Applying the process of contextual inquiry to find the problems with data collection and its use for fundraising by Student Life at the University of Michigan

1. Use of data in fundraising at
Design Forge
Anand Doshi, Paris Hsu, Emily Koelzer,
Manikandan Kandadai Venkatesh

2. 27*
units
1000+
student orgs
Life
campus involvement
student support
healthy living
identity & justice

3. The
Stakeholders
in the problem

4. The
Process
● Background Research
● Interviews
● Interpretation
● Affinity Wall
● Brainstorming
● Presentation
● Final Report

5. Your Problems are Ours Now :)

6. Student Life Development needs
student involvement data
for affinity-based fundraising
The data collection process is
manual, inconsistent, time consuming
The Problem

7. Our Findings

8. Standard template has
extra information
Templates are
not user friendly
All units are different

9. No incentive for data stewards
Not in job description
Unaware about their contribution
“What’s in it for me?”

10. Breakdowns
Difference of opinion about the
“granularity” of data required
Data Stewards are overwhelmed by the
dynamic nature of the template
Wish for simpler templates and less data

11. “It is a lot of manual work”
Source of data is scattered - Quantum of
the data is huge
Existing infrastructure such as Sessions
is not leveraged.
Data collection is not automated across
all data units - No funds for Card
Readers
Experience of Data stewards determines
the efficiency

12. Widening Knowledge Gap
Varying levels of expertise among
different Data Stewards
Knowledge is lost in staff transition
Data Stewards work in isolation

13. “In my position I worry much more than
fundraising”
“I might need an assistant”
I am a Superman

14. Our Recommendations

15. transparency & collaboration
Student Life
Development
Student Life
Units
Data Team
Improve
across stakeholders
Our Recommendations

16. Student Life
Development
Student Life
Units
Data Team
provide
motivation
increase
communication
Announce
fundraising efforts
Survey for units
More collaborations
with student units
Shared knowledge base
Provide do’s & dont’s
with examples about
expected data format
Regular meetings / listservs

17. Student Life
Development
Student Life
Units
Data Team
Get external help
to clean up data
Provide resources
Selection of
Data Stewards
Simplify template
Additional Recommendations

18. Thanks