CONTEXT

An Unexpected Pivot That Could Impact 200k+ Users

My Role

Lead Researcher & Designer

Team

3-Person Team

Timeline

January 2025 - April 2025

Tools

Lucid, Figma, Otter.AI

Business Model

Non-Profit

The Challenge

FamilySearch's Get Involved app helps users transcribe historical records through indexing. Despite the spiritual and genealogical importance of this work, the app struggled with low adoption and retention among younger users (ages 15-30), threatening the long-term sustainability of this volunteer effort. 

The Task

Deliver research-based recommendation to make indexing more engaging for young adults

The Recommendation

  1. Integrate the Get Involved app with the new Together app

  2. But, if that isn't feasible, add gamification and social features to the Get Involved app—common patterns to boost engagement in younger audiences

This case study walks through how these recommendations came to be…
Constraints

Existing brand guidelines

Existing brand guidelines

Existing brand guidelines

Maintain core indexing functionality

Maintain core indexing functionality

Maintain core indexing functionality

4-month timeline

4-month timeline

4-month timeline

My Key Contributions

Designed and led user research plan

Designed and led user research plan

Designed and led user research plan

Wireframes & high-fidelity prototype

Wireframes & high-fidelity prototype

Wireframes & high-fidelity prototype

Strategic question pivoting direction

Strategic question pivoting direction

Strategic question pivoting direction

DISCOVER

Listening Before Solving

Leading a Research Strategy That Would Uncover Emotional Drivers & Blockers

I developed our team’s research approach to understand how young adults perceive the Get Involved app, identify what motivates them to engage (or disengage) in family history activities, and generate insights to inform a more engaging indexing experience.

This plan included:

  • Secondary research on mobile app engagement patterns

  • An interview guide I created to ensure alignment across our team

  • Observational studies with think-aloud protocols followed by interview questions with 16 college students

I developed our team’s research approach to understand how young adults perceive the Get Involved app, identify what motivates them to engage (or disengage) in family history activities, and generate insights to inform a more engaging indexing experience.

This plan included:

  • Secondary research on mobile app engagement patterns

  • An interview guide I created to ensure alignment across our team

  • Observational studies with think-aloud protocols followed by interview questions with 16 college students

I developed our team’s research approach to understand how young adults perceive the Get Involved app, identify what motivates them to engage (or disengage) in family history activities, and generate insights to inform a more engaging indexing experience.

This plan included:

  • Secondary research on mobile app engagement patterns

  • An interview guide I created to ensure alignment across our team

  • Observational studies with think-aloud protocols followed by interview questions with 16 college students

Here are some themes we explored and insights we gained in our research:

  • 01

    Product Awareness & Current Usage

    Low Awareness: 94% had never heard of the Get Involved app


    "My age group hasn’t touched indexing much"

  • Perception of Family History

    Young adults feel a sense of duty to participate in family history work but do not make it a priority.


    “It feels overwhelming and unrewarding"

    02

  • Engagement Drivers

    Social motivation: Users are most engaged with apps that have a social component. Young adults crave connection & purpose.


    "A lot of my phone usage surrounds just connecting with friends"

    03

  • Product Strengths

    The app is simple, straightforward, and easy to use.


    "I like that the app is simple"

    04

  • Product Weaknesses

    Low visibility, app fatigue, lack of connection, and fear of making mistakes made the app feel forgettable and intimidating to new users.


    "Cursive is really hard to read"

    05

Through the data synthesis workshop I led, we discovered opportunities for connection through gamification and social features:

"Make it like LinkedIn games—play against friends, visual progress"

 "If I could see how many my friends have done, that would be cool"

"If it was related to a close family member, I'd feel more inclined"

DEFINE

Who are we designing for?

Problem Statments I Co-Developed

Writing out statements like this is a key part of my design process because it guides decisions during the project and helps evaluate impact afterward.

Persona
Busy Bree

Sophmore studying Psychology

@ Brigham Young University

Age: 21

Location: Provo, UT

Job: Teaching Assistant

Gender: Female

Background

Busy Bree always has a full plate—between her job as a TA, demanding classes, church callings, and an active social life, she’s constantly juggling responsibilities. She values connection and purpose but struggles to fit everything in.

Busy Bree always has a full plate—between her job as a TA, demanding classes, church callings, and an active social life, she’s constantly juggling responsibilities. She values connection and purpose but struggles to fit everything in.

Attitudes about Family History

  • "That's for older people"

  • "I know I should do it, but I don't make time for it right now"

  • "Indexing is difficult and I'm worried I'll get it wrong"

Challenge

Trying to balance a busy schedule between work, full-time school, church callings, and relationships.

Trying to balance a busy schedule between work, full-time school, church callings, and relationships.

Behaviors

Has participated in family history while in social settings and as a youth. If she does do it, it is usually a Sunday activity.

Has participated in family history while in social settings and as a youth. If she does do it, it is usually a Sunday activity.

Favorite Apps

  • Duolingo

  • Instagram

  • Hinge

  • BeReal

  • Facebook

  • TikTok

  • Spotify

  • Gospel Lib

IDEATE

Exploring Features That Would Make Users Come Back

Guided by the problem statements, our team generated a wide range of concepts—from mini-games to social group leaderboards, to ensure our solutions would truly motivate ongoing engagement.

My Contribution

🧠 I led the team in grounding our ideas in motivational psychology, particularly Self-Determination Theory (autonomy, competence, relatedness)

📈 Introduced a value-feasibility matrix to prioritize ideas based on user impact and development viability (see below)

🤔 Facilitated the team decision-making process to align features with core user needs

The prioritization process ensured we moved forward with the most meaningful and actionable features:

  • Individual and Group Activities, such as streaks and monthly targets, accompanied by badges to make indexing more social and rewarding

  • Rotating inspirational quotes to remind the user of the significance of this volunteer work

  • Progress bar and time estimates to provide the user visual feedback on their progress and to make indexing feel more accomplishable

  • “Groups” tab, where users can create or join groups with family or friends to participate in indexing activities together

PROTOTYPE

Bringing the Prioritized Ideas to Life

Low-Fi Wireframes

Here are a few examples of some concept sketches I drew up:

  • Progress visualization

  • Time to complete task

  • Social challenges

Before moving to high-fidelity prototyping, we shared our concepts with our FamilySearch point of contact. While she was excited about the direction, she encouraged us to be cautious of potential guilt-driven engagement or addictive mechanics. Based on her feedback, we refined features like streaks to be optional goals users could choose, rather than default pressure points.

High-Fi Prototype

Utilizing Family Search's design system and implementing feedback from our low-fidelity sketches, I built a comprehensive prototype in Figma that included all of our prioritized features:

Screen 1: Home/Opportunities
Feature Explanation

We added an option for users to index via individual or group activities and earn badges.

The "Why" Behind the Design

  • We placed activities on the home screen to immediately engage users and make the experience feel more fun and rewarding

  • Gamified elements like challenges and progress goals respond to user feedback and motivate continued participation through social connection and achievement

“Some kind of in-app challenge… like, 'The Saturday indexing challenge'”

Screen 1: Home/Opportunities
Feature Explanation

We added an option for users to index via individual or group activities and earn badges.

The "Why" Behind the Design

  • We placed activities on the home screen to immediately engage users and make the experience feel more fun and rewarding

  • Gamified elements like challenges and progress goals respond to user feedback and motivate continued participation through social connection and achievement

“Some kind of in-app challenge… like, 'The Saturday indexing challenge'”

Screen 1: Home/Opportunities
Feature Explanation

We added an option for users to index via individual or group activities and earn badges.

The "Why" Behind the Design

  • We placed activities on the home screen to immediately engage users and make the experience feel more fun and rewarding

  • Gamified elements like challenges and progress goals respond to user feedback and motivate continued participation through social connection and achievement

“Some kind of in-app challenge… like, 'The Saturday indexing challenge'”

Screen 2: Find Names to Review
Feature Explanation

A text box will appear above the name review section as users navigate to the name review page. This box will display an inspirational quote related to family history work.

The "Why" Behind the Design

  • To help users see indexing as meaningful, not mundane

  • This simple feature reinforces purpose and encourages ongoing engagement through a sense of mission

"I want to feel like I am part of something bigger"

Screen 2: Find Names to Review
Feature Explanation

A text box will appear above the name review section as users navigate to the name review page. This box will display an inspirational quote related to family history work.

The "Why" Behind the Design

  • To help users see indexing as meaningful, not mundane

  • This simple feature reinforces purpose and encourages ongoing engagement through a sense of mission

"I want to feel like I am part of something bigger"

Screen 2: Find Names to Review
Feature Explanation

A text box will appear above the name review section as users navigate to the name review page. This box will display an inspirational quote related to family history work.

The "Why" Behind the Design

  • To help users see indexing as meaningful, not mundane

  • This simple feature reinforces purpose and encourages ongoing engagement through a sense of mission

"I want to feel like I am part of something bigger"

Screen 3: Review Names
Feature Explanation

The progress bar at the top breaks down daily goals into smaller, manageable chunks, helping users celebrate small wins and feel a sense of momentum as they index.

The "Why" Behind the Design

Increases motivation by making progress visible and achievable, helping users feel productive, less overwhelmed, and more connected to the purpose of their efforts.

“I just remember all the times I've been indexing and gotten through a few immigration records, and then just completely given up… It gets boring.”

Screen 3: Review Names
Feature Explanation

The progress bar at the top breaks down daily goals into smaller, manageable chunks, helping users celebrate small wins and feel a sense of momentum as they index.

The "Why" Behind the Design

Increases motivation by making progress visible and achievable, helping users feel productive, less overwhelmed, and more connected to the purpose of their efforts.

“I just remember all the times I've been indexing and gotten through a few immigration records, and then just completely given up… It gets boring.”

Screen 3: Review Names
Feature Explanation

The progress bar at the top breaks down daily goals into smaller, manageable chunks, helping users celebrate small wins and feel a sense of momentum as they index.

The "Why" Behind the Design

Increases motivation by making progress visible and achievable, helping users feel productive, less overwhelmed, and more connected to the purpose of their efforts.

“I just remember all the times I've been indexing and gotten through a few immigration records, and then just completely given up… It gets boring.”

Screen 4: Complete Name Review
Feature Explanation

After completing 20 names, users are prompted with a question, "Would you like to review more names?" and three options: 20, 30, or 50 more names. We added time estimates next to each option to provide clearer expectations.

The "Why" Behind the Design

Adding time estimates helps users see indexing as quick and doable, reducing the overwhelm that comes from seeing task numbers alone.

"I don’t want to do 20 records right now, that sounds like a lot."

Screen 4: Complete Name Review
Feature Explanation

After completing 20 names, users are prompted with a question, "Would you like to review more names?" and three options: 20, 30, or 50 more names. We added time estimates next to each option to provide clearer expectations.

The "Why" Behind the Design

Adding time estimates helps users see indexing as quick and doable, reducing the overwhelm that comes from seeing task numbers alone.

"I don’t want to do 20 records right now, that sounds like a lot."

Screen 4: Complete Name Review
Feature Explanation

After completing 20 names, users are prompted with a question, "Would you like to review more names?" and three options: 20, 30, or 50 more names. We added time estimates next to each option to provide clearer expectations.

The "Why" Behind the Design

Adding time estimates helps users see indexing as quick and doable, reducing the overwhelm that comes from seeing task numbers alone.

"I don’t want to do 20 records right now, that sounds like a lot."

Screen 5: Groups
Feature Explanation

A Groups tab with in-app chats, allowing users to join friends or family in indexing activities, coordinate efforts, and encourage each other in real time.

The "Why" Behind the Design

  • This feature strengthens users' sense of connection and purpose, making indexing more social

  • Aligns with our POV and JTBD by transforming indexing into a shared experience, encouraging habit formation through accountability

"If it was related to a close family member or some other meaningful connection, I would feel more inclined to do it."

Screen 5: Groups
Feature Explanation

A Groups tab with in-app chats, allowing users to join friends or family in indexing activities, coordinate efforts, and encourage each other in real time.

The "Why" Behind the Design

  • This feature strengthens users' sense of connection and purpose, making indexing more social

  • Aligns with our POV and JTBD by transforming indexing into a shared experience, encouraging habit formation through accountability

"If it was related to a close family member or some other meaningful connection, I would feel more inclined to do it."

Screen 5: Groups
Feature Explanation

A Groups tab with in-app chats, allowing users to join friends or family in indexing activities, coordinate efforts, and encourage each other in real time.

The "Why" Behind the Design

  • This feature strengthens users' sense of connection and purpose, making indexing more social

  • Aligns with our POV and JTBD by transforming indexing into a shared experience, encouraging habit formation through accountability

"If it was related to a close family member or some other meaningful connection, I would feel more inclined to do it."

We were about to start testing this prototype with users until I learned about FamilySearch’s new Together app…

Screenshot from Apple's App Store

THE PIVOT

One Question That Changed Everything: “Does Get Involved need to be its own app?”

Though it wasn’t made for indexing, the new Together app addressed the exact needs our research had uncovered—social connection, purpose, and a sense of ongoing engagement. It even contained exact features we’d already prototyped such as family groups, activities, streaks, and more.

That’s when I asked:

"If Together already offers what young adults want, why rebuild it in Get Involved?"

My Recommendation to Stakeholders

I advocated for exploring app integration with the FamilySearch team, arguing that:

  • Users already struggled with app fatigue across FamilySearch's ecosystem

  • The newly released "Together" app already includes social features that users want

  • Integration could solve adoption issues more effectively than feature additions

I advocated for exploring app integration with the FamilySearch team, arguing that:

  • Users already struggled with app fatigue across FamilySearch's ecosystem

  • The newly released "Together" app already includes social features that users want

  • Integration could solve adoption issues more effectively than feature additions

I advocated for exploring app integration with the FamilySearch team, arguing that:

  • Users already struggled with app fatigue across FamilySearch's ecosystem

  • The newly released "Together" app already includes social features that users want

  • Integration could solve adoption issues more effectively than feature additions

Stakeholders believed that young adults will engage with the Get Involved app more than the Together app, but supported our decision to pivot and conduct further research to see if that hypothesis was true.

Research Round 2: Letting Young Adults Tell Us What The Better Experience Is

We officially pivoted our focus from adding features to Get Involved to seeking the solution for a more engaging indexing experience for young adults. Here is an overview of the research I helped our team accomplish with only two weeks left in our timeline:

Research Question

What is the likelihood of young adults participating in sustained indexing with the apps remaining separate as they currently are, compared to if they were integrated?

Mixed Methods Approach
Qualitative

15 moderated user sessions with both apps (Together & Get Involved)

Quantitative

32 survey responses on app preferences after using both apps

The Results Were Clear: One App, Not Two

Quantitative Results
74% preferred app integration over separate apps
74% preferred app integration over separate apps
53% would choose Together for indexing if both apps had the feature
53% would choose Together for indexing if both apps had the feature
50% found Together more engaging vs 21% for Get Involved
50% found Together more engaging vs 21% for Get Involved
Qualitative Validation
"It feels redundant and inconvenient to have both apps"
"Having to only download one app is much appreciated bc it gets clogged up if there are like 10 apps I have to access to do family history"
"The Together app has better UI and more social features"
DELIVER

Delivering Strategy, Not Just Screens

Final Recommendation to Stakeholders

At the end of the semester, my team and I delivered a detailed artifact packet of our work along with a presentation to both the Together app and Get Involved app teams at Family Search. Based on research, we recommended the following strategic shift to increase indexing engagement among young adults:

Primary Recommendation

Integrate Get Involved’s indexing functionality into the Together app to create a more unified and engaging family history experience for users.

Because…

  • Together already provides the social features young adults crave

  • Integration reduces app fatigue and cognitive load

  • Significantly increases the likelihood of sustained engagement in indexing among young adults

But if Integration isn't feasible….
Secondary Recommendation

Implement gamification and social features designed in the prototype.

The presentation was received well by both the Together and Get Invovled teams at FamilySearch. They are currently assessing our recommendations.

IMPACT

Impact of the Strategic Question I Asked

My initial question about app architecture led to:

Complete project pivot from feature enhancement to integration strategy

Stakeholder buy-in for integration exploration—something that hadn’t been considered before

Evidence-based recommendation that challenged product assumptions

Long-term Impact for FamilySearch: 

  • Reusable and reliable data on a population they had never researched for indexing specifically

  • Started a conversation about app consolidation and user experience consistency across their product ecosystem

REFLECTION

UX research doesn't just answer the questions we're asked—it questions whether we're asking the right questions

If I had more time...

  • Explore what the unified app experience would look like and conduct usability testing on it

  • Do more research with diverse age groups to understand cross-generational implications of integration

  • Collect data on current adoption and retention rates of Get Involved app among young adult users to compare after either integration or feature implementation

My Key Learnings
Question Assumptions

Sometimes the problem isn't what it appears to be

Question Assumptions

Sometimes the problem isn't what it appears to be

Question Assumptions

Sometimes the problem isn't what it appears to be

Think Systemically

Consider the entire product ecosystem, not just individual apps

Think Systemically

Consider the entire product ecosystem, not just individual apps

Think Systemically

Consider the entire product ecosystem, not just individual apps

Always Advocate for the User

Be willing challenge stakeholder assumptions

Always Advocate for the User

Be willing challenge stakeholder assumptions

Always Advocate for the User

Be willing challenge stakeholder assumptions

What's your next big challenge?

I'd love to help tackle it. Connect with me on LinkedIn or drop me a message below!

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