CLUB HUB
Role
UX Researcher
UI Designer
Timeline
3 weeks
Tools Used
Figma
FigJam
Google Forms
Illustrator
Notion
Team
Dylan Wan
Angela Zhang
Mila Luo
Allison Huang
PROJECT OVERVIEW
This project was our group's submission for Rice's 2024 Annual Designathon. The original project timeline was 48 hours, starting from when the prompt was first revealed to our final final submission. After the event, Angela and I decided to develop Club Hub further.
The original designathon prompt was as followed:
BRAINSTORMING
DECIDING WHAT PROBLEM TO TACKLE
As college students, we are already aware of many of the problems that college students face. As time was of the essence, we quickly wrote down all the issues that we dealt with, and deliberated on what concept would most immediately benefit from an app. We decided on tackling the problem students face when trying to find campus organizations and clubs.
USER RESEARCH
QUANTIFYING THE CURRENT CLUB FINDING EXPERIENCE
In order to gain more clarity in regards to the struggles college students face when finding clubs, we sent and received 30 surveys from college students across the US. Our most eye opening findings were that…
83.4%
felt that finding clubs was a challenge
60%
felt a need for a centralized database for club finding
55%
used word-of-mouth as their main source of finding clubs
USER RESEARCH
IDENTIFYING WHAT MAKES FINDING CLUBS DIFFICULT…
Using our open-ended question responses, we analyzed and grouped the responses based on common patterns we observed. The affinity map looked as followed…
Key Findings:
Many found that the immense effort it takes to seek out clubs discouraging
Many felt confused & overwhelmed with the quantity of platforms that clubs used as their primary source of communication
Clubs were easily overlooked and led to time conflicts with other clubs/classes
DEFINING
DEFINING OUR MAIN CHALLENGES TO SOLVE
After extrapolating the main pain points from our survey, we had a better picture of the problems we needed to solve. We formatted these challenges into 3 questions that formed the foundation of our solution ideation.
THE PROBLEM
QUESTIONING OUR RESEARCH METHODS
Our original plan was to create 3 user personas and user journeys. However, after creating the first one, we reevaluated its contribution to the broader process. Given that we already had survey responses from a pool of target users and their feelings, we felt that a persona wasn't as valuable for its intended application. Instead, we stuck with one and moved into solution ideation directly.
??
IDEATING
MOVING FORWARD WITH SOLUTION IDEATION
After looking at our main challenges, we quickly brainstormed many solutions to tackle each of them. Some solutions came in the form of new features, and others a way to format the navigation experience. Many ideas were further discussed and finally synthesized into 5 main solutions.
OUR SOLUTIONS
IDEATING
MAPPING OUT THE NAVIGATION EXPERIENCE
In order to emphasize all the features outlined in our solution, we made sure that they would be easy to access through the navigation bar. Overall, the flow is intentionally straightforward to be intuitive to users.
DESIGNING
ESTABLISHING CONTENT HIERARCHY
We quickly iterated and got initial feedback from potential users. UI from other apps such as Instagram (for the homepage), Duolingo (for the quiz page), and Google Calendar (for the calendar page) were referenced as a starting off point for some of our wireframes as many students were already familiar with their layout.
INTERFACE DESIGN
GETTING INITIAL FEEDBACK FROM USERS
After creating our first high fidelity prototype, we conducting further user research on other target users to get their feedback. The following iterations were then created based on those impressions.
CLUB PROFILE PAGE
SEARCH / FILTER PAGE
CALENDAR & PROFILE PAGE
REEVALUATING OUR SOLUTIONS
AFTER FEEDBACK
One of our main features, the AI chatbot assistant, received mixed reviews from users. Many felt that it was redundant, given the numerous other search features in the app. We were also told that it cluttered the homepage UI too much.
05
AI CHATBOT ASSISTANT
message an AI chatbot from the homepage to answer any quick questions
AMMENDING THEM
We then asked our users whether or not they would use such a feature and 2 out of 3 of them said "no." After carefully reconsidering the scope of our app, we felt that the best course of action moving forward was to get rid of it completely.
AND NOW INTRODUCING CLUB HUB!
ONBOARDING
HOMEPAGE
The homepage is the central hub for the user, keeping them up-to-date on all upcoming events, announcements, and highlights. Suggested events are also recommended to the user based on their interests.
SEARCH / FILTER
The search page presents the quickest way to discover new clubs with advanced search, providing a wide breadth of relevant categories.
The results that populate lead directly to each respective club's homepage giving additional information.
CALENDAR
To address time conflicts, the app includes an integrated calendar that lets users easily save and access details of club events they wish to attend.
PROFILE
The profile page allows users to manage their saved clubs, apply filters for easier navigation, and customize settings to improve their overall app experience.
HOW I'D MEASURE SUCCESS
01
USER MANAGEMENT
What to track:
How often students use the app (daily, weekly, monthly).
How many students join or follow clubs.
How many students attend events or sign up for club activities.
Why it matters: If students are actively using the app, it means they're finding value in it.
02
USER SATISFACTION
What to track:
Collect feedback through surveys or in-app ratings.
Measure how likely users are to recommend the app (NPS score).
Run usability tests to see if students can easily find and join clubs.
Why it matters: Positive feedback shows the app is easy to use and meets student needs.
03
CLUB GROWTH
& ACTIVITY
What to track:
How many new clubs are created.
How often clubs update their profiles or host events.
How many students participate in club events.
Why it matters: Active clubs and events show that the app is helping students build communities.
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS
01
MANAGING TIME CONSTRAINTS
With such a short turnaround, clear & efficient communication between all team members was imperative. Knowing how to quickly distribute tasks based on our strengths helped immensely
02
ITERATE ITERATE ITERATE
Things can always improve. Iterating our designs after getting feedback from target users was key to making our designs more user friendly, reminding us to always center their needs instead of our own
Many of our high-fidelity iterations involved removing unnecessary or confusing features. What we thought would be helpful ended up being a detriment to the app's intuitiveness