The Journey: How Being Director of Operations in a Foreign Country Built My UX Skills
The curious adventures of a UX Designer taking on an unusual task.
One could question my sanity in taking on a role in a foreign country, much less a "non-UX" role straight out of a Beginex UX Fellowship in NYC. Okay, the main reason was a strong desire to help youth living in incredibly difficult situations. However, I learned that even in a non-UX role, I used User Experience Design principles in almost every aspect of the job. I will outline one specific instance below:
The Problem:
I was the only employee in GoodSports Hungary, trying to recruit enough volunteers and be stretched enough to serve 60+ at-risk youth. I came on the scene three years after anyone had even been running the programs other than rare occasions, because the previous director left relatively suddenly with no replacement. In my first three weeks, car problems and a homeless youth were my on-the-job training.
Research:
A lot of my research was simply talking to people about the problem and seeking their opinions about what could possibly begin to meet the endless needs of 60+ youth all in need of mentoring. The work was endless and I never "went home" from work. There was a constant stream of messages from kids and volunteers. I read articles on how to deal with trauma, how to address threats of suicide, dialogued with orphanage directors and caretakers, and sought counsel from pastors and mental health professionals. I also looked at other organizations' infrastructure and how they divide tasks. After one year in Hungary, burned out and frustrated, I put all my research together and made a proposal to the board.
Brainstorming:
The former director stood by the hypothesis that a power vacuum was needed for someone to step up and take a director role, despite the fact that this was done and did not succeed. Thus, I felt the need to find a realistic solution that satisfied the board and stakeholders, served the kids better, and created potential for growth in the outreach. After much thought and deliberating, I realized that a one-man-show was absolutely not a sustainable solution: both from experience and a logical standpoint. No one person can possibly handle the role of accountant, counselor, mentor, volunteer recruiter and trainer, be at every event and weekly outreaches, and still maintain adequate mental health. So I split the role into three.
Above is the original proposed structure. The Hungarian board agreed to move forward with implementing this structure, but it took several months to see any results. I continued to work through burnout as I organized and led three summer camps. Towards the end of the summer, someone approached US asking if any positions were available in the org!
Iterations:
During the month of August 2019, the organization moved through several iterations of determining the balance of work. The role of the Director of Operations changed a bit as we realized the need for a stronger decision maker at the top.
Challenge 1:
As with any changing structure, pain points arise. In this situation, struggles for power and figuring out who makes final decisions and who is responsible for specific tasks caused friction in the team. As we brought on another team member (a regional director), they began to make alliances and form their own team instead of wanting to integrate the existing team. Ultimately, that new regional director was removed from their position and only two positions of the three remained full.
Solution 1:
The board (and I as former Director of Operations) decided that the ultimate final decisions are up to the new Director of Operations. In any conflicts, they will determine the course of action.
Challenge 2:
Increasing needs of the youth. As we began to implement a new organizational structure, the problems in the kids' lives began to become more evident as we had more help to hear about the issues. Suicide attempts, hospitalizations, mental health issues: although it might seem like these things were new, it just became a natural thing that we were now able to handle more input.
Solution 2:
Increasing number of more deeply involved mentors. As we realized the potential for more impact, we began to seek more committed mentors to spend time with the youth. This is an ongoing iteration as we start to develop program materials and volunteer trainings related to dealing with the kids' specific traumas.
User Journeys:
In the first journey, we follow a potential volunteer as they navigate the GoodSports system. In the second, we see the ideal path of a Director of Operations with the new organizational structure in place.
Conclusion:
The new structure was put in place and currently has a Director of Operations and one Regional Director. The organization is seeking the second Regional Director and hopes to increase impact in the future. No longer does the DOI have to shoulder every responsibility themselves, and should one team member need to step down, there is someone to continue the outreach, achieving program sustainability. In addition, there is better accountability for each member, which allows the leadership to be more transparent with board members and supporters.
