Genfriends
an app dedicated to smoothening the transition into adulthood for first and second generation immigrants. Curated in 24 hours for a design sprint challenge at Michigan State University.
Timeline: 24 hours
My role: Researcher/UI Designer
Mission
Our mission was to create an app that can help underprivileged students successfully navigate through adulthood by providing them with the necessary information and resources they need to excel in their lives.
Challenge
How can we design an informative, yet engaging app for young adults to become educated about the resources available to them?
Dealing with Ambiguity
Many low-income and first and second-generation students encounter challenges as they navigate through adulthood due to a lack of essential resources and information needed for success. These students are frequently unaware of the available aid and resources, increasing their difficulties and instilling fear during their transition to adulthood.
Empathizing with our Users
User personas are used to identify key patterns among users by taking a closer look at individual identities, struggles, goals, backgrounds, and more. These nuanced insights enable designers to empathize with users by gaining a comprehensive understanding of their diverse life experiences.
Onsite User Interviews
100% of our interviewees stated they feel intimidated by adulthood
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Questions Asked:
1. "Are you a first / second generation immigrant?"
2. "Are you a first generation college student?"
3. "In college, what was your experience handling the sign up process for housing?"
4. "Do you apply for FAFSA? If so, did you have any help when first starting (from parents / guardians) or did you navigate the process yourself?"
5. "Have you experienced any challenges with financial decision making?"
Repeating Themes Among our Users
80% of our interviewees are first or second generation immigrants
Our users feel intimidated and unprepared making adult decisions
Our goal:
Create an app that addresses the uncertainties and anxieties our users face
Mapping an effective user journey
User journeys provide us with a comprehensive understanding of the steps and interactions users experience while engaging with the GenFriends app.
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By mapping out these journeys, we gain valuable insights into the specific pain points and needs users encounter throughout their experience.
Investigating Similar Apps
taking a close look at popular educational apps
Early Designs
Take a peek at some early character designs for Genfriend's avatars! These friendly characters contribute to making our app feel more approachable and branded; users form a connection and familiarity with our app's stars.
Art by the talented Andrew Nguyen.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
Within the first 3 hours, My team drafted an early app wireframe, illustrating the intended user journey.
The user journey informed the design of our low-fidelity wireframes, which acted as the foundation, or "skeleton", of our final wireframe.
Introducing...
After 24 hours of brainstorming, research, desgning, and prototyping, a Genfriends demo was ready.
This video walkthrough shows how a user can use the Genfriends app to learn more about student loans
Next Steps
Funding
Genfriends has recently been approved for funding by the prestigious Burgess Institute Discovery Program at Michigan State University
With this funding, we hope to transform our Genfriends demo into an actual usable app. Genfriends has the potential to aid students exceed in all aspects of their lives. Stay tuned for updates on this project!
