Cultured
Designing a learning app to bridge the gap for students who seek knowledge of diverse cultures from around the world.
Role + Contribution:
UI/UX Design, Research, Prototype, Graphic Design
Team:
3 UX Designers, 20 Developers, 1 Project Manager
Time Frame:
January 2024 - April 2024, 4 months
Tools:
Figma, Figjam
Overview
Problem Space
Second-generation immigrants and college students often express a curiosity about their own heritage and various cultures worldwide, seeking opportunities to broaden their understanding beyond their own cultural background.
However, amidst the demands of academic life, extracurricular commitments, and social activities, they find it challenging to stay motivated and committed to cultural exploration.
Solution
A fun educational app containing engaging content including games and informative lessons to teach our users about various topics from different cultures.
Secondary Research
Discovery-why is our problem a problem?
Why do second generation immigrants feel a disconnect to their culture?
Cultural Adaptation
Pressure to assimilate and adapt to their surrounding culture - Prioritizing aspects of the dominant culture over their own cultural traditions
Limited Exposure
Growing up in ethically diverse but culturally assimilated communities-hard to find living practices of their culture to learn from.
Too Many Resources
The sheer volume of available information online can sometimes be overwhelming or confusing to look through without planned structure.
Primary Research: Interviews and surveys with students
Though our initial research provided a good starting point to frame our problem statement, we conducted a survey and semi-structured interviews to refine our scope and form design goals.
Findings
01
Deep research is burdensome
Researching and learning consistently feels difficult. Keeping themselves committed to learning without fun proves difficult to continue.
Users cited consistency, language barriers, and not knowing where to start as blockers.
02
Keep knowledge simple
When asked what type of resource would best help in learning, people responded with a diverse array of answers. However, many of them had one sentiment in common:
A simple and accessible product that has a good balance between easy and difficult sources to learn from.
03
Yes, this app is a good idea.
Students resonated with the idea of an educational app that teaches them about their heritage and other cultures.
The absence of a centralized resource for cultural education coupled with the lack of engaging and interactive learning tools further complicates students' quest for cultural knowledge.
04
Quick and easy to digest
Traditional methods of learning about cultures often lack the immersion necessary to captivate student's interest.
Time constraints and inconsistent motivation impact users’ ability to regularly explore and engage with their cultural traditions.
Design Goals
These user insights were then grouped to form 4 major themes for us to use as a guideline for user needs & desires throughout our design process.
USER ENGAGEMENT
How do we create a seamless experience that keeps users consistently engaged with their cultural heritage despite time constraints and motivational challenges?
EASE OF USE
How do we make it simple for users to navigate and find what they’re looking for?
ENGAGEMENT
How do we keep users interested and motivated to regularly explore and learn about their culture?
CULTURAL DEPTH
How do we provide detailed and meaningful content that enriches users' understanding of their heritage?
Ideation
After extensive research and analysis, we decided upon an app that follows the goals of our users and feature priorities made during brainstorming phase.
User Flows
Using the synthesized insights from the previous stages, we realized that to accomplish the necessary goals, we would have to implement a number of features that kept our users engaged, the app interactive, and our users motivated to keep using the app.
The following flow was created as a general structure for the app.
There was also a flow created that went into more detail on the specific screens and features of the app. This was created so that the developers had a better idea of the possible screens.
Exploring Design Opportunities
I was tasked to create…
The Friends View (Friends list, Add/Invite Friends)
The Activity View (Personal activity, Leaderboard)
The AR Tour View
Any additional screens that the team needed design work for
During this phase, I kept this question in mind:
How might we personalize features to showcase both individual and community progress toward cultural learning goals, while still motivating and offering a sense of accomplishment for all users, regardless of their position on the leaderboard?
Friends, Activities, AR Tour Screens
These designs were originally approved to continue, however, due to time and developer constraints, we did not move forward with the friends feature, meaning that 2 of my screens were scrapped. All part of the design process, of course :)
This change also directed me to redesign the activity page to match what was expected from a single-player's activity screen.
Prototyping
Following approval from the developers and lead designer, the design team continued to implement the sketches into high-fidelity prototypes in Figma.
Design System
The design system was created with a fun, functional, and simple look in mind to cater towards students who want to learn.
Iterations
Below are 3 out of the many screens I worked on, along with the iterations that I went through while creating them.
Onboarding
I worked on the onboarding features during prototyping.
My teammates created the wireframe sketch and the initial prototype, but I was assigned to revise and improve the design language for the final view.
Food Screen
For the food screen, I followed my design lead's wireframe sketch while prototyping.
However, we revised the design for this in the final draft for a more cohesive look with the rest of the app.
Leaderboard
I worked on the leaderboard screen from sketch to completion.
The design for the top 3 was revised during the prototyping phase to provide a more visually pleasing experience.
Impact
User Testing Results
Before completing and finalizing Cultured, we gained through usability testing with target stakeholders and design critiques.
Found the product to be educational and reflective of their needs.
Found the product engaging and stated they would use this over their current way of learning about cultures.
Found the educational modules and games to be engaging and motivational in learning.
Final Deliberables
Upon completion of this design, our team presented the final app during the IOS club demo day. We received an honorable mention out of 8 completed projects, as well as a distinction for our UX design.
Presented by the developers of each screen, the demo covers the finished application of Cultured. Please see the full demo below!
Reflection
What I learned, areas for improvement, and my closing thoughts.
What I learned (and re-learned)
Time management while working with developers
Cultured was a project started in the Georgia Tech IOS Development Club. Due to the nature of the club, the developers would learn back-end while we did the design. We had to make sure we could match their pace by the time they were ready to do front-end so that Cultured didn't fall behind.
I learned how to design and iterate quickly without dropping in quality while also managing my time appropriately so that I didn't lose steam during our sprints.
Handling critique
5 designers on a team means 5 different opinions. We won't all see everything the same way. During the logo design phase, I thought that my design for the global concept was good enough to use as the final, but my teammates did not.
I was proud of my work, but I also knew that my opinion is not the end all be all. It's important to realize (or re-realize) the reason behind design. I took into account my teammates' feedback and advice, which resulted in the global concept logo.
Areas for Improvement
More time thinking about the users
Due to time constraints, we had to move from research synthesis to design quickly. Looking back, we could have spent more time thinking about how the app would actually work for students. For example, I could have created more detailed user flows or empathy mapping to map out the steps students would take to complete different tasks. This would have helped me identify any potential roadblocks early on and ensure the app was super user-friendly.
Final thoughts
Cultured was something that I 1000% wanted to see to the end. As a second-gen immigrant student, this project was something I really resonated with. I learned a lot about the iteration cycle during this project! Working alongside other designers and developers meant that I could see my work being built in real time, and that was very fulfilling.
I loved working on this project. IOS Club did a great job of structuring. Based on how well this project went, I'm already prepared to sign up for another project next semester!
