Mission Digital is a program that was originally created by Jo Minney from House Digital.
The purpose of the program is to support cause-based organisations – usually charities – by connecting them with services, knowledge and communities to help them leverage technology to better achieve their goals.
Some of the organisations we have supported through the program include:
Frequently Asked Questions
We want to make sure that when something – like a new website – is built, it meets the needs of everyone who might use it. It is very helpful if someone who has never seen the site before can attempt a few tasks so that we can tell if it is too confusing!
One of the most challenging parts of user testing is finding people to test with. That’s where Mission Digital steps in – to connect willing volunteer participants with the organisations that need them. The beautiful thing about this technique is that we can get really good feedback and results from as little as four participants.
Check out this short, 2 minute video about User Testing:
Pretty much anybody! In particular, we LOVE having users test the site who…
- Are not particularly tech-savvy (that’s right, no tech skills required!)
- Are not English First Language (it helps us know if any language we’ve used is confusing)
- Are part of one or more at-risk or underrepresented demographics, for example
- LGBTQIA+
- people with accessibility challenges
- First Nations people
You’ll notice that in our registration form, we ask a few slightly personal questions. Answering them honestly (as much as you are comfortable) really helps us make sure we are creating websites for everyone.
We’ll arrange a time with you that is convenient and give you instructions on how to join a call. Depending on your preferences, we’ll either send you a link to open on your computer when our call starts, or we’ll call you using WhatsApp (for mobile testing).
We’ll ask you to complete some tasks we’ve prepared for you, and get you to talk us through your thought process as you attempt them (this is called ‘thinking aloud’). If they’re easy – great! If they’re hard – that means we’ve got some more work to do.
Here is an example of a participant conducting the task: “Find information about what the organisation does”:
We don’t ask for any personally identifiable information if we can help it – we only capture a first name, and you are welcome to use a pseudonym if you feel more comfortable. The only person who will know your identity is the facilitator, if you are selected to participate in a testing study.
We do ask for some demographic information that for some people might be uncomfortable to share. Where possible, we’ve made all of our questions optional – so you can leave them blank if you prefer. However it does really help us if you are able to answer them, because it helps us ensure we are testing with a cross-section of participants that represents everyone who might use a website in real life.
It’s important to note that we are not testing you – the user – but rather the website or design that we are trying to improve.
All of our usability tests are done confidentially and while they are recorded, we don’t share them with anyone who is not actively working on the project. At most there will only ever be two people other than you present during the test, but normally it will just be you (the participant) and your facilitator who will give you step by step instructions.
If you are interested in supporting the program, please reach out to Jo via the ‘Get in Touch’ form.
In addition to access to our pool of usability testing volunteers like you (probably, if you’re reading this), House Technology Group provide a range of low cost or free services to support for-cause organisations with things like IT support, website hosting and digital strategy (depending on their needs).
The Mission Digital program is facilitated by web development agency, House Digital. Please head on over to the House Digital website to find out more about our eligibility criteria and application process.