and the impact of thoughtful design.
- The Power of Collaboration: This project reinforced the importance of cross-functional teamwork. By aligning stakeholders, researchers, and developers around a shared vision, we were able to deliver a prototype that resonated with both users and decision-makers.
- Accessibility as a Design Principle: Designing for accessibility, particularly incorporating feedback from a deaf user, taught me how inclusive design benefits all users and leads to a better overall product.
- Iterating on Feedback: The user interviews provided invaluable insights into real-world challenges, underscoring the value of listening to your audience and iterating based on their needs.
- Resilience in Uncertainty: While I didn’t continue contributing to the project after the grant was secured, I gained valuable experience in navigating ambiguity and setting a strong foundation for others to build upon.
Connected Dots exemplified how design can drive social impact, and it remains a proud example of how user-focused design, strategic storytelling, and collaboration can bring innovative ideas to life. This project not only strengthened my skills but also reaffirmed my commitment to creating products that empower people and solve meaningful problems.
Nicole Merchant 