Orcasound is an open source web application that delivers live streaming audio and orca detections from a network of hydrophones throughout the Puget Sound. I have worked with the core team since 2021 to continually develop and improve the product, through UX design, research, and data analysis.
In thinking through the project's challenges and opportunities, I developed a collaborative UX workshop series for building shared team vision uniting business goals with user needs.
One of the challenges facing an open source project like Orcasound is a sprawling agenda encompassing the interests and priorities of dozens of short-term collaborators. At the same time, new recruits often have difficulty understanding where to jump in and make a difference on the project, and a limited engineering team needs a detailed way to prioritize development hours.
The first workshop on Goal Mapping and Vision has succeeded in redefining the organization's focus on actively conserving endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales, with science and empathy/entertainment as secondary and tertiary goals.
The next workshop will dig deeper into understanding the user base for the app, and what specific user needs we can fulfill in their journey toward actively contributing to a coordinated conservation response.
