Capstone Project Proposal Draft

Name of student: _Daniel Lee____________                                      Date: ____Jan.18_____ 

 
Teacher:  ___Mr.Green______________                        Block: __B__ 
 
Proposed title for my Project Proposal:
Design a platform for community members to discover and sign up for volunteer opportunities.

My inquiry question is:

How can user-centered design principles and community engagement strategies be effectively
integrated into the development of a volunteer opportunity discovery platform to increase user
satisfaction and engagement?

Rationale/context:
I am choosing to investigate this topic as a major area of focus because I believe that user-
centered design and community engagement are crucial components in creating an effective and
successful volunteer opportunity discovery platform. By applying user-centered design principles,
we can ensure that the platform is tailored to the needs and preferences of its users, making it more
user-friendly and accessible.
This area of inquiry connects to my passion for using design and technology to create positive
social impact. I am particularly interested in creating digital tools that empower individuals and
communities to act and make a difference in their local communities.
I am also choosing to investigate this topic as a major area of focus because it holds a personal
significance to me. As someone who has personally faced difficulties in the past, I understand the
importance of having access to resources and support within one's community. I believe that by
designing an effective volunteer opportunity discovery platform, we can make it easier for
individuals who are facing similar challenges to find and participate in volunteer activities that align
with their interests and skills. This can help them not only to give back to the community, but also to
gain new skills, a sense of purpose and to connect with others. It is a way for me to use my skills
and passion to make a positive impact on people's lives and help build stronger communities.

Background: What background knowledge/connections/prior learning do you have in

this area of inquiry?
I have a background in graphic design and user experience design, which I believe will be valuable
in designing an effective and visually appealing volunteer opportunity discovery platform. I have
experience in conducting user research, creating wireframes and mockups, and using design
software such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and Figma.

Career connections: What is your intended career area at this point in time? What
connections does this inquiry question have to your life, academic and/ or career
goals?
0
 As I stated before, my intended career area is to become a graphic designer. This inquiry
question has a strong connection to your career goal as it allows myself to apply and develop my
graphic design skills in creating an effective and visually appealing platform for community
members to discover and sign up for volunteer opportunities. By working on this project, I’ll be
able to showcase my design skills and portfolio, which can help me in my future job applications.

Additionally, this inquiry question also relates to my interest in using design and technology to
create positive social impact. By designing a platform that addresses a real-world problem and
makes it easier for people to engage in volunteer activities, I’ll be able to demonstrate my
understanding of social and community issues and my commitment to create an impactful design
solution.

Interdisciplinary and core competencies connections: What subject areas and core
competencies will be connected with your project? Outline and explain the
connections.
1. Personal Awareness & Responsibility: This core competency is related to the project as it
involves understanding the needs and preferences of the end-users and making sure that the
platform is accessible and inclusive for all.
2. Creative Thinking: This core competency is closely related to the project as it involves
designing an innovative and visually appealing platform that addresses a real-world problem. By
using creative thinking skills, we will be able to come up with new and unique design solutions that
will make it easier for people to engage in volunteer activities.

Capstone Presentation medium: select one or more project mediums you wish to use
to present your project. Outline and give details about how you will present your
project once completed. You may use a combination of mediums.
I will present my presentation with PowerPoint. I will have all my app design on the PowerPoint
and go through my process on building it.

Description of my Capstone project. Specific Project Details of the Capstone Project:

what will you research, create, study, produce, solve, investigate? What product will be
produced at the end of this project for evaluation. Write a one-page description
outlining your proposal.
The purpose of this research project is to investigate what makes a good design and what current
trends are being used in volunteer platform design. The goal is to produce a platform that is user-
friendly, visually appealing, and effective in connecting community members to volunteer
experiences. A thorough review of existing literature on the elements of good design and current
trends in volunteer platform design will be conducted. This will include articles, research papers,
and case studies from relevant fields such as user experience (UX) design, human-computer
interaction, and volunteer management. The literature review will focus on identifying the key
elements that make a design effective and user-friendly, as well as the current trends and best
practices being used in volunteer platform design. User testing will be conducted to gather feedback

1
 on the design of the platform as it is being developed. This will include both formative testing,
which will be used to gather feedback on the design during the development process, and
summative testing, which will be used to evaluate the final product. Participants for the user testing
will be selected from the target audience of the platform (students). During user testing, data will be
collected through a combination of methods such as surveys, interviews, and usability testing. The
data collected will include information on the participants' demographics, their experience using the
platform, and their feedback on the design. The data collected from literature review and user
testing will be analyzed to identify common trends and patterns. The information gathered will be
used to inform the design of the platform, making sure it includes the elements of good design and
incorporates current trends in volunteer platform design. The feedback from the user testing will be
used to make changes and improve the design of the platform. This process will be repeated until
the design meets the goals of the project. The final product will be evaluated to ensure that it meets
the goals of the project and that it is user-friendly, visually appealing, and effective in connecting
community members to volunteer experiences. The product of this research project will be a
platform for community members to discover and sign up for volunteer experiences. The platform
will be user-friendly, visually appealing, and effective in connecting community members to
volunteer experiences. The platform will also be evaluated on its ability to meet the goals of the
project. This research project is expected to produce a platform that is user-friendly, visually
appealing, and effective in connecting community members to volunteer experiences. The platform
will also be evaluated on its ability to meet the goals of the project. This research project aims to
investigate what makes a good design and what current trends are being used in volunteer platform
design. The product of this research project will be a platform that is user-friendly, visually
appealing, and effective in connecting community members to volunteer experiences. The platform
will be evaluated on its ability to meet the goals of the project.

Resources/ Technology/Skills: Make an assessment of the resources, technology and

skills you will need to be able to complete this project. What is your plan to be able to
access/learn all of the resources necessary to achieve completion of this project?
Detail your plans.
I will need to use “Figma”, an interface design tool, and other design software such as Photoshop
and Illustrator to be able to complete this project. I already have access to these resources but
could learn more skills to help me to strive in this project and reduce the time spent. I can look up
any design skills on YouTube as they provide all the instructions to the skills I want to learn and
can follow it step by step.

Mentors/Community Connections: What types of mentor(s)/community connections

will you need to help you complete your capstone project? How will your mentor(s)
help you? What is your plan to access the mentorship/community connections
necessary for this project?
I will need a skilled graphic designer to help with structure of the app as that will make it visually
appealing to the users. As they are an experienced designer, they will know the trends of the
2
 designs and could guide me with that knowledge. I have a mentor guiding me with my portfolio
for university and he could give some suggestions with my design process.

Project limitations: What are some project limitations and potential obstacles that you
foresee that might affect progress with your Capstone Project?
A potential obstacle that will affect my progress with my Capstone Project is working with tight
deadlines as this project will require time. Working quickly doesn’t mean creating good design as
I must come up with a concept, design a layout, find/design icons, and designing and
structuralizing the actual app. If I would quickly pass one of these steps it would cause a bigger
problem in the future, so I need to take my time with each step.

Other considerations: List and detail any other related information/ considerations
about your project that you feel should be included in your project proposal.
Recruiting participants who are representative of the target audience can be challenging. I think it
is important for me to have a clear understanding of who the target audience is and to have a plan
in place for recruiting participants.

References: Provide a literature review of 5-10 PEER REVIEWED ACADEMIC

references: research, videos, etc. that offer some preliminary research you have done
for your project that shows you are able to access the key information that you will
need to be able to complete this project/work. Your list should be written using correct
APA formatting.

1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40983239?searchText=Graphic
%20Design&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DGraphic
%2BDesign&ab_segments=0%2FSYC-6744_basic_search%2Ftest-
1&refreqid=fastly-default%3A02334f1c0c9a8c07c5074cfe2c42025f
2. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26966559?searchText=App%20design&searchUri=
%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DApp
%2Bdesign&ab_segments=0%2FSYC-6744_basic_search%2Ftest-
1&refreqid=fastly-default%3A0255aa25961769a46c1d65796493dfc3
3. https://web-p-ebscohost-com.bc.idm.oclc.org/lrc/detail/detail?vid=7&sid=6de3df74-
d843-43f6-847f-db507e08f26e%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9bHJjLWxpdmU
%3d#AN=137698264&db=lfh
4. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26521796?searchText=app&searchUri=%2Faction
%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dapp&ab_segments=0%2FSYC-
6744_basic_search%2Ftest-1&refreqid=fastly-default
%3A25d94c27a799d996f09506e73c501d89
5. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24587083?searchText=App%20design
%20community&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DApp
%2Bdesign%2Bcommunity&ab_segments=0%2FSYC-6744_basic_search
3
 %2Ftest-1&refreqid=fastly-default%3Aefcbdd0491357969432b832de0945633
6. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4091231?searchText=Graphic%20Design&searchUri=
%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DGraphic
%2BDesign&ab_segments=0%2FSYC-6744_basic_search%2Ftest-
1&refreqid=fastly-default%3Aa15dc8b08234dce0c66b57288762c6ee

4
5