Isabella Ouyang | Portfolio

PEERUP | communication app

In this project, we, teamed up as four, are assigned to design an educational app for CMU students in a month.
So, we came up with the idea of this app. The purpose of this design is to connect college students to their biggest resource, their peers (both individually and in study groups) based on their campus, so as to reduce wait times and help them work around personal schedules. The goal is to give students a comfortable environment so they don’t just spend time solving a homework problem, but they understand the concept itself.

PROBLEM

CMU students so have recitations that they can ask TAs for help with the assignments. However, TAs time is limited.
Therefore, students sometimes cannot get the help that they need. Even if they do, some TAs are not good at explaining the concepts in the perspective of students.

PROPOSAL

So, what if there is an app that can connect students to their peers whoever is taking the same course or has taken it before?
What if the app can connect students one to one or in a group to serve different purposes?
What if students can potentially earn some money from helping another students?
Since every person can both be a tutor and a student, this app could potentially build a balance inside the campus.

Jump to REFLECTION here

IDEATION

target user journey map

target user persona

navigation flow

style sheet

design template

USER SENARIO AND PROTOTYPE

PROCESS DOC | pdf

REFLECTION

Rethinking about the delivery method of the project, I was think how we might help ease the process with automation.

Imagining a seamless peer study experience, we propose a user-friendly approach akin to toggling a switch. Upon initiating a peer session, our system will automatically identify the most suitable study companions based on user profiles and their activated switches. Users retain flexibility, with the ability to reschedule at any time. In case of last-minute conflicts added to the calendar, PEER UP can efficiently relocate individuals to alternative available sessions with participants already engaged in peer study. This ensures a dynamic and adaptable platform for collaborative learning.
Knowing each student's academic and personal commitments allows for optimized scheduling of study group activities, ensuring active participation without conflicts with classes, exams, or personal obligations. A comprehensive profile can also help us align group activities with academic level, making it highly relevant and beneficial.

Step one: Upon signing up, users are required to set up their profile, but the process can be expedited by connecting your school account, personal email account, and virtual meeting accounts.

Step two: Choose hashtag subjects related to your major. Selected hashtags not only help enhance our system but also contribute to making your coordination effortless.

Step three: The detail level of this profile ensures that study groups operate smoothly, with activities and resources perfectly synchronized with each student's academic and personal commitments, leading to an optimized and supportive collaborative learning environment.

Step four: The home page will be filled with appointments that you joined and those you host. Switch on your “PEER UP” toggle to create or join a study group.

Step five: To start, you only need to select multiple hashtag subjects. You won’t be wasting your time trying to find the best time that works for all your peers.

Step six: After your post is published, it becomes visible to users interested in similar topics. Study groups sharing common hashtags and identical time slots will be merged. You'll also be notified via real-time push notifications about any updates related to your post.