Johnny Price IV Foundation (JP4)
Non-Profit Client Work - Case Study
Photos & Logo courtesy of JP4 Foundation
JP4 is a youth outreach foundation that was founded in 2016 in honor of John “Johnny” Price IV. As a talented high school student, athlete, and selfless friend to all, Johnny exemplified the values JP4 hopes to instill in others with skills that lead to lifelong healthy habits.
Serving more than 300 under-served youth participants in the MN Twin Cities area, JP4 provides after-school programming focused on supporting kids with safe spaces to be active, receive healthy meals, and create healthy relationships with peers and mentors.
Opportunity
Our UX Design team had the opportunity to develop a multi-touchpoint strategy plan for JP4 that considers their participants and could set them on a path toward future goals.
Challenge
It was crucial that we keep in mind JP4’s current scope as a growing non-profit with limited resources.
In order to better promote JP4’s triumphs and values, our team needed to analyze the current after-school program and determine where and how they could optimize existing touchpoints to JP4’s benefit.
Role
My Role: UX/UI Researcher & Designer
Tools: Figma, Figjam, Google Docs, Google Drive, Zoom
Methods
Kanban Method Project Management
Deep Dive Research
Storyboarding
Guiding Statement Strategy
Journey/Touchpoint Strategy Map
UX Strategy
Client Presentation / Prototype Package
Results
Our strategy proposal includes:
Integrating an updated student survey into the current program that is engaging for 2nd-4th graders
Provide a consistent collection of qualitative and quantitative data.
Guides and resource lists that can support JP4 staff and volunteers in putting the plan into motion.
The strategy and tools provided take advantage of JP4’s current curriculum & resources (mentors, interns, board members) to gather and synthesize data that can be used to appeal to donors/grants and improve programming for students in the future.
The Process
Discovery & Deep Dive
The strategy our design team developed focused on JP4’s after-school program called Diamond Club which partners with schools mostly in the East St. Paul area. Diamond Club provides mentor-led group activities designed to establish an educational and developmental environment where under-served youth can safely experience and grow interpersonal relationship skills while focusing on their health & wellness.
Throughout its journey, JP4 discovered the importance of providing well-rounded meals and emotional support to under-served children and partners with Matter to provide healthy meal packs to kids every program day. In recent years, JP4 has made it a priority to recruit and employ mentors (aged 18-25) that also represent the ethnic and racial communities students they serve are a part of.
Looking Ahead
JP4 runs programming at 2 schools
Employs 10 mentors that reflect and represent the communities of youth participants.
Goals to extend to 5 schools
Hire more community mentors
Potentially open a physical location requires JP4 to revisit their strategy when it comes to participants, donors, and other community partners.
“I talk more to the mentors than my family sometimes. They don’t judge me and always give me good advice.”
“The mentors believe in me and so I want to make them proud.”
Major Findings
Participants include 3 major groups: students, mentors, guardians/families
Students and mentors find meaning and purpose in Diamond Club programming
JP4 has a current word format survey that is administered infrequently
Currently JP4 does not synthesize much of the data they collect
JP4’s Executive Director takes on many roles at the foundation from program planning, recruitment, donor and community partner meetings, and content writing
University interns volunteer with JP4 and work on in-office tasks
There is an executive board consisting of friends, family, and business professionals
JP4 participant groups and Opportunities
Goals for each participant user group
Guiding Strategy Statement
Our strategy will focus on students participating in JP4 Diamond Club to feel represented in JP4 and in their communities. This representation is important so that students are able to create and live healthy well-balanced lifestyles. We will do this by focusing on gathering student input and demonstrating impact. As a result, we hope to see a change in student retention and the growth of JP4’s reach.
Focusing Our Strategy Scope
Sketching out the flow of potential touchpoints
Integrate the strategy of collecting more consistent data into the existing program schedule
Re-design an interactive daily survey with documents to support JP4 staff in facilitating the survey
Harness the potential of interns and board members in inputting & synthesizing the data into usable metrics
Executive Director can focus on grants and building partnerships
Multi-Touchpoint Strategy
The updated survey activity is envisioned here in our Touchpoint Strategy and Journey Map. The daily check-in and check-out nature of the updated survey provides benefits throughout the programming for students and is repeatable every time students return to JP4’s Diamond Club.
Designed By Teeko Yang & Mike Norman
Developed by the entire team
Key Touchpoints Affected
The updated survey would meet new and returning students anytime they attend Diamond Club
Students interact with the survey at the beginning and end of each program day
The survey involves practicing healthy, open communication in small groups, something JP4 already does with their “Walk and Talk” activities
These touchpoints are routine, which means data collection is consistent
Having mentors conduct this survey collection allows for better tracking of student reflections that can be used to improve the curriculum for students.
Prototype Package
Included with our outlined strategy are deliverables: an interactive survey, instructional guide and script, a training guide to clean and input data, and a resource guide to help inform on synthesizing data into usable visuals and metrics.
Deliverables
Interactive Survey for Students
The Attendance & Feelings Board engages students and becomes a regular activity
Prototyped by Rylie Lonetti
Survey format is re-imagined to engage students in communication as well as information gathering
JP4 is proud of its high student-to-mentor ratio (3:1)
Students get to reflect on their experiences at JP4 and mentors can document attendance, retention, and the qualitative reasons for both
This example is flexible and questions could be changed based on what JP4 wants to track the most.
Survey Story Board
Storyboard drawn by Rylie Lonetti
Incorporated into the daily check-ins, the survey records student attendance and reflections on program activities
The responses and info are photographed and uploaded to a shared Google Drive folder
Interns are then able to clean and enter data into data sheets for ease of analysis
Supporting Deliverables: Guides and Resource Lists
Activity Instructional Guide
Developed by myself
Details the objectives and materials required for the activity
Supports mentors and coordinators to facilitate the activity
Mentor Script
Developed and Created by myself & Rylie Lonetti
Suggests ways and words mentors can use to demonstrate the survey activity
Potential for this activity to be customized by mentors
Data Entry Guides for Interns
Developed by Mike Norman
Training student interns to clean and input data can take time and having guides can simplify that process
Data Synthesis Guide for Board Members
Developed and Prepared by Thomas Vang
Informs board members how to translate data points into reports or graphics that illustrate JP4’s social impact
Data-driven content can be more effective when appealing to donors, grants, and community partners
Time and Resource Constraints
Due to time and scope constraints, our design team was not able to go in-depth into our strategy for engaging the other two major participant groups of JP4 (mentors and families).
Instead, we discussed and outlined potential items for JP4 to explore in the future in regard to those user groups. The major stretch goals I find most applicable and actionable are:
A strong emphasis on providing personal and professional development for mentors and greater communication between the board and mentors to share ideas and experiences
A mentor council that can impact programming structure and curriculum to increase representation in the activities and practices of Diamond Club
Newsletters or monthly program calendars that students can bring home and share with guardians/families to create a stronger awareness and trust in JP4
A pathway for Diamond Club students to someday become mentors themselves and build on the positive experiences they had for future generations
Human connections and relationship building are the heart of JP4. Those strengths can and should be uplifted and highlighted for the achievements they are.
Next Steps
Going forward, JP4 can run trials on the interactive survey with their Diamond Club program to determine if the data collected is useful & reflects their story.
Additionally, mentors and student participants can develop an Attendance & Feelings board/survey that better reflects their experiences and points of view.
If you would like to learn more or support JP4 with its mission to build up youth in our communities, please visit their website!