Exygy partnered with the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers to audit and recommend technical improvements for the scaling of the organization’s digital platform.
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Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers (RCI) promotes the health, strength, and resilience of caregivers at every stage of their journey. Established in 1987, RCI is rooted in former First Lady Rosalynn Carter’s belief that there are only four types of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.
RCI began offering coaching and support to caregivers in Georgia and has since grown to embrace opportunities to reach more caregivers, in more ways, and in more places. In 2020, RCI expanded nationally and became an independent organization to fulfill its promise to champion the family caregiver. Since then, RCI has built cross-sector partnerships, promoted evidence-based programs, and advocated for public policy.
With more than 53 million people serving as unpaid family caregivers in the United States, the institute’s scope and work continue to evolve under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Dr. Jennifer Olsen, a prominent epidemiologist, in partnership with Mrs. Carter.
Over the last several years, RCI developed a custom caregiver data platform to better understand the programmatic impacts of the organization's work. The platform was initially focused on collecting data from RCI’s caregiver coaching programs but has since expanded to licensing the RCI program to partners. With a growing network of partners, RCI needed to improve its platform to be able to collect, analyze, and report on data across organizations in a centralized and scalable way.
RCI partnered with Exygy to assess the existing platform’s ability to scale. They were also looking for expert guidance and recommendations on best practices to implement so that the product would be sustainable, accessible, and secure for the long run.
Exygy initiated the project by conducting a thorough examination of RCI's existing system, focusing on both usability and technical aspects. Our design team engaged with stakeholders identified key themes, and applied established accessibility norms to evaluate how RCI interacts with its current system. Throughout our work, Exygy's design team adhered to the principles of the Thoughtful Design framework, ensuring a meticulous consideration of various perspectives in the design process.
Simultaneously, our Engineering team collaborated with RCI's previous technical partner to construct a comprehensive data map of the backend, assessing its alignment with long-term goals. We scrutinized the adequacy of the current tools and identified necessary changes for RCI to achieve its future objectives. Recognizing the importance of addressing both the present and future states of the digital platform, we identified four crucial pillars: accessibility, usability, security, and scalability.
The outcomes of our efforts included a formal audit report, categorizing observed issues under the four key pillars, and a recommended roadmap for the reconstruction of RCI's current system.
The audit Exygy conducted for the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers was a crucial step towards building the next iteration of their platform. The audit and roadmap created at the end of the engagement have already become a strong foundation for implementation. Exygy and RCI continued their partnership after the initial audit to have Exygy implement and build the changes outlined in the roadmap.
The information distilled through the engagement has already springboarded development and allowed us to approach the work with greater understanding and nuance than ever before.
We are incredibly proud to be involved in RCI’s goals to transform the resources available to caregivers by making its programs easier and more accessible to implement across the country.
