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The Orcasound UX Team was formed during the spring of 2020. It has since scaled from a passionate single team of rotating 8-12 volunteers to multiple siloed project teams. The unique opportunity to help both bring a user-focused approach to designing web pages and web-apps for marine conservation and allow early career UXers to learn and grow professionally is the foundation of the UX Team.
The listening web-app, or Orcasite as it is called internally, is the keystone of and the inspiration for the website’s name- Orcasound. The main goal is to allow users to listen to underwater microphones, called hydrophones, installed in different areas of the Salish Sea in the Pacific Northwest region to inspire citizen engagement in conservation efforts for the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs). However, marine conservation is also included as part of the vision and mission of Orcasound.
Before you read further, it’s important for you to know that Orcasound is a collection of volunteers working on a website that contains both content and web-apps. It is not a registered organization with the US or other governments. It does not have nonprofit status, significant funding, or an address. We are based in the Seattle area but are remote-focused and welcome volunteers from all over the world.
Since the inception of the UX Team, research with Orcasound users has uncovered needs and solutions that address marine conservation. Multiple pieces of content and web-apps are in process of being researched, designed, and sent to production. We approach the UX process from the concept of the Double Diamond. We are learning how to adopt an Agile framework, using Product Managers to shepherd a product from conception through the UX process to development.
If all of this seems like a foreign language to you, that’s OK! We’re all here to learn, and a supportive culture exists on the UX Team where you can make mistakes and try new things without the fear of failure. Use Google to learn new UX techniques, use ADPList to find mentors, and experiment until you find what works for you. Have discussions with other UX and cross-functional team members, learn how to deal with push-back, design critiques, and stakeholder buy-in. It’s all a part of the UX process!
Since you can’t be paid to do UX work for Orcasound, use your experience to learn and grow professionally, and get case studies to build your portfolio, resume, etc. You get what you put in to Orcasound, so treat this like a job. The founder of the UX Team used his experience to break into the UX Research field. Whether it’s UX Research, UX Design, Content Strategy, or any other UX discipline, you can do it too!
Here you can access documentation for the Orcasound UX Team onboarding as well as UX and Product resources. Please see below for links to the resources that you are looking for:
1. Orcasound UX Team Onboarding
If you are new to the Orcasound UX Team, check out these important onboarding resources. You’ll be able to check out the different project, department, and leadership teams you could join.
If you need resources to run Product Management, UX Research, Design, or any other UX discipline, check here. If a resource you need is not available, and you are unable to provide it yourself, please create an issue and a member of UX leadership will reach out to you.