DigiDubs
Digi-Dubs is a mobile app designed to reconnect University of Washington alumni by offering a fun and personalized way to engage with the university. The app allows alumni to create and customize digital pets (Digi-Dubs), attend events, network with peers, and contribute to university initiatives, all while tracking their participation and impact.
Case Study Context
Role: Lead UX Designer & Project Manager
Industry: Social Platform
Timeline: 10 weeks (Sept. 2023 - Dec. 2023)
Tools: Figma, Qualtrics, Google Suite
Challenge Prompt
"How might we improve communication between {group of people} when {specific event} happens?"
Tackling the Alumni Disconnection Problem
Problem Identification:
My team and I started with a clear understanding of the problem by identifying a group of people who face current communication issues. Our focus naturally landed on UW alumni, prompted by the realization that our team comprised alumni from various universities, all experiencing a common issue: a disconnect between ourselves and our alma mater.
In our discussions, we felt that this problem stems from factors like geographical distance post-graduation, unsatisfactory experiences, and challenges like those brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and remote schooling.
A Post-Pandemic Shift in Engagement:
Alumni are vital to a university’s growth, providing financial contributions, mentorship, and community building. COVID-19 significantly altered how universities interact with alumni, accelerating the need for digital-first solutions. Traditional alumni engagement methods like councils and formal events no longer meet the needs of a digitally savvy audience.
Why Alumni Engagement Matters:
Alumni engagement creates opportunities for networking, career development, and fundraising. Without strong alumni connections, universities risk losing critical financial and social capital.
These discussions allowed us the formulate a guided prompt for our research:
"How might we improve communication between UW alumni and the University of Washington?"
Gaining Insights from UW Alumni
Based on our research, we organized our data and found the following common themes:
These themes are all interconnected under the umbrella of a "Sense of Community & Trust"
In fact, our interviewees indicated that they were twice as likely to consider giving back to their university if they felt a stronger sense of pride or connection to the school.
So in order to build a connection between alumni and their university, alumni need to feel as though they belong in the university community, which can be achieved through connecting with other alumni, students, and faculty.
Journey from Insights to Solutions
Our users, UW alumni, needed to feel connected with their university by staying connected to university offerings, events and other alumni. We were able to specify our design question to:
"How might we connect University of Washington Alumni with their University, when they are lacking strong bonds from their undergraduate experience?"
Creating Personas to Identify Design Opportunities:
Now that we knew who we were designing for, my team and I independently drafted a few ideas. Ultimately we decided on a solution involving both a digital and physical component to align with our design goals based on our user research:
Design Solution Goals
Sketches & Ideation
Navigating Obstacles
As we developed Digi-Dubs, several challenges emerged. We needed to ensure the platform catered to a broad range of alumni, from recent graduates to those who had been away from the university for decades. We also had to balance the fun, engaging nature of Digi-Dubs with the need for a functional, easy-to-use interface.
Wireframe Validation:
We conducted a usability test to evaluate our design against our goals and identify potential issues for further iterations:
Overall, the testing was successful, with participants agreeing that the design was informative and effective in fostering personal connections with other alumni. However, we also identified areas for improvement and made necessary adjustments:
The Final Solution
The final product was a seamless blend of fun and functionality.
Alumni could evolve their Digi-Dubs by attending events and connecting with peers, while also tracking their contributions to the university.
This personalized experience made alumni feel more connected to their alma mater.
Try it Yourself!
Key Features:
Feedback:
Usability tests confirmed the app’s ease of use, with users appreciating the personalized event recommendations and the Digi-Dubs feature as an engaging way to visualize their connection to the university.
Additional Deliverables:
Next Steps & Considerations
Looking ahead, we identified several areas for improvement to further enhance the Digi-Dubs experience and deepen alumni engagement. As the platform grows, ensuring scalability, security, and ease of use will be essential.
Future Improvements:
What I Learned from Digi-Dubs
Through the process of designing Digi-Dubs, I learned several key lessons that have deepened my understanding of UX design and project management:
This project helped me grow as a UX designer by teaching me how to balance user desires with business needs, iterate on designs efficiently, and focus on creating solutions that evolve with the user over time.