SuperNova South 2015

What’s in an online community? It’s more than you think. From sharing knowledge to organizing events, “lurking” to influencing, everyone wants to be heard online — and no one wants to be left behind.

But somewhere between online communities and social networks, there’s always been a grey area that plagues UX designers. A misunderstanding of a community's united purpose, shared goals, and methods of sharing information can set the stage for communication nightmares, or even worse, abandonment. In this case study turned case story, we’ll analyze one of the country's largest volunteer groups to understand the unique UX challenges, risks, and opportunities to building active online communities that thrive, rather than fizzle out.