Ten years is a long time for an app. Phones have changed, the app stores have changed, and most of what was on your home screen in 2016 is long gone. The Big App is still here, and this year it’s getting some enhancements.
Where it started
In 2014, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana (BBBSCI) ran a Six Sigma project to help mentors spend more intentional time with their mentees. That work produced twelve “Thriving Indicators,” the life skills and qualities BBBSCI wanted every match to build, from confidence and social skills to healthy habits and a love of learning, all elements that contribute to a meaningful relationship.
The research was BBBSCI’s. The question they brought to us was, “How do we put it in a Big’s hands on a Saturday morning?”
The Big App launched in March 2016. Bigs could browse activities and events tied to those indicators, plan time with their Littles, and skip sorting through a pile of event emails. Behind it sat an admin portal where BBBSCI’s staff manage the activities, events, and data that make the app useful. In 2018, the Big App won an Indiana Innovation Award. The full story of how we built it is in our case study.
Who does what
The Big App has always been a team effort. Crafted builds and runs the mobile app, the part Bigs and Littles hold in their hands. We build the admin portal behind it. The programs, the mentoring, and the matches themselves are all BBBSCI’s work, and the app exists to make that work a little easier to do.
What’s new this year
Ten years in, BBBSCI is adding to the Big App. Here’s what’s coming:
- Interest tags. BBBSCI keeps a list of interests, and Bigs and Littles pick the ones that fit them. Events get tagged with interests, too, so the app can suggest events both people in a match will enjoy. On our side, that means the admin tools for managing the list and tagging events.
- Notifications that hit the right inbox. Staff can filter down to exactly who they want to reach (every parent, every Big, or every Big matched in the last month) and send a push notification or an email.
- Better reporting. A new dashboard gives BBBSCI staff a quick read on app usage: how many Bigs are active, how many activities are logged, how many events are attended, and how many new users there are, over whatever time period they choose. It also shows which Thriving Indicators matches are spending their time on, so the research the app was built on keeps paying off.
- A refreshed admin portal. A cleaner, faster portal for the staff who run the app day to day.
Still about the match
The Big App was built to do two things: cut through the pile of scattered event emails, and help each match spend its time on what builds a strong relationship. This year’s work keeps both in view. Interest tags make it easier for a Big and a Little to find something they’ll both enjoy. Better notifications mean the right people hear about the right event. And the new reporting gives BBBSCI’s staff a clear look at how matches are spending their time, tracked against the same Thriving Indicators they defined back in 2014.
Ten years on, that’s still the job: keep the tools out of the way so BBBSCI’s team can spend its time on the matches. If you’ve ever thought about mentoring, becoming a Big is the most direct way to get involved.