Designing for Connection in a Peer-Led Recovery Space:
Enhancing the Onboarding and Activity Experience for People in Mental Health Recovery to Strengthen Engagement
Organisation
Richmond Fellowship Community Network
Project type
Service design
Member & staff experience
Process improvement
Timeline
4.5 months (2021)
Context & problem
Richmond Fellowship Community Network (RFCN) is a peer-led mental health recovery organisation supporting older people in recovery (PIR). Many members disengaged early, and staff lacked insights into why. This created risk for both community impact and the NGO certification they were working toward.
My role & team
As a Service Designer, I framed the opportunity space, adapted research methods to constraints, and co-developed low-fidelity prototypes with another service designer and RFCN programme lead.
Design process
Empathise
Define
Ideate
Prototype (I was here)
Testing & implementation (next step)
Methods
Interviews
Surveys
Field Studies
Workshops
Outcome & potential impact
Designed clearer onboarding and low-pressure peer roles to improve early engagement and build member confidence.
Strengthened shared understanding between members and staff around RFCN’s purpose and expectations.
Contributed to sustained engagement efforts that supported RFCN’s successful NGO certification in 2023.
Framing the Design Approach
Focusing on the internal service system
To clarify the project scope, we co-mapped RFCN’s ecosystem with Lori, the organisation’s sole programme coordinator. The mapping revealed that members primarily interact with Lori and fellow peers, the two biggest influences on their experience. This led us to focus the project on RFCN’s internal service system, particularly the PIR member journey and Lori’s role in supporting it.
Balancing constraints & care
Constraints
Limited access to members
Limited staff capacity
Limited tech knowledge among members
How they guided our research approach
We triangulated insights through qualitative and quantitative research methods to gain a well-rounded view of the current experience, both frontstage (members) and backstage (staff operations).
Staff interview
Lori provided an internal operational view and key assumptions about members’ behaviour.
Field Study
Although members were absent, the physical touchpoints helped us better understand their experience.
Member survey
It helped validate Lori’s assumptions while respecting members’ comfort and boundaries.
How they guided our design principles
We prioritised low-tech, low-effort, staff-supported solutions that aligned with existing routines and avoided the need for new systems or digital skills.
Discovering Insights
Misaligned expectations between members & RFCN
Research revealed that members joined RFCN mainly seeking emotional support and peer connection, while RFCN emphasised skill-building and structured learning. This mismatch in expectations often led to quiet disengagement.
Meet friends
Tea & snacks
“I just want to have tea and chit-chat.”
“My friends and family have no similar experience. I'm happy to meet someone like me here.”
Learn new skills
Be independent
“They should learn how to run activities independently.”
“They’re expected to help sustain the peer community.”
Zooming into Misaligned Expectations
Through mapping the member journey with Lori, we identified the following key moments where expectations broke down and disengagement began. Together, we prioritised onboarding and activity participation as the most critical phases of the member journey to address. These moments were not only the most emotionally impactful for members, but also where Lori had the most influence to make meaningful change.
Lack of onboarding clarity misled members from day one
Most members joined through peer referrals without a clear introduction to RFCN’s purpose.
Increasing clarity for the member onboarding experience.
Peer leadership expectations created stress and drop-off
Members were asked to take on leadership roles. Many felt unprepared or stressed unexpectedly.
Creating low-pressure peer-led activities.
Unwelcoming environment weakened emotional connection
The space felt more like an office than a peer-support environment, making it harder to feel a sense of belonging.
Improving the physical and emotional tone of the space.
Improving the PIR Member Experience
Based on the opportunity areas, with no direct access to PIR members, we engaged Lori to validate early service concepts through a feedback session to assess feasibility and refine them. This allowed us to balance research-driven design with staff knowledge and operational realities, creating a shared foundation for potential implementation.
Creating a more welcoming and emotionally supportive space
We proposed simple environmental changes such as displaying photos from past gatherings and updating the member contribution wall to help members feel more emotionally connected and at home.
Expected outcome: These low-effort additions aimed to foster a sense of belonging and support emotional connection throughout the member experience.
Creating a clearer and more supportive onboarding experience
To introduce RFCN’s purpose and set expectations early, we proposed lightweight tools like a welcome card, an orientation poster, and a peer-facilitated welcome moment.
Expected outcome: These aimed to help new members feel informed and supported from the start, aligning expectation early, while also reducing the pressure on Lori to explain everything individually.
Creating a low-pressure path to leading activities
We proposed low-pressure ways for members to contribute, like a buddy system and activity toolkits for activity planning and facilitation, and a ritual of recognition at the end of the activity.
Expected outcome: These supports aimed to build member confidence in leadership roles. They also make it easier for Lori to facilitate peer involvement with minimal extra effort, making participation more sustainable long-term.
Across all the 3 key improvements, we focused on small, low-effort changes that are expected to improve member confidence, emotional connection, and engagement, while staying realistic for Lori to maintain. In the longer term, they are expected to support RFCN’s goals of community integration and readiness for NGO certification.
Next Steps
Supporting Lori to test with PIR members
Since the improvements were co-created with Lori, the next step would be test them with PIR members to understand how they respond in real contexts and identify areas for refinement.
As we had not access to the PIR members, to help Lori run the pilot within her limited capacity, we would provide a support toolkit, including an observation checklist, simple prompts for member feedback, and a flexible testing timeline.
This approach helped to keep testing manageable while enabling real-world insights and iteration. It would also build Lori’s confidence to lead future improvements independently.
Learnings
Be water in constraints
Working with limited member access, low tech literacy, and minimal resources pushed me to adapt and stay flexible. These challenges helped me design with focus and purpose, a mindset I’ll carry into future projects with similar limitations.
Be mindful of ethical concerns in healthcare contexts
Working with vulnerable members reminded me that protecting boundaries is just as important as uncovering insights. This strengthened my ethical awareness, something I’ll carry into future projects involving trust and sensitivity.
This project taught me that small, thoughtful changes can plant the seed for lasting impact. In 2023, RFCN became a certified NGO, a milestone I’m proud to have contributed to.
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Thanks for making it this far. Since this project, I’ve developed a growing interest in designing for social impact. It reminded me that good design doesn’t just solve problems: it brings a human touch, strengthens trust, and makes everyday systems feel more supportive and inclusive.
If this resonates with you, I’d love to connect and keep the conversation going.
