BETTER OFF SOCIAL - MOBILE, WEB
BETTER OFF SOCIAL - MOBILE, WEB
Creating a seamless personalized event discovery experience
Creating a seamless personalized event discovery experience
Creating a seamless personalized event discovery experience
Role
Role
Lead Product Designer
Lead Product Designer
Collaborators
Collaborators
Lucy Chen
Lucy Chen
Rachel Michelson
Rachel Michelson
Matthew Lou
Matthew Lou
Duration
Duration
2023-2024
2023-2024
Tools
Tools
Figma
Figma
The bulletin board you can view from anywhere and know everything happening at Columbia University
The bulletin board you can view from anywhere and know everything happening at Columbia University
The available event discovery experience for college students is troublesome and disorganized. Most student organizations, events, and opportunities rely on social media, newsletters, or flyers to share key information. For students, finding ways to participate on campus is a tedious task with barriers such as inaccessibility to information, coinciding event times, and missing deadlines.
The available event discovery experience for college students is troublesome and disorganized. Most student organizations, events, and opportunities rely on social media, newsletters, or flyers to share key information. For students, finding ways to participate on campus is a tedious task with barriers such as inaccessibility to information, coinciding event times, and missing deadlines.
The Bulletin is a web and mobile platform for students across Columbia University to find opportunities and build community. I joined the startup as a lead product designer tasked to redesign its mobile experience to help connect users to personalized events, organizations, and applications.
The Bulletin is a web and mobile platform for students across Columbia University to find opportunities and build community. I joined the startup as a lead product designer tasked to redesign its mobile experience to help connect users to personalized events, organizations, and applications.
Final Hi-Fi Screens
Final Hi-Fi Screens
The Challenge
The Challenge
The Bulletin connects students to their campus and squashes FOMO, aiming to make student life more accessible, connected, and fulfilled. The platform centralizes the student experience, bridging students with events and organizations that resonate with them.
The Bulletin connects students to their campus and squashes FOMO, aiming to make student life more accessible, connected, and fulfilled. The platform centralizes the student experience, bridging students with events and organizations that resonate with them.
During the initial app launch, users found The Bulletin to be helpful and a much needed solution to event and organization discovery. However, there was feedback about poor information architecture and confusing user flows.
During the initial app launch, users found The Bulletin to be helpful and a much needed solution to event and organization discovery. However, there was feedback about poor information architecture and confusing user flows.
We were tasked to redesign in a way that was intuitive, accessible, and prioritizes personalization.
We were tasked to redesign in a way that was intuitive, accessible, and prioritizes personalization.
Original designs
Original designs
Ideation and brainstorming
Ideation and brainstorming
Fellow design lead Rachel Michelson and I worked together to redesign 6 key flows and create 3 new features.
Fellow design lead Rachel Michelson and I worked together to redesign 6 key flows and create 3 new features.
Competitor research confirmed it. The platforms people returned to had a point of view. Color, motion, and texture signaled that something good was happening inside. Better Off had none of that. It looked like an afterthought asking people to take a leap of faith.
Competitor research confirmed it. The platforms people returned to had a point of view. Color, motion, and texture signaled that something good was happening inside. Better Off had none of that. It looked like an afterthought asking people to take a leap of faith.
Sketches + Element Grouping
Competitive analysis
Competitive analysis
To understand the user’s event discovery experience, my team analyzed the 3 most popular apps in the event organizer and flyer space. We found that while organizations on campus used these platforms, none of them focused on college students and their needs. This presented an opportunity for a unique solution.
To understand the user’s event discovery experience, my team analyzed the 3 most popular apps in the event organizer and flyer space. We found that while organizations on campus used these platforms, none of them focused on college students and their needs. This presented an opportunity for a unique solution.
User interviews
User interviews
To understand the organizer and student user's experience and needs, my team conducted 20 interviews. These questions formed the basis for our competitive analysis and user testing. Examples of the questions we asked include:
To understand the organizer and student user's experience and needs, my team conducted 20 interviews. These questions formed the basis for our competitive analysis and user testing. Examples of the questions we asked include:
ORGANIZERS
ORGANIZERS
Name of the club/organization where you are on the executive board
How satisfied are you with the current method of posting club-related events?
What are the biggest requests that organizations need from The Bulletin?
How satisfied are you with the current method of posting club-related events?
Name of the club/organization where you are on the executive board
How satisfied are you with the current method of posting club-related events?
What are the biggest requests that organizations need from The Bulletin?
How satisfied are you with the current method of posting club-related events?
STUDENTS
STUDENTS
What's the hardest part about getting involved on campus?
Have you created any workarounds to solve learning about new activities on campus? If not, do you think the Bulletin could help solve this issue?
If you were looking for external events (events not on campus but in NYC) where would you expect to find it?
How do you envision using The Bulletin in relation to finding events on campus?
What's the hardest part about getting involved on campus?
Have you created any workarounds to solve learning about new activities on campus? If not, do you think the Bulletin could help solve this issue?
If you were looking for external events (events not on campus but in NYC) where would you expect to find it?
How do you envision using The Bulletin in relation to finding events on campus?
User interviews with organization leaders
Insights
Insights
To understand the organizer and student user's experience and needs, my team conducted 20 interviews. These questions formed the basis for our competitive analysis and user testing. Examples of the questions we asked include:
To understand the organizer and student user's experience and needs, my team conducted 20 interviews. These questions formed the basis for our competitive analysis and user testing. Examples of the questions we asked include:
Interview transcripts
User personas
A/B testing
A/B testing
The team ran A/B testing to experiment with the most intuitive ways of grouping key features based on user habits and preferences. Through testing, we discovered which information structure was most helpful and efficient for users, especially for the home and explore pages.
The team ran A/B testing to experiment with the most intuitive ways of grouping key features based on user habits and preferences. Through testing, we discovered which information structure was most helpful and efficient for users, especially for the home and explore pages.
User tested two versions for home
The Solution
The Solution
During The Bulletin's launch, many students and faculty noted how useful the platform was. However, some of the designs were confusing, lacked clear visual communication, and didn't follow standard UX practices.
Worst of all, there’s no delight in the designs, which sort of destroys the point of creating community on campus.
My redesign focused primarily on cleaning up The Bulletin’s jumbled app structure, crafting a unifying brand identitywhile also retooling a couple unintuitive features here and there.
Final screens
Visual identity
Retrospective
Retrospective
During my time with The Bulletin I learned how to design under time constraints, pushing me to prioritize features and user pain points. These sprints and weekly critiques honed my UI/UX skills in rapid iteration and prioritization of key features. I am immensely grateful for fellow designer Rachel Michelson for help and support and for the team’s manager Lucy Chen for guiding us in creating the product vision every step of the way.
During my time with The Bulletin I learned how to design under time constraints, pushing me to prioritize features and user pain points. These sprints and weekly critiques honed my UI/UX skills in rapid iteration and prioritization of key features. I am immensely grateful for fellow designer Rachel Michelson for help and support and for the team’s manager Lucy Chen for guiding us in creating the product vision every step of the way.
Additionally, I was able to work on my own solo projects building out iOS app features and pages that focused on different user experiences. My conversations with faculty, student organization leaders, and students taught me increased user empathy, allowing me the opportunity to craft different designs that addressed each user's pain points. It was incredibly rewarding to see users respond positively to the platform’s updated designs and find new opportunities and ways to connect on campus more efficiently.
Additionally, I was able to work on my own solo projects building out iOS app features and pages that focused on different user experiences. My conversations with faculty, student organization leaders, and students taught me increased user empathy, allowing me the opportunity to craft different designs that addressed each user's pain points. It was incredibly rewarding to see users respond positively to the platform’s updated designs and find new opportunities and ways to connect on campus more efficiently.
