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I redesigned the NHS COVID-19 volunteering app

Helping people help more people.

Sophie Hodge
UX Collective
11 min readApr 12, 2020
A man wearing a baseball cap with the slogan ‘Love Your Neighbour’
Photo by Nina Strehl on Unsplash

AA couple of weeks ago, I was one of the three quarters of a million people in the UK who signed up for the NHS volunteer programme as a ‘check-in and chat’ volunteer during the COVID-19 crisis. I’d be calling lonely and isolated people to provide a bit of company and support. I submitted my application and ID, was approved, and downloaded the GOODSAM Responder app which would allow me to see requests for help. (FYI: at the time of writing they’re closed to new applications while they try to process the existing ones.)

I know I might come across a bit flippant, and I don’t mean to make light of or criticise the existing app. I think it’s incredible what they’ve achieved in a few short weeks. I just wish this app were its absolute best, so users from all backgrounds could use it without barriers.

I think it’s great that they’ve managed to pull together this product in such a short time, and that the response has been so huge. However, I did notice some problems. It took a while to be approved; I understand they’re overwhelmed. An NHS guide to recruiting volunteers says “Volunteers can be put off by recruitment processes that are disproportionately long or complex for the type of role they are applying for so it is important to strike a balance and minimise

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