UX Design

Portal improvement for Special Olympics Canada

Special Olympics Canada (SOC) is a national organization founded in 1969 to foster self-confidence and social skills for individuals with intellectual disabilities through competition.

client:

Special Olympics Canada

category:

UX Design

tools:

Figma, Miro

duration:

May - Dec 2023

challenge

The current registration portal was too complex - we needed to simplify for all users
Special Olympics Canada (SOC) services athletic and recreational programs for thousands of individuals across Canada. The challenge was updating the current registration portal - it was too complex and lengthy for many individuals to complete. Our task was to create a portal that could maintain simplicity, yet collect the necessary data for running SOC programs.

solution

We categorized sections and fields that satisfied the basic registration needs, and designed based on the minimum requirements
We conducted a comprehensive audit of the existing online portal, leading to the development of a Minimum Viable Record (MVR). This list allowed us to identify the essential information required for user registration, while noting information that could be omitted. Our subsequent wireframes were created with this in mind, allowing us to determine the simplest designs for our users. This allowed us to create a more user-friendly enrollment process, resulting in faster portal speeds and an enhanced user experience.

understanding the user needs

Project success determined by three key requirements

Registration experience requires little to no assistance

Users keep engaged and satisfied during registration

Portal speeds can support many users without slowing

key insights

Users struggled with the length and complexity of registration
We interviewed registrants and volunteers handling user data. Our research identified that users often abandoned registration during information heavy sections like Program Search and Medical Information, citing the length and complexity of the process. They understood the need to collect detailed information, but wanted a smoother and quicker experience.

ideation

We prioritized organizing sections into like-categories to flow better
We worked on the problem areas cited by our users, starting with organizing each step into a more coherent layout. Some similar sections could be grouped into one page. Less frequently used or optional areas were collapsed to decrease visual clutter.

design updates

Utilizing our current flow, we took notes and analyzed the pain points for each step, marking down the biggest problem areas. Our focus lay on pages with high density information, and commonly reported user errors.

‍What was updated?‍

Increased container width to give more space between fields and sections

Progress bar was simplified as to reduce distractions

Search filters reduced to two - Community & Sport. This kept the search process simple enough to filter programs instantly

‍What was updated?‍

Bulk approval tools meant volunteers could do confirm multiple enrollments in one session

Sticky buttons allowed volunteers to read through enrollments and make decisions without scrolling up

‍What was updated?‍

Grouped similar categories and collapsed optional sections to make sections more coherent

‍

Users would get a less cluttered experience, allowing them to move through sections with less friction

results

outcomes of a successful redesign
Positive User Response

70% of users reported more user-friendly and responsive experience with the new portal

Portal Speed Increase

The online portal has decreased loading time by 50%, even with many simultaneous users

Portal Adoption

Hesitant chapters adopt the updated online portal after being shown the live demo

takeaways

Learning to work with resource constraints and championing user feedback
Working with limited resources
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.

Creating a design culture
‍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

Pitching to Higher-up and Stakeholders
‍Learned to pitch and defend my design decisions to stakeholders, keeping in mind the business and resource constraints with each Chapter.

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