Background

Tempo Time Credits is the UK's largest time recognition scheme, partnering with organizations across the UK to foster increased community involvement.

Challenge

Tempo's time recognition scheme was entirely paper-based, becoming increasingly difficult to manage after a decade of growth. All notes had to be counted manually and there was no way to track their usage. Furthermore, the website did not facilitate easy discovery of opportunities to earn or use Time Credits. 

The Work

Yalla partnered with Tempo to digitize the Time Credits scheme. The goal was to devise a lean, testable approach for digital Time Credits and a scalable growth strategy. The result was an end-to-end platform for volunteers, charities, volunteer groups, and venues, all manageable by Tempo.

Problem Solving and Prioritization

Yalla first dissected the problems Tempo wished to solve for themselves and their users. They prioritized these problems to create a list of potential opportunities. These were followed by a series of design thinking sprints, defining core users, building intuitive journeys for various user types within the Tempo ecosystem, and ensuring sustained engagement.

Technical and Design Planning

Working in parallel, Yalla developed a secure, robust platform providing functionalities similar to financial apps. Users could view their balance, complete transactions, and review their Time Credits history.

Deep Insight with Data Ethics

Yalla aimed to provide Tempo with deep insights into the Time Credits ecosystem, tracking every Time Credit from issuance. However, data ethics and user privacy were always a priority. Yalla adopted a 'Privacy by Design' approach, implementing stringent security measures, conducting regular audits, and ensuring transparency with users about how their data was being used. 

Ongoing Release Strategy

Yalla opted for an ongoing release strategy, launching an initial version of the platform for early testing and iterating with new features gradually. This approach facilitated sustainable product scaling.

Custom CMS

The platform includes a custom CMS, enabling Tempo staff, venues, and volunteer groups to easily create profile pages and opportunities. This transformed into an easy-to-use marketplace for volunteers to search based on location and interests.

Impact

The digital transformation was a resounding success, completely replacing the use of physical Time Credits. The platform has successfully handled the transactions of 1.1 million Time Credits so far. It supports 1,400 volunteering organisations to manage 19,000 volunteers, with 1,000+ opportunities for earning and using Time Credits to find based on location and interest.

Yalla has been Tempo's digital partner for the past three years, providing monthly support for system updates and new feature development.

While you need to register for full access, you can view opportunities here: https://tempotimecredits.org/use