UI/UX Design – iOS Case Study
Project Idea
As an immigrant, I know firsthand the challenges of navigating higher education in a new country. That’s why I’ve dedicated my thesis to creating a solution that interests me and can benefit my community.
During my research, I discovered that many immigrant students struggle to find mentors to help guide them through their academic journey. This realization inspired me to design an app connecting mentors and mentees, making the process much easier for everyone involved.
But this app isn’t just for immigrant students – it can benefit all students. Using the latest technology and design principles, my mentorship app can potentially improve how students find and connect with mentors.
Goal
This project aims to get more students, especially immigrant students, to use the app, explore their options, and find the right mentors for themselves.
Persona
The target audience for this app is 1st and 2nd gen immigrant college students.
Usability research findings
I used Google Forms to ask a group of CU Denver students about their experience with mentorship programs, and 16 people responded. 74.5% identified as immigrants or children of immigrants, and 43.8% said they had participated in a mentorship program. 60% of those who have a mentor said their mentorship helped with their overall education. They mentioned these mentorships help give them guidance, connections, resources, career opportunities, and creating friendships. However, there are still some aspects that can be improved. One student mentioned that they needed to figure out where to sign up for a mentorship program, while the majority said the biggest problem is both the mentors and mentees do not have time to meet up because of their busy schedules. 72.7% of the respondents preferred video calling and emailing over in-person meetings and texting, and 75% wanted a messaging and video calling feature within the app. The mentor Match feature is also essential, with 68.8% of votes. Mentor Profile is next with 56.3%, and Resources is quite popular, with 43.7% voting for it.
Competitive Audit
While doing this project, my instructor mentioned that the mentor match feature sounds much like how dating apps work. I conducted a competitive audit on mentoring platforms and dating apps to see how I could incorporate suitable features from dating apps into my mentoring app.
Both Bumble and Hinge have elaborate Interest features used to match potential matches. They also have a language option to reach people who speak the same languages. Having multiple matches is also essential for mentees because each mentor can guide them in different areas. After talking to my SME about this, I believe I need these features in my design.
User Flows
Sketches
Low-fi wireframes
I created some quick sketches to get ideas out on paper. This step helped me visualize where to put all of my elements. I began designing the app’s flow after finishing the initial sketches. I created basic wireframes in Figma to start prototyping the app and share that with others. The feedback was constructive at this stage because it saved me time designing the high-fidelity versions. I tested different layouts before committing to one final theme. After that, I started incorporating colors and UI elements into the design. I spent much time trying different color themes but decided to work with a simple green color to represent growth and opportunity.
Iterations
At this stage, I focus on more minor details that can optimize the user experience while using my app. Testing between different layouts and UI elements and getting feedback from that help me finalize my design. For example, I was debating between three different screen designs for the Mentor Match feature, and showing users all three options gave me some great ideas to decide the best design based on their experiences. Small details like button systems are also essential to the overall app design. I made some changes by talking to my DME, making the app look more intuitive and professional.
Individual screen designs
After I was 90% done with my app design, including all the graphics and animations, I was pretty happy with how it turned out, but I still sought more feedback to improve it. I asked my DME for her opinions about the design and sent out another survey to get one last round of user feedback. Overall, they like how intuitive and professional the app is. However, there are still minor design mistakes that my DME pointed out, such as the consistency in typography usage, button design coherence, or color contrast accessibility. Another user suggested adding a language option for the app since its target audience is immigrant students. Those are all beautiful insights, and I made the changes accordingly to improve my overall app design.
Prototype demo
Retrospective
What went well?
Overall, my project and process went well. I built my design based on the research from my Thesis Research class, which helped me navigate my whole process and saved me much time and stressful moments. I am grateful to have found the DMEs and SMEs passionate about helping minorities and well-versed in their experience to guide me during this process. Their feedback and other users’ feedback helped me improve my design, and the final design turned out way better than I expected. I feel happy and proud of my end product.
What could do better?
I believe there is always room for improvement in the future. If I have more time, I would love to conduct in-person interviews to learn more about my target audience’s needs. I would also love to have more user tests to have more diverse feedback. Lastly, I want to make the prototype in other languages, so it would be beneficial if I could find suitable translators to do that. I hesitated to do that myself because I did not want a mediocre translation that made my design look unprofessional.
Sources and citations
Air Force, Space Force, observe National Mentoring Month in January. (2022, January 5). Air Force Sustainment Center. https://www.afsc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2890686/air-force-space-force-observe-national-mentoring-month-in-january/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.afsc.af.mil%2FNews%2FArticle%2F2890686%2Fair-force-space-force-observe-national-mentoring-month-in-january%2F
Bureau, U. C. (n.d.). Random Samplings: Immigrant Families and Educational Attainment. The United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 15, 2023, from https://www.census.gov/newsroom/blogs/random-samplings/2017/03/immigrant_familiesa.html
Immigrants are both more likely to lack a high school degree and more likely to have a PhD. | The Hamilton Project. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2023, from https://www.hamiltonproject.org/charts/immigrants_are_both_more_likely_to_lack_a_high_school_degree_and_more_likel
Mentoring Statistics in 2022: Everything You Need to Know. (n.d.). PushFar. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.pushfar.com/article/mentoring-statistics-everything-you-need-to-know/
National Data on Immigrant Students | Higher Ed Immigration Portal. (2023, January 26). Presidents’ Alliance. https://www.higheredimmigrationportal.org/national/national-data/
University of Colorado Denver Diversity & Student Demographics. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2023, from https://www.collegesimply.com/colleges/colorado/university-of-colorado-denver/students/
University of Colorado Denver Number of Employees, Statistics, Diversity, Demographics, and Facts—Zippia. (2022, March 25). https://www.zippia.com/university-of-colorado-denver-careers-1417544/demographics/
Virtual Mentoring Portals. (n.d.). MENTOR. Retrieved February 15, 2023, from https://www.mentoring.org/virtual-mentoring-portals/
Mimi Nguyen's Design 