If you’ve ever wandered up to the farm at the top of the Ullandhaug hill, you know it’s a special place. Ullandhaug Økologiske Gård isn't just about tasty organic vegetables. It’s about community, getting your hands dirty, and making good things grow.
Camilla runs the show. She looks after the crops, the animals, and a lovely bunch of employees and volunteers. She is, quite frankly, a superhero.
But running a farm is hard. Organising who is doing what (and when) is a total headache. Camilla wanted to spend more time with people and animals, and less time buried in spreadsheets.
The problem: An inside job
This project didn’t start in a meeting room. It started in the mud.
One of our crew (Tracy) was volunteering at the farm, petting pigs and pulling up rhubarb, when she saw how tricky the organising was. Camilla was juggling the whole team using memory, text messages, and one very scribbled-on piece of paper.
It worked because Camilla made it work. But we thought she deserved a break. We’re not great at farming (we’re better with keyboards than carrots), but we knew we could fix the schedule.
Drawing pictures
We went back to our office (the spare bedroom) and got to work. We didn't open laptops straight away. We used pens and paper.
We wanted to make signing up for a shift easier than sending a text. We drew sketches, threw them in the bin, and drew them again until it felt simple.
The clever bits
We didn't want a generic calendar. We wanted something that understood this farm and these people. Here are the little things we added to make life easier:
- No passwords: Passwords are annoying. You always forget them. So we ditched them. Volunteers just type in their email and get a magic link. Safe, simple, and no "reset password" drama.
- It knows what you like: Do you prefer plants or pigs? The app remembers. When you book a slot, it fills in the details for you. Less tapping, more farming.
- Ghost notes: Life happens. People cancel. If they do, the app leaves a little "ghost" note on the schedule. That way, Camilla knows she didn't just imagine the booking.
- Weekend logic: Weekends are just for feeding animals, which only needs one person. If a second person tries to book, the system politely says "we're full." No need to text Camilla to check.
- Camilla's view: Camilla sees the whole week at a glance. She can edit bookings or find phone numbers instantly if she needs to make a quick call.
- Custom everything: Farms change with the seasons. Camilla can change opening times, shift lengths, and even the emojis. 🥕 🐰
“I love how easy it is to get an overview and choose volunteer opportunities that fit my calendar.” Jeanette
No signal? No worries.
Farms are famous for fresh air and terrible mobile reception. A fancy system is useless if it stops working every time a cloud floats by.
So, we built it to work offline.
If the internet vanishes, or a volunteer has no data, the app doesn't crash. It remembers everything. Camilla can still see the schedule, and volunteers can still see their shifts. The digital clipboard never goes blank.
Camilla's life now
The "Paper Planner" is being phased out. Now, volunteers sign up from their sofas. Camilla can see who is coming at a glance.
Most importantly, the time she saved on admin is now spent doing the important stuff, making the farm a lovely place to be.
Who’s next?
This project was a joy to build, and we’re itching for the next one. Are you a non-profit in Stavanger with a headache that technology could probably solve?