Product Design
User Research
Mobile App
Desktop
Project Overview
reKro is a start up business that looks to assist international students seamlessly transition into their new life in Australia. They aim to ensure every international student has equal access to services, communities, and resources. The product I worked on is the first MVP of the company - a peer-matching platform where students can find other peers, alumni, and staff to kickstart their social network in their new home country.
Role
Product designer
Deliverables
Paper and digital wireframing.
Iteration of lo-fi UI and information architecture.
Brainstorming and defining user flows that align with the product's goals and user's needs.
Reworking of designs following analysis of user testing results.
Collaboration with technical team of engineers, another product designer, branding team, and Co-CEO's to achieve the business vision.
The problem
reKro recognises that the challenges faced by international students is a social as well as systematic one. The main issues we looked to tackle were:
8 in 10
students starting university without a familiar face
lack of knowledge and access to services that aid with integrating into a new country
The solution
To design an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) that facilitates peer matching and student integration services. The product will aim to target the following:
create a reliable and relatable community
curating the onboarding process and centralizing services, communities and resources
The Users
To get started, I was tasked to prioritise a desktop website as the first iteration of the product. I was to work with the preliminary research information gathered before my time on the project.
Helping to fast-track the integration of new students into Australia, the product serves as a platform where international students can find other students and attend events to network and socialise. The 3 main functions are:
Curated onboarding
Chat Interface
User Flow
I was tasked with defining the user flow, focusing on how the 5 initial main pages would take the user through the product. After multiple iterations, the below was progressed into version 1 of the design.
The Product
Iteration
With the tight timeframe to first launch, iteration was key as I did multiple wireframes by hand and digitally to narrow down to the best layouts for the functionalities we needed. The UI iterations focussed on simplicity and usability for the 5 initial main pages.
Version 1 Launch
Picking the best elements out of the many wireframes, high-fidelity UI's and a prototype was created for user testing. The minimalist design allowed users to test the basic functions of the product whilst leaving room for scalability.
Home Page
The opening screen serves as a dashboard to see the latest updates on events as well as giving an opportunity to connect with new users.
Connections
Finding others made easy. A search function and filters allow users to find others quickly and easily and is the core of the peer matching functionality.
Events
A simple event browsing page of occasions to be organised by reKro.
User Profile
The profile focuses on information that is aligned with what's important for international students when looking to connect with others.
Chat Inbox
A clean and simple inbox interface shows all necessary information at a glance.
Styleguide
User Testing
Usability Test
15
UNSW Orientation
10min
The desktop website was tested with multiple international students at the University of New South Wales Orientation week.
The findings were not what we had expected. Whilst the general consensus was that the site works fine, the users highlighted a major pain point that was overlooked for international students.
Insights
Finding a Home
Major pain point for international students is finding a place to call home before anything else. Majority of the users preferred the product to address this challenge.
Mobile App
Most users will be on-the-go and a mobile app would be more usable and convenient compared to a desktop site.
Filters
Users were confused with the quick links. The filter text were not clear.
Redirection - The Product Revised
Following the results of user testing, the business decided to revise the product functionality to address the pain points of our users.
The problem - revised
Whilst the previous issues we identified are still relevant, the business had to shift gears and chose the following as the target challenges for the product:
students are struggling finding a place to call home
students are always on the go and need a convenient way of peer matching
8 in 10
students starting university without a familiar face
The solution - revised
Re-focus the objectives to the main pain points of our users, the next iteration of the product aims to build the following:
peer matching platform where you can team up with friends to land a new home
create a mobile app product that can be easily used on the go
create a reliable , relatable community
Information Architecture
Reworking the information architecture was the first step to identifying the potential pages that we would need. The development of the user flow also helped with identifying the necessary screens for the app to work.
User Flow & Personas
Together with another product designer, we had to redefine and rethink the user flow to incorporate the new functions of the product. Walking through the product in the shoes of 3 different personas helped us identify the ideal flow for the mobile app.
Lo-Fi Wireframing
Working with another product designer, we collaborated in the effort to redesign the UI of the product by incorporating the learnings of the user flow and persona exercise.
Next Steps
While much still needs to be done before the next launch, the most critical are:
Refine the wireframes into high-fidelity mockups and prototypes.
User testing with the version 2 product launch.
Design for desktop with a responsive product.
Analysing user feedback for the next iteration.
Exploration of the following in the future would also be interesting:
How the peer matching and property finding functions can be tied in together stronger?
Scope to addressing accessibility by incorporating language translation as the users are multicultural.
Learnings
As my time on this project comes to an end as I depart to a new adventure in London, I have learnt a lot about how start up companies begin and the importance of listening to users.
Some important lessons learnt I took from this include:
Hearing user feedback then pivoting designs and products to address their pain points where possible.
Collaboration is key - reviews with the engineering team taught me a lot about the feasibility of designs and the backend construction of digital products.
