COUNT ME IN
Designing a mobile app to assist international students in alleviating stress through socialization.
As an international student myself, I grappled with financial, transportation, and socialization challenges. Our aim for this project was to pinpoint and tackle the primary stressors encountered by international students. In this project, we conducted an in-depth analysis of stressors experienced by 20 international students at Arizona State University, (ASU) hailing from various countries and backgrounds and created a mobile app to effectively address these concerns.
My Role: Conceptualizing App idea, User research, Wireframing, Creating graphics and UI & Usability testing
Timeline: 3 Months | Jan 26 - Apr 27, 2023
Team: Ayomide, Jessica and yours truly
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Tools: Figma, Procreate, Adobe Illustrator
OPPORTUNITY SPACE
“For college students living and studying in a foreign country may demand an adjustment in a sociocultural, environmental and psychological way. It is during this process that a psychological stress could be present, such as anxiety, a social loss, loneliness, helplessness and depression.” (Chen, 1999)
Stress, stemming from various sources like environmental and psychological changes, can significantly hinder productivity and motivation in an educational setting. It can lead to physical symptoms such as heart palpitations and damage to the brain's memory center, affecting memory and learning. Stress is subjective and varies from person to person, making it a prominent challenge for international students living away from their support networks.
Now Picture this: A group of international students arriving at a vibrant, new campus, each with dreams of academic success and rich cultural experiences. However, with the excitement, they face a web of challenges that quickly become apparent. ​
In this scenario, common stressors emerge, including navigating a new city, the desire to connect with others for a sense of belonging, conversations hampered by language barriers, and cultural differences creating an invisible wall between them and their new peers.
How might we identify challenges faced by international students? Can we possibly reduce stress in students through development of a product?
RESEARCH FINDINGS
LITERATURE REVIEW
To enhance our comprehension of stress, stress management, and the challenges faced by international students, we studied the following papers:
International Graduate Students, Stress, and Social Support by Mallinckrodt and Leong (1992)
Mental Health and International Students: Issues, Challenges, & Effective Practice by Mewett (2019) and
Students of Different Minds: Bridging the Gaps of International Students Studying in the US by Lin (2012).
Listed below are the important findings from our literature review:
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Stress among international students primarily stems from the pressure of adapting to an unfamiliar culture.
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Language proficiency is a significant challenge, with difficulties in understanding local slang and cultural references in day-to-day conversations.
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They often face limited opportunities to establish robust social networks, leading to superficial relationships with American peers and reluctance to seek faculty assistance in comparison to their American counterparts.
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They encounter substantial financial, academic, psychological, and emotional challenges in adapting to American academic, professional, and social life.
USER RESEARCH
Our main goal was to address two primary factors:
1. Transportation and Navigation Challenges.
2. Socialization and Community-related Issues.
We collected data from 11 survey participants and conducted 9 user interviews to determine which of these challenges had the most significant impact on students.
In the survey, we designed straightforward questions that equally addressed both problem areas. In contrast, during the interviews, we adopted a more open and non-leading approach, allowing participants to freely express their thoughts and concerns without imposing any specific topics or responses.
User Survey Highlights
We designed the survey on Google Forms and shared it within the ASU student community. Within the survey results, the two key challenges were establishing connections and engaging with people, especially when initiating conversations with strangers.
Check out comprehensive survey response report 🔗
User Interview Insights
Within the interviews, we gathered more in-depth qualitative responses in order to understand better some of the issues and experiences of struggles students had. Surprisingly, students mostly seemed to have most trouble with figuring out ways to connect with others when talking outside their respective niche groups. Most students stated it was difficult to connect with those out of their culture due to the barriers that exist.
"I'd like to explore places like the art museum, but my friends aren't keen. Finding someone who shares my interests can help me save on costly cabs if I can just go with them."
"I don't watch the same sports as Americans so sometimes its hard to get involved in their conversations"
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"Historically I have not been a social person. With language barrier it becomes a little more difficult but I am getting better at it"
User comments recorded during the interviews
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While transportation/navigation was an issue in the beginning, such as when they first arrived, it is resolved on its own after the students become more familiar with the environment and the options available to them for getting around.
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Read the full interview transcripts here🔗
COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS
We compared services that provide opportunity to connect, join events and create engagement through rewarding tasks done the users.
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PROCESS MOVING FORWARD
Redefine the problems now that we have a better understanding of issues faced by the international students
Create a user persona made to define someone who might experience similar situations
Design a prototype for a mobile App incorporating solutions to make student's lives better
Conduct a usability test with 3 participants to collect qualitative and quantitative data for product's improvement
Analyze the data collected and summarize findings
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Designing a mobile app that empowers students to seamlessly discover and connect with like-minded individuals in their vicinity for engaging activities and events, fostering a sense of community and social interaction among students.
USER JOURNEY & STORYBOARDING
User Persona: Anna Beanie
Scenario: Anna is an international student new to ASU joined as a Graduate Student. She is looking to find new people to connect and spend time with.
Anna joins ASU
She is new to the city
She is alone on weekends and wishes to go for activities with people
She finds it hard to connect with classmates in real life as she is shy
Her roommate is not interested in doing same activities as her
Anna finds out about
count me in App
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Anna finds an activity she likes, she goes there and meets new people
Anna starts using the App frequently and decides to become a guide and help other students
Anna now redeems the points she collected while helping out students to get herself a treat.
BRAINSTORMING FOR APP DESIGN
It was evident to us that the primary stressors for international students are centered on their challenges in forging connections and seeking a sense of belonging. This stress is amplified by everyday tasks such as shopping alone, and the longing to connect with a community of like-minded individuals nearby. As we embark on the development of the app's UX and UI, our initial emphasis lies in ascertaining the required number of screens, pinpointing essential features, and allocating responsibilities.
Whiteboard brainstorming session with the team
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PROTOTYPING THE MOBILE APP
Prototype development involved paper prototypes, logo and visual design, as well as defining a meaningful app mission. Our app is designed for broad applicability, not limited to ASU but adaptable for all universities, serving all students.
Visual Design
Ideas for naming the app and logo design
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Logo combines 'C' 'm' and 'i' from count me in
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Color pallets
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"Discover helpful hands & fun plans, all in one place!"
Onboarding
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Find people in your community
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Easily plan activities and connect with like-minded individuals to join in the fun.
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Find the right help and guidance
Log in
Sign up
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Search Guides, Hosts, Events or Forum spaces
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"Count Me In" is a mobile app that empowers international students to discover and organize events when they're eager to have a good time but may not have others nearby to plan with.
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It fosters a welcoming community for international students to socialize and for those seeking quick, no-strings-attached assistance. It also features 'guides'—peers offering support and 'hosts' who organize events for people on the platform.
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The search feature enables users to easily locate support and information on the platform, including topics like jobs, internships, housing, and more, which are discussed in the forums.
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Find & Join Events
Are you looking for a weekend plan but don't have company or just need a ready-to-go option? With "Count Me In," students can tailor their feed to receive event and discussion recommendations aligned with their interests. On the explore page, their selections will drive the visibility of events and requests made by others in their vicinity. Clicking on an event provides more information, and clicking on the 'Count Me In' button will express interest to join the event. Once the host accepts the request, participants can access further details, including discussions and more.
Personalize
your feed
Find events on
Explore page
Find more details on
Event's page
See participants and take part in discussions
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Create Events and Requests
If you don't find anything interesting on your explore page, you have the option to create an activity or a request for assistance. Anyone can respond to the request using the 'Count on me' button, providing guidance and support.
'Count on me' button
for a request
Form to create a request
'Count me in' button
for an event
Form to create an event
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Explore Spaces, Ask a question or post in the forum
'Spaces' functions as a feature that empowers students to pose questions, start, or participate in discussions categorized by topics—essentially, it serves as a discussion forum. The spaces are joinable by members and, once joined, they are able to see the posts within that space. If for some reason there is no space that matches the user’s needs or interest(s), they are able to create their own space—which of course will need admin approval before the forum is made accessible.
Find boards on spaces
Explore Discussion boards
Create a question
Create a post
Gamification
& Engagement System
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Students on the app are able to obtain points through participating in activities and fulfilling requests. These points can be redeemed after reaching a certain threshold for goodies they can use.
Alongside the rewards, students can earn badges that make their profile more defined. The badges can also serve as verification that the hosts are legit and reliable.
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Some example reward ideas are:
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Free meal ticket at any ASU affiliated restaurant, self only
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40% coupon at ASU concession stands
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50% coupon at any ASU Affiliated businesses
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Free tickets to ASU games/events
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10% for ASU Apparel/Gear
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Track your Activities
Redeem Points
See profile and accomplishments
Direct message
USABILITY TESTING
Participants
3 participants, each pulled from the previous interview to provide in-depth opinions on what the prototype had compared to their expectations
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For the usability testing
The participants were asked to go through a list of tasks and to walk us through the process verbally as they performed each one
Given Tasks
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Create a profile
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Create an event
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Browse through the Spaces
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Explore your profile
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Explore the rewards page and redeem a reward
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Collected data by:
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Qualitative Data - The facilitator/interviewer asked open-ended questions to the participants to gather feedback about the functionality and thoughts on the functions and design of the prototype
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Quantitative Data - The participants were asked to answer the questionnaire from the a net promotor question (NPS) System Usability Scale (SUS), and those answers were scored to provide numerical data
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Find the detailed usability testing notes here🔗
Results
Qualitative Data
Collected through a functionality and ease-of-use interview. Participants were asked to explain their satisfaction with some of the functions as well as their difficulties. Alongside we asked for suggestions and additions/improvements.
Overall, the app idea and prototype was received well and the functions are extremely liked. Especially the reward function and the events function. The participants liked the simplicity of the app and the learning process to using it
Quantitative Data
NPS = Net Promoter Score ; SUS = System Usability Scale Score
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LIMITATIONS OF THE PROTOTYPE
Design Considerations
Due to the similarities, some people were unable to distinguish between an event and a request
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There were some instances of misunderstandings and confusion surrounding the terms 'Count on me' and 'Count me in.' These situations may stem from design nuances, information gaps, or simply present opportunities for learning.
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Most people were unsure about what 'Spaces' were as it is an uncommon phrase to use to relate to what most apps called a 'Forum'
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Users were wanting an ability to search through messages
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The 'create' button for event and requests was debated on in terms of design as one participant said they would have liked the initial 'create' button to be bigger and more visible; another participants wanted a separation in colors between the different buttons
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Challenges Faced
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In the Figma prototype, some options are not selectable and thus, participants were slightly confused at times when they were not able to 'make something work' or perform an action
TAKEAWAYS
While initially viewing the project through a designer's lens, presenting it to a wider audience unveiled its potential as a versatile business model applicable to multiple universities. This marked a significant shift, as I transitioned from designing a mere application to conceptualizing a service adaptable to diverse scenarios. Delving into discussions about monetization strategies, we explored the app's ability to stand on its own, emphasizing a business model beyond user rewards for sustainable growth.
Reviews by UX Professionals at ASU on Zoom
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I presented our project at the UX Collaborative's Year in Review 2023, receiving valuable critiques from seasoned UX professionals. One the left, here are some of the positive feedback highlights we garnered for our work.
Upon further reflection, one feedback that stood out was the appreciation for the 'count me in' and 'count on me' buttons. While design professionals liked the buttons, it was intriguing to note that users on the other hand found them a bit challenging to grasp during usability testing. This highlighted the contrasting perspectives between design experts and end users.
This project highlighted the synergy between Business Analysis and User Experience, blending analysis and design thinking to harmonize business needs, user requirements, and technology.
NEXT STEPS
Due to time-constraints, only a small group of participants were tested and asked for in-depth feedback about the functionality and design of the prototype. Along with a larger sample size, we would be able to give a variety of different scenarios to better understand the usability of the prototype.
What would be interesting to see is the measure of time of completing each task to measure the ease of use for the prototype as some tasks may take longer than the others. Data can be used to find ways to shorten the process or the amount of time it takes for completion of a task. If following a time constraint, it could also be possible to test performance or accuracy of a certain task.