In this study, my fellow students and I explored the challenges faced by international students, such as language barriers, financial difficulties, and feelings of isolation or homesickness. We focused on the social networking platform Goin’, which aims to help international students connect and support each other, but currently presents usability issues.
We conducted a qualitative study to improve the platform’s user experience and effectiveness. Two focus groups were used to identify key problems, followed by a creative problem-solving session to generate solutions. The most feasible ideas were implemented in a prototype, which was evaluated through a cognitive walkthrough by two experts. The results showed that the improvements were successfully integrated and have the potential to enhance user experience and strengthen connections among students.
This project deepened my understanding of how users experience a product and strengthened my interest in qualitative research. I particularly enjoyed redesigning the prototype, as it combined structured evaluation with creative problem-solving. Key improvements included a centralized home page, enhanced search and privacy features on the connect page, conversation prompts in chat, an expanded socialize page with events, and clearer connection and posting options on the profile page. Overall, the project highlighted the importance of user-centered design in creating engaging and effective user experiences.
Role and Contributions
- Led and conducted focus groups to identify user pain points.
- Led and conducted a creative problem-solving session to generate design solutions.
- Helped prioritize and implement feasible ideas into a working prototype.
- Designed and documented key UI changes across multiple app pages.
- Conducted and analyzed a cognitive walkthrough with usability experts.
Skills & Tools
- Qualitative research: Focus groups, creative problem-solving, cognitive walkthrough
- UX design: User flow redesign, feature ideation
- Prototyping in Figma
- Collaboration: Group ideation and user-centered solution building
Rosa de Freitas 