Project: Swimm

Swimm is a platform designed to assist new international students in the US by providing crowd-sourced recommendations and organizing group shopping trips. Initially focused on helping students find social events and friends, our research led us to pivot towards solving the more pressing issue of navigating daily tasks like grocery shopping and transportation.

Role: UX Research
Industry: Social Networking
Duration: 2 Months

Background

The Swimm project was born out of a desire to support international students as they navigate the complexities of settling into a new environment in the U.S.
Initially envisioned as a platform for connecting students through social events and help new students make friends as well as adapt into the new environment quicker.

The Idea

A social platform that help new international students connect and hang out.

The Struggle

As an international student, adjusting to new environments can be challenging. These experiences can often feel overwhelming as we work to find our footing in a foreign setting.

Research Findings

Method:

User Interview

Conducted 15 in-depth interviews with international students to understand their daily challenges.

Surveys

Distributed surveys to 30 international students, achieving a 70% response rate, to quantify the issues faced.

Contextual Inquiry

Observed 5 students during their grocery shopping and transportation routines to identify pain points.

Results:

85% of participants struggled with finding reliable transportation options.

75% mentioned difficulties in locating grocery stores that carry authentic ethnic foods.

Group activities, such as organized shopping trips, were fondly remembered by 60% of the respondents, highlighting a potential area for intervention.

Research Insight:
Through comprehensive user interviews and surveys involving 30+ international students, we discovered that socializing was not a major concern.

Instead, the primary challenges were managing daily tasks such as grocery shopping and understanding local transportation. This pivotal insight led to a strategic pivot in our project focus.

Ideation

Brainstorming Sessions: We conducted 2 brainstorming workshops, each lasting 2 hours, with a team of 4 members to explore potential solutions

Ideas generated included but not limited to:

Planning group shopping trips
Searching for mentors
Holding Q&A orientation sessions
Finding recommendations for authentic ethnic restaurants and grocery stores

Selected Ideas: We prioritized ideas based on feasibility and user impact, narrowing our focus to two main functions:

Discovering reliable recommendations from other international students

Discovering reliable recommendations from other international students

Planning group outings

Planning group outings

Sketches & Userflow:
Low-Fidelity Wireframing

Low-Fidelity Wireframing:
Before creating low-fidelity hand-drawn wireframe cards for user testing, I developed a quicker low-fidelity prototype to efficiently outline and iterate on design ideas before moving on to more detailed testing.

Testing:
I concentrated on creating low-fidelity wireframes to quickly iterate on ideas and test them with users using paper sketches and Miro.

Feedback & Insights:
Ease of Use: 85% of users found the paper prototypes easy to navigate and understand.

Functionality: Users appreciated the focus on practical assistance, confirming the need for features like group trip planning and reliable recommendations.

Feedback & Insights:
Ease of Use: 85% of users found the paper prototypes easy to navigate and understand.

Functionality: Users appreciated the focus on practical assistance, confirming the need for features like group trip planning and reliable recommendations.

Feedback & Insights:
Ease of Use: 85% of users found the paper prototypes easy to navigate and understand.

Functionality: Users appreciated the focus on practical assistance, confirming the need for features like group trip planning and reliable recommendations.

Userflow & Flowchart:
Developed user flow diagrams to visualize the app’s structure and ensure a seamless user experience. These helped identify potential bottlenecks and areas for improvement early in the design process.

Strength of the Userflow:

Clear Initial Pathway

Effectively guides users to either create a recommendation or join a ride pool, making primary functions easily accessible.

Focused Outcomes

Each branch leads to a specific goal, ensuring users can achieve their objectives efficiently

Weakness of the Userflow:

Redundancy

Multiple decision points may confuse users and require unnecessary navigation.

Lack Features

Core tasks are separated, making it cumbersome for users to explore multiple options simultaneously.

Limited User Feedback

The flow lacks clear feedback loops, leading to potential uncertainty about task completion.

Improved Userflow:
The newly improved user flow is divided into two distinct flows, each tailored to one of the core features—creating recommendations and joining ride pools—ensuring a more focused and efficient user experience for both tasks.

Final Solution

Implementation and Final Touches: In the final phase, I used Figma to add aesthetic touch-ups to ensure the design was visually appealing. The primary focus remained on ensuring that the solution effectively addressed the needs identified during the research and testing phases.

Solution Overview: A robust platform for international students to access reliable recommendations and plan group outings efficiently.

Key functionalities:

Browse Recommendations: Users can easily find verified recommendations for grocery stores, restaurants, and transportation services.

Plan Group Trips:
An integrated planner allows users to organize and join group shopping trips, enhancing the sense of community and support.

Final Touch

Outcome & Reflection

Learnings & Challenges: This project underscored the critical importance of user research in identifying genuine user needs. The strategic pivot from social networking to practical assistance highlighted the value of flexibility in the design process. Key challenges:

Balancing Features: Ensuring the app was feature-rich without overwhelming users.
Iterative Design: Continuously refining the design based on user feedback and testing.

Impact:

Increased User Engagement: 85% of users expressed a willingness to recommend Swimm to fellow international students.
Enhanced User Satisfaction: 90% reported feeling more confident in navigating daily tasks.

Personal Growth: This project significantly enhanced my skills in UX research and low-fidelity prototyping. I learned the value of early user testing and iterative design, ensuring that the final product truly meets user needs. The experience reinforced the importance of a user-centered approach and flexibility in adapting to new insights.

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