As the Manager of Experience at Australian Red Cross Lifeblood (2020–2023), I led the strategy and roadmap for our digital touchpoints. These are some pieces I worked on in this time.
Donating blood or plasma is such a generous act, but for many donors the process wasn’t always smooth. Popular time slots at Lifeblood centres would book out quickly, and when someone cancelled at the last minute, those highly desirable spots often went unfilled. That meant donors missed out on the times they wanted, and Lifeblood felt extra pressure to fill open times to meet donation targets.
That’s where Notify Me came in. The idea was simple: if the time you wanted wasn’t available, you could choose to be notified when it opened up – and book it right away.
At first, we explored this as a “waitlist.” But in testing with donors, we learned something interesting: the waitlist concept didn’t quite match their mental model. The “Notify Me” concept worked better as it felt clear, flexible, and empowering.
By reframing the idea and validating it through interviews and prototypes, we landed on a solution that would give donors more flexibility and confidence, while helping Lifeblood make the most of every appointment slot.
What we found
Control and self-serving were the main benefits
Donors valued the control and flexibility of receiving notifications rather than phone calls, which could feel intrusive and make it harder to consider their availability. Notifications allowed donors to decide in their own time, say yes or no without guilt, and book appointments that suited their schedule.
Low emotional impact of saying “no” to a notification
Donors were comfortable receiving frequent notifications because they had opted in and saw them as helpful, relevant opportunities. They also felt little guilt declining an available appointment, as notifications were viewed as an optional way to fill cancellations rather than a commitment to change an existing booking.
Download Notify me research pack (pdf 2.6mb)
