As an international student in Australia, I encountered both the joys and challenges of living in a foreign country. Motivated by my own experiences, I joined a Sydney-based startup to redesign their mobile app. The goal is to support international students by enhancing their safety, study, and general well-being. Through this project, I aim to create a user-friendly and reliable tool that will make the lives of international students in Australia easier and more enjoyable.
In this project, I took on a multifaceted role as a production designer. Leading a team of six, my responsibilities encompassed various aspects of the design process. These included:
As a lead product designer, I oversaw the timely delivery of design assets for each feature team. This involved working closely with the team members to ensure the quality and consistency of the design deliverables.
Conducting user research was a crucial part of my role. By gathering insights and feedback from international students, I gained valuable insights into their needs and pain points.
Collaborating with project managers and developer leads, I played a key role in managing the project schedule and priorities.
Presenting design concepts and progress to stakeholders was a critical aspect of my role.
The existing product has been in the market for some time and offers various features such as online food ordering, social interaction, lesson booking, and apartment rentals. Through customer feedback and internal discussions, we have identified the main challenge of striking a balance between providing easy access to features while maintaining a clean and simple UI
In addition to redesigning the original product, there is a need to design a sister app specifically tailored for parents of international students. This separate app will serve as a platform for parents to stay connected and informed about their children's activities and well-being while studying abroad.
The goal of the redesign is to create a visually appealing, intuitive, and efficient user experience that caters to the needs of both international students and their parents. By optimizing the UI and streamlining feature access, we aim to enhance usability and engagement for users while maintaining a clean and uncluttered design aesthetic.
To prioritize core user journeys, I conducted interviews internally and externally. Based on these insights, I created wireframes in Axure that emphasized the core journey while considering technical feasibility. This approach ensured a user-centered design focused on the most important tasks and interactions, resulting in an efficient and effective user experience.
To validate the design concept and gather feedback, I created a low-fidelity prototype using Axure before diving into UI design. This allowed for quick iteration and testing with users, as well as obtaining valuable input from developers, project managers, and stakeholders.
The prototype provided a tangible representation of the user experience, showcasing key interactions and functionalities. Through user testing sessions and collaborative feedback sessions, we refined the design based on real user insights and stakeholder input.
Here is a glimpse of the prototype.
To ensure consistency in design across the product and its sister app for parents, I established a comprehensive design system. This system is based on the product's branding guidelines and incorporates detailed specifications to guide the design team.
Recognizing the need for differentiation between the two apps while maintaining overall consistency, the design system includes two themes. These themes ensure that the designs utilizing the design system are not only consistent but also distinctly recognizable as belonging to each respective product.
By implementing a design system, the design team can create cohesive and unified designs, improving efficiency and maintaining a seamless user experience. The detailed specifications within the system serve as a reference point for consistent typography, colors, spacing, and other design elements.
