Lalich Center

Background

The Lalich Center supports survivors of cults, coercion, high-demand groups, and the Troubled Teen industry and their families. The center offers comprehensive resources, workshops, and courses to foster healing, resilience, and personal agency through education.

Project

Tech Fleet collaborated with The Lalich Center on Phase 2, engaging in an 8-week sprint within an agile environment. The primary goal of this phase was to launch the website successfully.

  • Role: User Researcher (July 2023 – October 2023)

  • Data collection, interviews, note-taking, analysis, presenting deliverables, creating usability test script, recruiting participants, consent forms, safety and security team, and ambassador to the development team.

  • Usability testing, survey, rainbow spreadsheet, and launched website.

  • Ahrom Kim, Kristin Anstett, Paige Mariucci, and Yuxin Zhou

  • UX Design, Project Management, Content Writers, Product Management, and Development Team.

Problem

The Lalich Center, dedicated to empowering survivors of cults and coercive relationships, urgently needs an online presence to address the growing demand for resources. The absence of a website impedes effective communication, hindering the organization's ability to connect with survivors, mental health professionals, and concerned individuals.

Solution

The Lalich Center urgently needs a comprehensive website (https://lalichcenter.org/) with key sections like "Who We Are," "Our Services," "Get in Touch," and "Donate" to improve communication, enhance accessibility, and support organizational growth.

Research Goals for The Lalich Center's Website Development:

  • User Needs

    • Identify survivors' specific needs and expectations.

    • Explore challenges users face seeking information and support related to cults, coercion, and the Troubled Teen industry.

  • Communication Channels:

    • Understand limitations and pain points in connecting with the organization.

  • Information Priorities:

    • Determine critical information users seek, including services, resources, and ways to get involved or donate.

  • User Experience Preferences:

    • Investigate user preferences for website structure, navigation, and content presentation.

  • Barriers to Accessibility:

    • Pinpoint potential barriers for diverse needs, ensuring an inclusive and user-friendly website.

  • Competitor and Industry Analysis:

    • Analyze similar organizations' websites and industry standards for best practices and improvements.

Usability Test

We conducted website prototype testing with five survivors located in the United States, exclusively prioritizing individuals who have experienced cults. Our focus centered on addressing their specific needs on the website. However, it's important to note that the participant pool lacked diversity due to constraints in the recruitment timeframe, omitting professionals or families.

Validations

4/5

  • 4/5 participants looked to "Who We Are" to determine the organization's purpose.

  • Insights: Participants went to the nav bar rather than scrolling down the page to see the Mission Statement under the hero Image.

  • Recommendations: Reiterate the Mission Statement on the "Who We Are" page.

5/5

  • 5/5 participants (100%) were familiar with or actively engaged in Lalich Center's discussion groups, highlighting the appeal of this service in response to seeking support from the Lalich Center as survivors.

  • Insights: Participants want more specific information about the topics covered and scheduling for the different groups.

  • Recommendations: Build out filters for Lalich Center's current discussion group.

3/5

  • 3/5 participants initially navigated to the "Who We Are" section to find information about Dr. Lalich. However, they had to scroll down and click another page to learn more.

  • Insights: It should be easier to navigate to Dr. Lalich's page.

  • Recommendations: Consider moving the "About Dr. Lalich" section to the top of the "Who We Are" page for better visibility and accessibility.

Comparative Analysis

In a safety-focused comparative analysis, we directly compared four competitors to prioritize user security for the Lalich Center's upcoming website. This entailed assessing safety measures implemented by these competitors.

The sites we looked at:

Key Findings

  • Clarified that the site is not intended to assist people in crisis while still in a cult, eliminating the need for a "quick exit" button or a 24-hour hotline.

  • Ensured transparency and availability of the Privacy Policy.

  • Emphasized the word "safe" multiple times throughout the site.

  • Incorporated a link to self-care resources for trauma survivors, enabling assistance without requiring personal information submission on the site.

Survey for Safety and Security

As a member of the safety and security team, collaborating with cross-functional colleagues from design, strategy, content, development, and research, I served as the representative of the User Experience Research (UXR) team. Our primary objective was to enhance the sense of safety and security for users on the Lalich Center website, with a specific focus on the comfort levels of survivors of cults and coercive relationships in sharing personal information online. To gain valuable insights, we initiated a pilot safety and security survey, which was completed by 7 out of 10 users. This initial phase laid the groundwork for understanding user preferences, and we plan to refine the survey further for a larger user group in subsequent phases.

Key Findings and Insights

  • Approximately 60% indicated that email is their preferred communication method, aligning with Lalich's current approach. (Further investigation is needed to determine if these preferences hold for a larger sample or individuals newly out of cults and new to the Lalich Center.)

  • All participants expressed comfort in purchasing services online, with scores ranging from 1 to 2.

  • Around 30% identified a lack of personal touch as a barrier to seeking help online, with one participant emphasizing the importance of human contact and personalization. (This sentiment echoes feedback from our usability test, where several participants expressed a desire for direct contact via call or email with the Lalich Center.)

    Limitation: Small Sample Size - Only seven respondents participated.

Next Steps

  • Coordinate Participant Scheduling:

    • Assign team members for participant contact.

    • Allocate note-takers for specific time slots.

  • Collaborate on Priority Actions with Strategy:

    • Partner with the Strategy team to prioritize actions and user stories.

  • Plan usability tests for untested survivor-related User Stories:

    • Resources page (first-time testing

    • Contact initiation (revisit)

    • Funding page (first-time testing)

    • Explore testing with professionals based on Phase 1 interviews.

  • Collaborate with Design and Content:

    • Draft the usability test script together.

    • Identify design and content preferences for feedback, ensuring alignment with their priorities and informational needs.

  • Enhance Pilot Safety and Security Survey

    • Review responses.

    • Explore detailed findings and recommendations.

What we still don’t know

  • Survey Responses:

    • Evaluate responses from the enhanced pilot survey to gauge user sentiments and preferences.

  • Professional User Feedback:

    • Gain insights from testing with professionals to understand their specific needs and expectations.

  • Effectiveness of Safety Measures:

    • Measure the effectiveness of safety measures implemented and ensure they align with user expectations.

  • Overall User Satisfaction:

    • Obtain a holistic view of overall user satisfaction with the Lalich Center website post-implementation.

  • Identification of Unforeseen Issues:

    • Monitor for any unforeseen issues or challenges that may arise during the continued use of the website.

Previous

ParkNow
Next

Noom