Bridging the gap between students and campus
This conceptual social platform helps students seamlessly integrate into university life. By providing a space for information exchange, community building, and fostering connections., it addresses the missing link between orientation materials and real-life campus experiences, fostering a sense of belonging from day one.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Understand:- Specify context of use
Gather Requirements
Design / Build
Evaluate designs
Evaluate designs
Final design development
Final design development
Initial Problem
A Gap in Student Support Systems
University life presents unique challenges, especially for new and international students adapting to unfamiliar cultures and campuses. Existing orientation programs often fall short in providing continuous support. There’s a clear need for a way students can connect, access resources, and foster a sense of belonging even before arriving on campus-one that continuously supports students, enhances social ties, and promotes an inclusive campus experience.
This step aims to pinpoint user needs and the broader context in which they interact with university life. Through competitive reviews, student interviews, and the development of user profiles and personas, it lays the foundation for creating tasks and process flows that address real-world challenges.
Platform
University Forums
University Forums
Useful
Useable
Findable
Credible
Desirable
Accessible
Valuable
UX factors
User Interview
Interviews with five university students in Brighton underscored the different roles social media plays—staying in touch with friends, academic collaboration, and networking. However, they also revealed gaps in cultural adaptation, time management, and consistent access to campus resources.
Highlighting the gaps identified
User interviews and competitive reviews, recurring pain points emerged that hinder students’ ability to navigate university life effectively. Each gap reflects a deeper need for continuous support, streamlined resources, and a sense of community tailored to the campus environment.
Ongoing Support & Engagement
Many students struggle to find sustained guidance beyond the initial weeks of the semester. Existing resources—like campus orientation programs or public social platforms—tend to be short-lived or cluttered, making it difficult to stay updated on academic requirements, social events, and campus news.
Why it maters: Reduces isolation, especially for those new to university or studying abroad.
Balancing Academic & Social Needs
Students want a dedicated space that accommodates both professional and casual interactions. Certain platforms excel at creating fun social environments but lack academic credibility, while others focus on professional networking without delivering a sense of community.
Why it maters: Simplifies users’ digital footprint so they don’t have to toggle between multiple tools.
Ease of Use & Familiar Interactions
Students are comfortable with technology but have little patience for clunky interfaces. Modern, intuitive design patterns (group chats, notifications, clear navigation) are now baseline expectations, with minimal tolerance for steep learning curves.
Why It Matters - Maintains engagement through user-friendly features students already know and love.
International Student Considerations
Adapting to a new academic environment can be stressful, especially with cultural differences and language barriers. Any platform aiming to support these students must address their unique challenges—like locating relevant campus resources or connecting with peers who share similar experiences.
Why It Matters - Reduces drop-out risk by offering essential help at crucial moments of adjustment.
Privacy & Safe Spaces
The need for a forum where students feel comfortable sharing experiences—academic, personal, or cultural—is critical. Privacy controls or anonymous posting options allow students to seek help or connect without fear of judgment or oversharing.
Why it maters: Particularly beneficial for international students or those with personal concerns.
Centralized Resources & Information
Information about campus events, academic deadlines, and social opportunities is often fragmented. Students have to navigate multiple channels—such as school websites, forums, social groups—leading to missed deadlines or events.
Why it maters: Fosters a sense of preparedness and involvement, improving overall campus life.
Problem Statement
Users in focus
In addressing the overall quality of the website the 10 heuristics was used in auditing the overall website in understand overall issues with the website, what this whole project will cover, inform design decisions, and make assumptions that will be later validated with other usability research methods.
Task Scenario:
Envisioning real life use cases
By bringing user goals into a contextual story, illustrating how they might reach a goal in real-world conditions—before any final solution is fully defined. By detailing each step and environment, these scenarios highlight potential pain points, workflow preferences, and how students would ideally engage with their situations.
Physical Enviroment
Students frequently access the platform on the go (campus, dorms, coffee shops) with occasional library or home use.
Frequency of Task
Most tasks occur weekly or monthly, timed around academic needs and social events.
Time Constraint
: Students often juggle course deadlines, part-time jobs, and personal obligations, leaving limited windows to plan and socialise.
Concurrency of Task
They may simultaneously manage multiple responsibilities—e.g., checking schedules, chatting with peers, and accessing campus resources.
Prioritisation & Scheduling
Tasks are slotted around top priorities (exams, job shifts), requiring efficient reminders or notifications.
Resource Conflicts
Internet reliability, device battery life, and personal bandwidth can all impact app usage.
Activity Type
Interactions can be solo (browsing events) or group-based (coordinating a study group).
Known Problems
Students might overlook notifications, encounter schedule clashes, or feel unsure about verifying event info and group credibility.
This stage transforms raw research findings into tangible design elements, bridging user needs and interface solutions. By iterating through structured methods—like card sorting, information architecture, sketching, and wireframes—the final product becomes both intuitive and visually coherent. Each process step refines the solution, ensuring user goals remain front and center.
Card Sorting
Card sorting was performed to group and label content according to user mental models. This clarified how key features (events, study groups, forums) should be organized for effortless navigation
Information Architecture
A straightforward hierarchical structure was created to guide users seamlessly through tasks. Clear labelling and logical flows minimise confusion and help students find what they need quickly.
Sketching
Quick, low-fidelity sketches allowed for rapid exploration of layout ideas without getting bogged down by visual details. This step helped visualise core functions and identify potential usability issues early.
WIreframes
Mid-fidelity wireframes were developed to present more detailed layouts and user flow. This ensured each screen element aligned with user priorities, setting the foundation for later high-fidelity prototypes.
Messaging
Card Sorting
School Campus
Events
Resources
Drawing from the research insights, I designed a conceptual iOS solution to address key student gaps: continuous engagement, a blend of social and academic features, and flexible privacy settings. By centralizing essential resources, Skool Buddy helps students navigate university life with confidence and ease.
Defining clear requirements ensures every design decision can be traced back to genuine user needs. In this project, the Volere requirements specification template was adopted and enriched with Shneiderman’s Five Usability Attributes, establishing a robust framework that captures both functional necessities and user-centric considerations.
Learnability: (Usability)
The app must be easy for newcomers to learn—quickly navigating events, study groups, and community forums—to boost satisfaction and retention, especially for students unfamiliar with similar platforms.
Fit Criteria & Testing
New users should complete core tasks (profile creation, event-finding, group joining) in under 10 minutes without assistance; success is measured via in-person tests and a SUS score. Averaging 2 minutes indicates strong learnability, while 3+ minutes signals potential confusion.
Speed: (Performance)
The app should load content and respond to user interactions swiftly—opening features like Events and Forums with minimal delay—because slow performance frustrates users and discourages ongoing engagement.
Fit Criteria & Testing:
Core screens must load within 2 seconds under typical conditions, tested by automated performance tools and real-world usage. Surpassing 10 seconds risks losing user attention, while a 1-second average is the ideal for smooth flow.
Speed: (Usability / Efficiency)
Users should be able to complete essential tasks—joining study groups, posting messages, or RSVPing to events—quickly and efficiently, aligning with busy student schedules and reinforcing overall app value.
Fit Criteria & Testing:
Common tasks must be completed in under 3 minutes on average, monitored through in-person testing with severity scoring and SUS. A 2-minute average reflects strong efficiency, while 1 minute or less signals best-case performance.
Accuracy: (Functionality / Reliability)
The app must deliver correct, reliable outputs—like accurate event details and error-free messaging—to foster user trust and prevent misinformation or system errors.
Fit Criteria & Testing:
Performance should meet a 99% accuracy rate in handling user inputs and displaying correct information, verified through systematic QA and user task evaluations. Falling below 95% indicates potential frustration, while 100% reliability is ideal.
Memorability: (Usability)
Once users learn the app’s main features—checking events, joining groups, posting in forums—they should be able to return after a break and recall these tasks easily, reducing the need for relearning.
Fit Criteria & Testing
Users should complete basic tasks after a week of non-use without additional guidance; success is measured in second-round user tests emphasising minimal errors. Achieving at least 90% task success suggests strong memorability, with 100% as the optimal level.
Satisfaction: (User Experience)
The app should be enjoyable and meet key user expectations—usability, aesthetics, and utility—leading to high overall satisfaction scores, user retention, and positive word-of-mouth.
Fit Criteria & Testing:
Surveys and SUS evaluations aim for a 4.5+ out of 5 satisfaction rating. Scores below 50 (Grade F) highlight severe usability concerns, whereas surpassing 70 indicates a robust, user-approved experience.
Speed: (Usability / Compliance)
The platform must accommodate users with diverse abilities by offering screen-reader compatibility, robust text sizes, intuitive navigation, and compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA standards, ensuring equitable access.
Fit Criteria & Testing:
Accessibility is verified through automated checkers and direct feedback from users with disabilities. Falling short of WCAG 2.1 AA is not acceptable, while full (or AAA-level) compliance represents the gold standard.
Accuracy: (Security / Legal)
The app must protect sensitive user data, including personal profiles and academic details, to maintain user trust and meet legal regulations (e.g., GDPR), ensuring that user privacy and security are never compromised.
Fit Criteria & Testing:
Security audits confirm GDPR-compliant encryption, storage, and privacy controls. Any sign of data vulnerabilities erodes trust; robust protocols and full compliance indicate a top-tier, privacy-focused experience.
With the wireframes in hand, I conducted a usability study with five students. This crucial step exposed friction points early, guiding refinements to the interface and core workflows. By gathering real feedback before the final design, the solution is better positioned to meet user needs and expectations.
Building on all the research and testing insights, the final design features five main sections—Home, School, Community, Messages, and Settings—each fulfilling specific user goals. This structure delivers a clear, intuitive experience that addresses the app’s core requirements, ensuring students can easily find relevant tools and resources.
Home
School
Community
Messages
Settings
School
This section welcomes users with a splash screen and brief onboarding, highlighting key app features like messaging, community forums, events, and academic resources. It also offers a quick snapshot of frequently used functions, so students can jump into their most relevant tasks right away, reinforcing the app’s ease of use and centralizing everything they need in a single, convenient place.
Expert Review Summary
People want to eat healthily and save time, but the complexity of meal planning due to diverse dietary needs and schedules makes it overwhelming. They often resort to unhealthy takeout or repetitive meals because leading to poor eating habits and food waste.
Expert Review Summary
Students want to integrate seamlessly into campus life—both socially and academically, yet most existing platforms offer incomplete or short-term solutions However, scattered resources and limited ongoing guidance force them to juggle multiple channels or remain disconnected, resulting in lost information, anxiety, and difficulties forming meaningful peer networks.
Final Note
View Prototype
