From Infinite Scroll to Cards: Reworking LocalGood's Feed for Community Action

Design · 5 min read

LocalGood's feed originally mimicked social platforms with infinite scroll and mixed content types. The team found that while users spent time scrolling, few converted to offline actions like signing up for events or volunteering. Qualitative interviews revealed that civic tasks require clear calls-to-action and context, not endless browsing.

The redesign introduced modular action-cards: each card presents a concise why (impact), where (map snapshot), what (role and time), and one primary CTA. Cards are grouped into 'happening soon', 'needs volunteers', and 'near you' buckets, giving users clearer mental models for exploration. The infinite scroll was replaced by paginated sections that encourage action-focused journeys.

After launch LocalGood saw a 31% increase in sign-ups for events and a 19% rise in volunteer confirmations, even though average session time decreased. Engagement quality improved: fewer passive likes, more RSVPs and shares to personal networks.

The LocalGood story demonstrates that feed design should be aligned with product goals; when conversion to real-world action is the objective, interface patterns that emphasize clarity, context, and the single next step outperform engagement-driven defaults like infinite scroll.