Enhancing Online Registration for Special Olympics Canada
My team conducted interviews with 10 users, including both administrative staff and volunteer registrants. The Athlete user process goes through multiple different information sections before the application can be submitted.
Admin staff navigated to a new pop-up window for each section before they could ultimately confirm and validate registration for the Athlete registrants. This became challenging at a larger scale, once the volume of registrants increased.
Each Special Olympics Canada provincial Chapter used different registration portals and forms. To build a universal online portal, we needed to establish a minimum standard that everyone could agree on. We started by creating a Minimum Viable Record (MVR) by documenting, listing, and comparing the unique needs of each chapter.
Our MVR revealed several outdated registration fields and elements that made the layout feel cluttered and disrupted the user flow. By removing these unnecessary fields and updating the layout for better readability, we can create a more streamlined form that improves both usability and the overall user experience.
Connecting with Chapters
The MVR process allowed us the opportunity to check in with each Chapter and understand their unique needs. This collaborative effort also helped Chapters gain more participation and empowered them in the design process, fostering cooperation and understanding in the future.
Improving and Simplifying Layout
After finalizing the MVR, we successfully reduced the number of fields by 40%, allowing for greater flexibility in restructuring the registration form. We organized the remaining fields into distinct sections, enhancing both readability and scannability for users.
Enhancing Enrollment Layout
To address the challenges faced by admin staff, we added sticky navigation to the layout. This allows them to easily switch between sections of the form, which reduces the cognitive load of having to focus on a long, single-page document. This improvement streamlines their workflow, making the process of approving enrollments more efficient.
01
It was difficult to change the portal's existing framework, so we worked on creating 'quick wins' and visual updates that could improve the user experience without changing too much code.
02
As the first UX Designer, I created a culture that prioritized user interviews and feedback in the discovery process. In keeping it a collaborative process, our users felt a sense of empowerment and ownership
03
I learned to pitch and defend my design decisions to stakeholders, keeping in mind the unique business needs with each provincial chapter