SmallSomebody
Project Overview
SmallSomebody — Open Data Platform for Taiwan’s NGOs/NPOs
Designed and launched an open-data platform to connect Taiwan’s NGOs and NPOs, aiming to break down information silos, promote collaboration, and amplify social impact aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The initiative focused on empowering smaller organizations by increasing visibility and enabling transparent data sharing.
Team Composition & My Role
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Product Manager / UX Lead (Myself) | Led product strategy, UX research, and cross-functional coordination |
| Fullstack Engineer | Backend development, API integration |
| Frontend Engineer | UI implementation, responsive design |
| Marketing & Operations | Outreach, community engagement |
| Graphic Designer | Visual identity and promotional materials |
Key Challenges & Solutions
- Data Input Barrier：Designed a low-friction data entry flow for NGOs/NPOs to self-submit organizational info
- SDG Concept Communication：Created engaging content and workshops to simplify and promote SDG awareness
- Limited Resources & Visibility：Leveraged open-source tools and community events to grow platform reach under tight constraints
Key Contributions & Impact
- UX Strategy：Facilitated empathy mapping and persona workshops to guide user-centered design
- Content Operations：Integrated Airtable with MySQL to streamline data collection and publishing workflows
- Community Engagement：Organized SDG board game workshops and open-sharing events, driving 45% growth in Facebook followers and monthly active users
- Agile Product Management：Oversaw sprint planning and team coordination across engineering, design, and marketing
- Platform Launch：Delivered MVP with core features including organization listing, search, and categorization
- Educational Adoption：Platform adopted by educators as a teaching tool for SDG concepts in schools
Software Development Lifecycle
| Phase | Key Activities |
|---|---|
| Initiation | - Defined visibility/resource challenges for NGOs/NPOs - Established SDG-driven platform vision |
| Planning | - Selected Drupal + Airtable for flexible CMS and low-barrier data ops - Conducted empathy mapping & persona workshops - Scoped MVP: org listing, search, categorization |
| Development & Testing | - Led agile sprints with engineers - Integrated user testing & UX optimization - Designed Drupal content types synced with Airtable |
| Release & Promotion | - Coordinated launch & deployment - Hosted SDG workshops, joined open-data events - Grew community via Facebook & outreach |
| Iteration & Impact | - Tracked traffic, user behavior, onboarding metrics - Built feedback loop for NGOs/users - Continuously improved UX & features based on data |
