Muide

I had the exciting opportunity to work on a startup project that aimed to connect prospective international students with current/alumni students from their prospective universities. The goal was to provide valuable insights, guidance, and support to students during their university selection process.

Problem

Our research and stakeholder team identified 3 primary problems with the old app.

User Needs Overlooked: The previous designer didn't identify the primary users' needs or the best platform, leading to an initial focus on an app that didn't fit the target audience.
Redundant Research: The initial research was too focused on the app experience, which meant it didn't translate well to a website context, leading to duplicated efforts.
Non-Intuitive Interface: The initial app design lacked intuitive navigation and user-friendly features, making it difficult for users to accomplish their tasks efficiently.

User Needs Overlooked: The previous designer didn't identify the primary users' needs or the best platform, leading to an initial focus on an app that didn't fit the target audience.
Redundant Research: The initial research was too focused on the app experience, which meant it didn't translate well to a website context, leading to duplicated efforts.
Non-Intuitive Interface: The initial app design lacked intuitive navigation and user-friendly features, making it difficult for users to accomplish their tasks efficiently.

Solution

Opportunity

How might we streamline the process for students to connect with mentors from their preferred universities, ensuring ease of access and relevant guidance?

Define

Competitive Analysis

To gain insights into the current market and user expectations, I conducted a competitive analysis. This involved analyzing similar platforms, understanding their strengths and weaknesses, and identifying opportunities for differentiation.

Ideate

Crazy 8's Exercise

To explore potential user interface (UI) ideas, I organized a Crazy 8's exercise with the project team. This rapid sketching session generated multiple design concepts, fostering creativity and collaboration.

Hi-Fi Mocks

Based on the selected UI ideas, I proceeded to create high-fidelity mockups. These detailed visual representations allowed the team to visualize the platform's look and feel, enabling constructive feedback and refinement.

Task Flow

Task: Buy a stock with the help of recommendations that the app provides.

The task flow involves adding stock information in the app's portfolio, exploring recommendations, examining detailed information about specific stocks, making a decision to buy or sell, completing the purchase process, and finally confirming the transaction.

Prototype

Hi-Fidelity Prototype

After testing the mid-fidelity prototype and gaining insights, I developed this high-fidelity prototype to refine the user experience further. This includes adding more detailed design elements and incorporating feedback from the mid-fidelity testing phase.

View Prototype

Key Learnings

What did I learn from this project?

Adaptability to Stakeholder Feedback: Pivoting from an app to a website highlighted the need to stay flexible and align design with stakeholder goals.
Contextual Research: Redoing research for the website version emphasized the importance of understanding platform-specific user behaviors.
Iterative Design: The pivot reinforced the value of iterative design, allowing for continuous refinement based on feedback.

Adaptability to Stakeholder Feedback: Pivoting from an app to a website highlighted the need to stay flexible and align design with stakeholder goals.
Contextual Research: Redoing research for the website version emphasized the importance of understanding platform-specific user behaviors.
Iterative Design: The pivot reinforced the value of iterative design, allowing for continuous refinement based on feedback.

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