Answer These 9 Questions and We'll Reveal Volunteer Opportunities You'll Actually Love

Last month we designed a recommender system using a lightning-fast nine question personality-stye test. The goal was to connect 1 million potential volunteers with volunteer opportunities in a fun, upbeat way. This was created for the Greater Twin Cities United Way and in conjunction with the esteemed UX firm Straight Line Theory. ​

Our angle was all about motivation. People volunteer because it gives them a sense of purpose. Purpose is strong. Purpose is the reason you do tasks you don't like, because you believe in the greater outcome. But, purpose isn't the strongest motivator.

The strongest motivator is play. If something feels fun, you do it. You do the work because you enjoy it. You do it. According to Neel Doshi, author of Primed to Perform: How to Build the Highest Performing Cultures Through the Science of Total Motivation, "Play is our natural instinct to be curious, follow that curiosity, and learn from it." 

The problem is that we don't all find the same things fun. Some people like to collect things, other's dance, some explore or tell jokes. Enter the play personality types. Pioneering researcher on play, Stuart Brown, author of Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul breaks play down into 8 distinct play personality types: Collector, Competitor, Kinesthete, Explorer, Director, Storyteller, Joker, and Artist.

We used play-personality types and purpose to create a recommender system. If you'd like to learn more about this WebApp I recommend watching the video below. If you'd like to learn more about my design process, including my deep dive into dating apps and mistakes made along the way, then click here.

Sincerely,
Joel

What's my play Type?