UX Project

Campus Connect

A social discovery platform that helps international students find clubs, events, and communities at UW through personalized recommendations and streamlined search tools.

ux researchproduct designwebsiteuwstudentconnecting

Timeline10-week project

ProjectHCDE 518

My RoleUX Research, IA, UI Design, Prototyping, Usability Test

The Problem

International students at UW struggle to discover social opportunity due to the fragmented information systems, overwhelming communication channels, and limited awareness of existing campus communities.

100%Scattered Information

of students reported difficulty finding reliable info because details are scattered across Instagram, Google, Reddit, and outdated UW pages.

60%Low Awareness

of users don't know what registered clubs UW currently have. Only 25% know about cultural volunteer or wellness groups.

80%Email Overload

feel overwhelmed by generic but text heave UW emails and ignore them. They receive lots of emails daily and don't have time.

Research

We used mixed methods to deeply understand the needs, behaviors, and pain points of international students.

Survey

Assessed awareness of existing resources and barriers to finding social opportunities.

Interviews

Spoke with 3 First-quarter international students to understand their mental models, pain points, and expectations

Observation

Observed students searching for club/events online to see their real-time navigation, hesitations and frustrations

Usability Testing

Tested paper prototypes and mid-fidelity designs to validate our solution with real users.

Key Insight

Students rely of fragmented, unofficial channels and want a centralized, personalized way to discover and connect.

Personas

We identified two key user types

The Searcher

Has a specific club or interest in mind and needs to find it efficiently

Goals
. Find specific clubs fast
. Get accurate info
. Join and get involved

Frustrations
. Hard to find info
. Outdated websites
. Too many irrelevant emails

The Explorer

Open to discovering new activities and is browsing to find social connections

Goals
• Explore new interests
• Meet new people
• Feel a sense of belonging

Frustrations
• Don’t know where to start
• Overwhelming information
• Not personalized

Design Goals

Based on research, we defined key goals for our solution.

Centralized access

All clubs and events in one organized, always up-to-date place.

Personalized Discovery

Onboarding and recommendation system tailored to student interests.

Intuitive Search & Filtering

Designed to match how students naturally look for opportunities.

Low-Friction Onboarding

Two simple pathways: Search & Filters or Profile Setup.

Community & Belonging

Helping students connect with communities and peers.

Ideation

We explored a wide range of ideas before narrowing down to our final concept

Social Planning App

Buddy Matching

AR App/Wearables

Final Concept

A social discovery platform (website + smart keychain) that helps international students find events, clubs, and communities.

Information Architecture

We designed a simple, intuitive structure that helps students discover and connect with ease.

Testing

We tested with 6 International students using task-based usability sessions.

Tasks

. Find a music event
. Locate a tennis club
. Filter weekend-only events
. Create a profile and get recommendations

Key Findings

. Users loved the search and filtering system.
. Onboarding helped personalize results effectively.
. Some users wanted more clarity on event details.

85%

Successful task completion rate across core functions.