Category: Boys & Girls Club – Team B

Ethnographic Interviews

 

Date: 03/04/2017

Type: Expert Interview

Via Email

Participant: Jake

Expert: Mr. Jim Seitz

User Characteristics:

• Adams High School Principal

 

Memorable Quotes:

 

“The BGC is not advertised at all throughout the school.  I do believe that our school counselors and social worker discuss the club with students individually.”

“I am not sure how students get to the club.”

“Our school offers a great deal of after school activities but we can always offer more.  I would love to get more students involved.”

 

 

Top 3 Learnings:

• .Not many people at the school even know BGCA is an option, including staff
• There could be more efforts from the faculty to encourage students to attend BGCA
• Many teenagers are starting to partake in after school activities such as sports or clubs. This is clearly affecting the lack of teens at BGCA.

Key Insights:

• If there is increased awareness at the school, more students will go. If more students want to go, it will be easier to get a bus company to come.
• If the principal realized how hard it is for students to get there, he may help contribute to getting a school bus sent to the BGCA.

 

Date: 03/02/2017

Type: Expert Interview

Via Conversation

Participant: Jake, Jordan, Sarah

Expert: Mr. T

User Characteristics:

• African American Male
• Works 2 jobs, one of them being the athletic director for BGCA
• Trying to get his management degree at a community college

 

Memorable Quotes:

“ Kids Should be able to pay per visit because of sports commitments or clubs after school”

“ We should get flyers or advertisement saying some of the perks : free wifi, open gym, video games”

Top 3 Learnings:

• need a trial period for some kids
• open up later for some kids
• trial period will help BGCA find out what the new people would want for them to attend more

Key Insights:

• A lot of kids need a ride home later which could be a reason why they do not attend BGCA
• Advertising the perks of BGCA may help such as free wifi and tutors
• BGCA needs more people like MR. T

 

 

Date: 03/04/2017

Type:  User Interview, Extreme #1

Via Phone Call

Team Participants: Jake, Jordan

User: Dolan Gilbert

User Characteristics:

• 16 years old
• White male
• St Joseph’s High school
• Parents both work past school hours
• Plays high school hockey
• Goes to hockey rink after school if no other commitments
• Does not know anyone at club in South Bend

 

Memorable Quotes:

 

“I am usually very busy with other things after school such as hockey to go to the Boys and Girls Club.”

“None of my friends go there, so I have never really had an interest in attending BGCA”

 

Top 3 Learnings:

• Kids that are getting older in high school are becoming busier with extra -curricular activities
• Not much awareness of the club at private schools like St Josephs
• Some kids might not find it cool enough to go to the club so they would rather join clubs or go sit at their parents work

Key Insights:

• Making the club “cooler” will bring in more students
• Increased awareness at private schools will potentially bring in more

 

Date: 03/04/2017

Type:  User Interview, Extreme #2

Via Conversation

Team Participants: Jake, Jordan, Sarah

User: Camisa

User Characteristics:

• 16 years old
• African American
• Attends Adams High School
• Been going to club since early childhood as mother works there

 

 

Memorable Quotes:

“I just try to help out as much as possible with all the different members, especially the little kids”

“we could have more help from tutors. Maybe bring in some college students”

 

Top 3 Learnings:

• the teens are now becoming volunteers for the younger kids
• the older teens want more tutors with more experience
• they do not talk to their friends from high school about BGCA

 

Key Insights:

• more experienced tutors may bring in more students who want help with school
• it seems like the teens do not have as much to do as the younger kids which is potentially why they volunteer

 

 

 

 

Immersion (BGCA)

Date: 03/02/2017

Event: Playing basketball with all of the boys

Event Description: Had conversations with some of the guys playing, as well as playing basketball for over an hour. Conversations were mainly about what the guys love about the place and what could be better.

Key Takeaways:

The biggest takeaway I got from my visit was the only thing the guys want to do is play in the gym and mainly basketball. The gym offers a variety of different things to do which is great. One problem with the gym is that the older group of teenagers are not given enough time to play in there which makes the club less enjoyable. The other rooms offered to the teens are not as enjoyable for them. Another takeaway I got was that their gym supervisor Mr. T is someone they all look up to. It seems like he is their big brother. If more people would visit as consistently as Mr. T, then more kids may visit, and the club could be considered “cooler.”

 

Expert Interview: Mr. T

Where: BGCA Gym

Who: Jake, Sarah

 

Characteristics: Mr. T is an African American male who appeared to be somewhere in his upper 20’s to low 30’s. He has experience in education being a college graduate, and is planning on going back to school to obtain a degree in business, specifically management. He is currently the athletic director at BGCA working part time there, and one other job.

 

Important Quotes: “One of the things that we could do better with at the BGCA is advertise all the unique things we have to offer. High school kids are big into having wifi so that would be an easy thing to advertise. Along with that advertising the gaming systems and the open gym we have available to do other sports.”

 

“The kids who come here have a difficult time paying the $50 up-front fee. Especially kids who are in sports after school who wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the membership. Finding a different payment method could attract more people to come.”

 

Top Takeaways:  Mr. T was passionate and believed that BGCA could definitely add more members to it. BGCA is one of the only places for kids to play basketball after school in a gym, so advertising that more could attract more members. Advertising wifi and gaming systems could attract more members too.

 

Insights: The facilities are very good at BGCA. Letting students be aware of this makes it an easier target to attract teens.

 

 

Teen Interview: Dolan Gilbert

Where: Telephone

 

Characteristics: Dolan is a male who is in high school at St. Josephs in South Bend. He plays hockey and is not a member of BGCA.

 

Quotes: “None of my friends from school participate in BGCA so I haven’t ever really had an interest in attending.” “ Hockey takes up most of my time in the winter after school, and I am able to spend time at home or at the rink so I would rather do that.”

 

Takeaways: Dolan did not have much interest in attending BGCA. He didn’t know much about it so raising more awareness could be a possible technique to help out. After school activities dominate his time after school so he wouldn’t have the time to even be a member who could get a lot out of BGCA.

 

Insights:  A way to attract more members to BGCA would be to try and market to teens whose afternoons are free. By making teens who don’t have activities planned after school they could find more members to join by letting them know all the fun activities that they can do.

 

 

Teen Interview: Morgan Gacke

Phone Interview

 

Characteristics: Morgan is a freshman in high school from Minnesota. She participates in soccer and other after school activities.

 

Quotes: “I enjoy spending my time after school with my family and friends.” “I have not heard of boys and girls club before so I would not have previously had idea of trying to join and become a member.”

 

Takeaways: Both of Morgan’s parents are school teachers, so they are most of the time back at home after the school day so they feel fine with her going back home when school is finished. Again, she is also actively involved in school activities that take up most of her afternoons when she is not home.

 

Insights: Morgan would rather spend her time at home with her parents or doing after school activities being involved with that. She doesn’t seem like a teen that would be beneficial to target as a prospective member of joining the BGCA.

 

 

Describing our Immersion:

 

Event: Going to the club and finding teens to interview for some of the questions we had raised. After the interview playing sports with the teens to have a friendlier interaction. We played pick-up basketball for over an hour and a half and the teens seemed to open up more the longer we had been there.

 

Takeaways: One of the unique things I noticed from being at the BGCA was how awesome the volunteers and employees were there. They had a range of people who could connect with all the different interests of the kids. Especially Mr. T, the kids when we played basketball really looked up to him and I could tell that he was a role model for them. If more teens went to the BGCA they would be in great hands with the people who work there and promote a fun environment. Also the teens there had great relationships with one another. The boys loved to play basketball and would be competitive and had a ton of fun playing. The girls at the club that day had known each other for a long time so you could tell how close they were to each other. It seemed like a family setting where everyone felt very comfortable with one another.

 

Analogous Immersion:

 

For my analogous immersion I went over to the YMCA to see what the differences from them and the BGCA were. The fee for the Y for a member under 18 years old was $19 a month. BGCA offers a more competitive rate of $50 a year. The Y does offer more different programs though than the BGCA, some of their extra programs included: Education and leadership, swim, sport and play camps. They also offer group classes at the Y including: Silver sneakers fitness program, group exercise classes, and teen/adult swim lessons. On top of those they offer healthy lifestyle seminars such as safety classes, smart start program, and youth strength training.  Another thing that they offer is personal fitness programs such as body fat testing, fitness testing, and personal training. Although it is more expensive this may be some of the reasons that pull away potential teen prospects away from the BGCA. For BGCA they may have to raise prices in order to compete with this, but I think a better way to still attract teens is finding a different demographic who aren’t as interested in all those things. Identifying and promoting BGCA to teens who would want more of a family setting would benefit them better.

This workaround is what my roommates and I use to put our xbox controllers into when we are done using them. We had an issue losing them within the room so we got this bucket to make sure that we can keep better track of them.

 

 

This we use as a way to keep the room dark in the mornings because our blinds don’t keep out the sunlight. We had an extra blanket lying around so decided it would be best used this way. 

For this workaround I use the foam roller on the floor to stand on to reach the top level of my shelves. I had issues reaching the high up levels so it has been beneficial to reach the hard to get clothes near the top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prototype→Bring a friend day/ guest lecturer

Problem: We need to help BGCA increase the “Cool” factor. Once we do this, the    transportation problem will fix itself.

Entice: We can advertise on social media and make fliers about the special guest lecturer who is coming to the club and each member can bring a friend for free. The BGCA members can also spread word to their friends about the event.

Enter: Once we have a headcount, we could do our best to get everyone there via Ms. Camille’s van and by having other volunteers drive.

Engage: The event will promote a fun atmosphere with food and drinks. We will make sure the guest is relevant and interesting to the teenagers. After the lecture, the guest can do some sort of interactive activity with the kids.

Exit: After the day is over, the club members and friends leave with a positive view of the club.

Extend: The members and their friends will share this experience by posting pictures on social media.

Go deeper on how you will test your ideas.  Think through the specifics using the 5E’s.  For bringing a friend, what would ‘entice’ the friend?  How will the message best be delivered?  What would ‘engage’ them once there?  A good way to prototype this is to have visual representation of the options – maybe photos of the offering options printed on cards, including a blank one where the kids could add their own ideas.  Similarly, what visitors would be appealing? What tutors?  And remember, just like with your ethnographic research, you will want to capture video, photos, and direct quotes.

 

Idea #1: “Bring a Friend Night”

What will we test and how?

Host a “bring a friend” night at the BGCA. We will test if implementing new events to the BGCA will increase the “cool” factor, and ultimately bring in more teens. When doing our interviews, we heard that one of the most exciting things about the club was the teen nights they would have. The goals of hosting this event will be for the friends to realize what the Boys and Girls Club can offer, as well as helping those that are already members realize it is a “cool” place. We can measure our results by going to the “bring a friend night.” We can survey the members of the club as well as their friends to see how they enjoyed it and if they would consider coming to more of these events.

Where will we test this idea?

We will test the idea at the gym of the Main BGCA location in South Bend.

Who will test this idea? And when?

We will test the idea as a group, by talking to members pre and post, that way we will be able to understand their thoughts going into it, and how/if they changed after the experience. We will also talk to the supervisors at the club who will be able to witness the event in its entirety.

 

Idea #2: Guest Lecturer/Guest Visitor

What will we test and how?

Bringing in a guest lecturer will give the kids another activity to participate in. This is something different and will add variety to their everyday experiences at BGC. Guest speakers can also allow them to learn about cool things and get to know about something they did not have prior knowledge to. We will test how the students respond to this activity-whether or not they like it. We will also test if we can get lecturers to come speak.

Where will we test this idea?

We will test this idea at the BGCA South Bend location.

Who will test this idea? And when?

Our team will survey the kids after the lecture and we will also be present to see how they are responding to the presentation.

 

Idea #3: Skype Volunteering

What will we test and how?

We will test out the viability of bringing in tutors to the BGC through Skype or other videoconferencing tools.  Once we have assessed whether the BGC has the hardware needed to use Skype we will test the effectiveness of tutoring over the internet.  After tutoring, we’ll ask kids for feedback on the process and perform a review of grades later to compare past and present performance.

Where will we test this idea?

We will test this idea at the BGC in South Bend, and the tutor will be at some other location.

Who will test this idea? And when?

One of our group or the Notre Dame club that volunteers at the Boys and Girls club will tutor some kids over the next two weeks on the Internet and our group will be at the BGC to oversee the process and ask students for feedback immediately after.

As you begin thinking about how to get feedback on your ideas, keep your Point of View Statement in mind.  From your presentation I understand this to be, “Teenage kids that are current members of the Boys and Girls Club need a way to increase and promote the cool factor of the club in a way that makes them feel like they are special for their club involvement, ultimately serving as natural ambassadors for the Club.”

For your Prototype Plan, think about how you can test the various facets of your ideas.  What will you test and how?  Where will you test your ideas?  Who will you test them with?  And when?

Idea #1: App

–Entice: Students can learn about the BGC from the app, see schedules, upcoming events, membership pricing, any available transportation options, and friends who also attend BGC

-Enter: Students can register and pay for membership through the app

-Engage: Study materials and volunteer contact information can be found on the app so that students can complete their homework and tutors can stay up-to-date with student grades

-Exit: Notifications through the app can inform students when parents arrive for pick-up, allow them to sign out in-app.

-Extend: BGC promotional material can be shared on social media through the app, students can send invites to friends (possibly for membership coupons)

 

Idea #2: Skype volunteering

–Entice: A larger tutor base will be available if location is no longer a limiting factor, so students will have more help available, enticing parents to send their children to BGC.

-Enter: Students can sit down at any computer or tablet in the BGC and connect during tutoring hours to their assigned tutor to work on homework.

-Engage: While working on homework, students can perform “screensharing” to show their tutors homework problems, and tutors can type out the help they provide or perform example problems on the student’s own screen.

-Exit: Thanks to limited travel time, volunteers are available for more tutoring time, and exit is as simple as signing off the Skype call.

-Extend: The Skype call does not necessarily have to take place at the BGC.  If a student is away from home or the BGC for some reason, they only have to find a device capable of taking a Skype call to work with their tutor.  Easy volunteering like this will improve volunteer consistency and build relationships between volunteers and teens.

 

Idea #3: Guest Lecturers

–Entice: Public figures that are popular to the kids would draw in students, and be able to provide messages better received than if the same information was conveyed by normal authority figures.  Whether these messages are speeches of guidance, motivation, or education, the kids would have more incentive to come to BGC if the people they met there were unique and particularly interesting on special occasions.

-Enter: Students could sign up for guest lectures ahead of time in order to bring friends and meet the guest personally (although not strictly necessary for attendance), exposing others to this special BGC experience.

-Engage: Communications with guests should be clear and directly tailored to the students at the BGC.  When figures already important to the kids speak to them on a personal level, their impact is enhanced and the kids will better internalize the message.  Personal interactions will motivate students to make the most of their experience with guests and build important connections as well as communication skills the kids will utilize their whole lives.

-Exit: When guests leave, students will have had a unique experience with a strong impact that will differentiate itself from the already-positive time they spend with the Boys and Girls Club on a day-to-day basis.

-Extend: When guest lecturers make connections with students and maintain contact, the students may be able to transform what was once a lecturer-attendee relationship into a mentor-student relationship, and continue to cultivate valuable lessons from the positive role model that they communicate with.  Even in the event that some students don’t maintain this contact, they will still know one more person in their community that they can look up to, one they may not have known before.  They can carry the lessons they learned from the guest lecturer and see the lessons in action in that figure’s life whenever they hear news about that lecturer, whether they were a local board member, an athlete, or some other citizen in the community.  The allure of guest lecturers and any positive reactions from the community may grow into more demand for the BGC, growing the community at the Club, and more clout for bringing in more guest lecturers, in a positive snowball effect.

If your door doesn’t have a kickstand and it needs to be propped open for a coaches’ clinic, you improvise.

 

If your heat press singes your clothing when pressing labels, you cover the thing you want to heat press with another piece of fabric.

If players knock gold chips off their helmets every game, you buy stickers and cover them in gold so you can just patch the scratches instead of retreating the helmet.