Overview
Fall of my sophomore year I joined the OnCampus team where we worked on designing the website. OnCampus is dedicated to creating a seamless club search experience for UCLA students. After working on web design for a few months, I set out to build a mobile app for OnCampus...
INITIAL PROBLEM
32,000 undergraduate students, 1,200 clubs, but 80% of students struggle to find and join clubs on campus.
As a student I struggled to discover clubs to join at UCLA. I wondered if my peers shared the same struggle?
ITERATING ON THE PROBLEM STATEMENT
Preliminary Research revealed that students are discouraged from applying to clubs because of the intensity of managing so many applications.
“Palmer has empathy for those currently going through the club application process which she describes as ‘brutal’ for students on both sides, as she was once in their shoes. Palmer explained that applications can be long and exhausting, filled with info sessions, writing portions, coffee chats and interviews. This undertaking is something that was difficult for her to go through when she arrived on campus, and discouraged her as a freshman. ‘Part of the reason why I didn’t initially apply to clubs just as a freshman was because of the intense application process,’ Palmer said” - Bruin Life (https://bruinlife.com/are-ucla-clubs-too-competitive/)
Initial Problem Statement:
Students struggle to find clubs on campus that align with their niche interests.
Iterated Problem Statement including the difficult application process.
Students not only struggle to find clubs on campus that align with their niche interests, but also struggle to manage applications, hindering them from joining clubs they are passionate about.
SOLUTION
A mobile app, for convenient usability, that helps students find, manage, apply, AND COMMIT to clubs through their social network. So like Linkedin for UCLA club matching.
RESEARCH
Existing club finding methods, the club finding website and the club fair, are overwhelming and unorganized.
INTERVIEW INSIGHTS
Membership and commitment is driven by personal relationships with existing members.
I interviewed a total of 21 students, 5 freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and one fifth-year student to understand their experience joining clubs, and how I can improve that experience.
Interview Questions:
What factors are important when thinking about clubs to join?
How did you find clubs?
Why did you end up not committing to the clubs that you joined?
What made you commit to the clubs that you are currently active in?
How have clubs helped you achieve your personal career goals?
Why do you want to join clubs?
Students are more inclined to join & COMMIT to clubs with friends as existing members.
Over 80% of students interviewed said they would be more likely to join a club with their friends as members.
100% of students said they join clubs to find friends with similar interests.
Students say they joined clubs specifically to make friends.
100% of students interviewed said that clubs help them continue hobbies, and achieve career goals but mainly make friends, and navigate the pool of 32,000 students at UCLA.
Pain Points:
Finding clubs
Applying to clubs and making application deadlines
Managing the status of applications
Managing club meetings
Commitment
Iterating on the Problem Statement Again:
From the preliminary research and interviews, I know that students are more likely to find clubs through word of mouth, and students are more likely to join clubs with their friends in them. The social aspect seems to have a strong influence on the problem, so I decided to include it in the challenge...
CHALLENGE
How can I drive commitment through social connections?
Inspired by my intuition, I envisioned a dynamic social media club discovery platform, akin to LinkedIn. This app empowers students to effortlessly discover, apply to, and manage club applications, mirroring the streamlined approach of job applications on LinkedIn. It not only facilitates the exploration of opportunities through personal connections and friends but also integrates the concept of LinkedIn connections to help students build community.
USER RESEARCH
USER JOURNEYS
WIREFRAMES & PLANNING
Building the Framework of the App: Bottom Navigation
I chose the bottom navigation so users could switch between tabs in one click (versus 2 clicks with a menu)
5 tabs for 5 paths:
to search for clubs (search)
to keep up with clubs they have joined or want to join (liked clubs)
to manage deadlines and meetings of clubs they have joined or want to join (calendar)
to apply and manage the status of applications (applications)
to find friends in clubs they have joined (profile page)
LOW FIDELITY ITERATING
Information Hierarchy: Prioritizing Text
I chose the bottom navigation so users could switch between tabs in one click (versus 2 clicks with a menu)
HIGH FIDELITY ITERATING
Iterating, iterating, and more iterating
FINAL DESIGN
Apply and manage applications, create community, find passions.
REFLECTION
How this experience changed my design thought process…
I learned how to iterate, there are never enough iterations and even the smallest of design systems require multiple iterations
I thoroughly enjoyed the interview and research process, talking amongst my peers and sharing similar experiences with them was enlightening
I learned about multiple design tools such as plugins to create mockups, ProtoPie, Cofolios for design help, Material Design Guideline for Android, IOS Human Interface Design Guidelines, and Nielson Norman Group
