Solution 01
Volunteer Assignment
We learned that coordinators needed to assign volunteers while referencing the route, so I paired the map with quick-add assignments in a two-column layout.
Amigos De Los Rios
Volunteer Management for Greener Spaces
Overview
The Eaton Fire
On January 7, 2025, the Eaton Fire resulted in 14,000+ acres burned, 9,400+ structures destroyed, and 19 lives lost.
Amigos de los Ríos is a nonprofit that builds and maintains tree infrastructure across Los Angeles County. In the aftermath of the Eaton Fire, coordinating volunteers and restoration work became especially critical.
Challenge
Creating routes was manual, and tedious. Watering progress lived across disconnected tools, making it hard to see what actually needed attention.
My Role
Designed one system for routes, volunteers, and field tracking. Owning product design 0 → 1.
Solution 02
Route Creation
I found that coordinators needed a faster way to build and adjust teams, so I designed a single flow for creating teams, assigning routes, and making changes.
Solution 03
Session Management
I designed a centralized session view so coordinators could quickly scan upcoming events, revisit past sessions, and manage routes from one place.
Solution 04
Admin Management
Admins can grant access, edit profile information, and handle account settings without leaving the platform.
The Problem
Three Tools, One Broken Workflow
Amigos relied on three disconnected tools to turn volunteer and tree data into usable routes—creating a slow, manual process with little visibility once teams entered the field.
Feasability
Designing around what we could build
As the sole designer working with six developers, I had to scope early and often. This meant balancing Amigos’ needs with technical constraints and prioritizing what could realistically be built.
Iteration
Letting feedback refine
Low-fi
- Route planning and team assignment vertically separated
- Key actions were buried in a long page
After
- Route planning and team assignment stay visible together
- Clear hierarchy makes actions easy to find
Low-fi
- Important details blended together
- Bulky cards slowed down scanning
After
- Clear hierarchy makes sessions easy to scan
- Key actions are accessible at a glance
I added clear tags and contextual reminders so volunteers could quickly see whether a property used on-site water, a nearby hydrant, or a truck.
Mobile Solution
Built For The Field
I adapted the platform for mobile, bringing route planning and volunteer coordination beyond the desk.
Reflection
What I’d Take Forward
Get your hands dirty.
Actually visiting the Amigos office and being a part of their operation revealed deeper insights and issues. What felt clear on a desktop wasn’t always obvious in the field.
Stay curious longer.
I learned not to jump to the first solution that made sense. Asking one more question often exposed a constraint, edge case, or opportunity that changed the design.