 To learn how to better reach, engage with, and improve our relations with key audiences, our organization collaborated with Algonquin College's former Interdisciplinary Studies in Human-Centred Design program. We worked with three student teams (Mockingjays, TraceCraft, and Trailbenders) from the program to address and research three key audiences. Mockingjays researched how to engage the next generation of volunteers, TraceCraft explored opportunities for family engagement with trails, and Trailbenders investigated how newcomers to Canada experience trails. Below you can see images of the posters made by the student teams for Applied Research Day, which include a summary of all deliverables created by the teams.  For their Applied Research Day presentation the Mockingjays team made a poster showcasing their results. It includes findings on what motivates and retains volunteers, as well as showcasing their solutions for our organization including a QR code illustration and the volunteer wall of fame page.  TraceCraft made a poster for Applied Research Day which showcased their findings on how to attract families to trails, their methods, as well as showcasing the card game they developed to attract families to trails.  The Trailbenders created a poster for Applied Research day which focused on exhibiting the motivations and needs which bring immigrants to trails. They showed how many surveys and interviews they completed, as well as the intervention they created for our organization with their concept for signage on the trails. Kick-Off Meeting In Wakefield - Meet and Greet Between All Students and Board Members  First Visit to Wakefield For the kickoff of the research projects the students visited Wakefield from Algonquin College's Human-Centered Design Lab in order to get acquainted with the organization and all the board members. To ensure a solid understanding of our organization they asked us to describe our organization, challenges we were facing, goals we wanted to achieve, and questions we had about trail users. This visit provided each team with a solid foundation to work off of when conducting their research. Field Work on the Trails To conduct their research the students used a mixed-method approach consisting of a qualitative method (interviews) and a quantitative method (surveys). Through this method the students were able to transform the data into real and applicable findings through quantitative and qualitative analysis. These methods were supported and guided by our organization, helping them receive realistic results. For the surveys they were mostly sent out digitally by teams to their target audiences, ensuring they reached those primarily in the Ottawa-Gatineau and Wakefield regions. These surveys aimed to find common trends between participants to help trail organizations find key needs and frustrations of their target audiences, particularly focused on the Sentiers Wakefield Trails. For the interviews, each student team conducted 7-14 interviews online with target audiences and/or subject matter experts to gain expansive qualitative information which they could extrapolate into solutions. Regular Presentations to Board at Algonquin To involve us and our board members in the process we were invited to several presentations at Algonquin College with the student teams. At these presentations they explained their research methods, presented key audience segments, and showcased their findings. During the presentations we provided them with helpful feedback which allowed them to adjust their research to come away with increasingly applicable and realistic findings. Applied Research Day - 2 of the 3 teams Won!
At the end of the semester all three teams presented their research and designs based on their key findings at Algonquin College's Applied Research Day Event December 2024 event. At the event the teams were able to showcase their work with our organization to both the public and judges, providing them an excellent opportunity to gain experience presenting research to the public in a concise and effective manner. All three teams did a fantastic job presenting the research completed — the judges were so impressed with the work of two teams, TraceCraft and Trailbenders, that the teams were winners of the event's "Student In-Class Projects Awards" (Trailbenders received a 1st place award and TraceCraft received a 2nd place award). Final Presentations in Wakefield At the end of the semester each team visited us in Wakefield to showcase their results in well-polished final presentations. These presentations helped give us insight into how we could reach and retain these audiences through actionable steps. Alongside their impressive research they blew us away with their creative deliverables based off of their research for our organization to use; these deliverables included stickers, keychains, card games to place on trails to engage children of different ages, and the concept for a volunteer wall of fame — which was later implemented by another student team. Alongside these deliverables they suggested various ways of communicating with and serving the trail users that they researched, including families, immigrants, and young volunteers. For a more detailed look at the students' work please take a look at the presentations attached below. These presentations contain valuable information for all trail organizations. Note: the presentations are in English only. Comments are closed.
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