Purdue College of Pharmacy
My team was assigned to create a research matchmaking database for Purdue Pharmacy students. The virtual format should allows users to create eProfiles detailing information about their research skills, interests, and ongoing projects.
Background
Figma, Canva, Google Suite, Whimsical, Wireframing, Persona Creations, Secondary Research, Primary Research, Blue-Sky Sketching, Competitive Analysis, Site Mapping, Comparative Analysis, Visual Design, User Testing, Journey Mapping
Techniques/Tools Used
Purdue Pharmacy students and researchers.
User Group
Spring 2022
Duration
My Contributions
-
Utilized sketches for mockups
-
Created high-fidelity prototypes
- Formed project presentations on Canva
Visual Design
-
Led meetings with organization
-
Organized project documentation
-
Created meeting documents
Project Management
-
Interviewed user group for feedback
-
Gathered data about problem scope
-
Synthesized information for team
Secondary Research
Final Design
Note: I'm currently continuing to work on developing out this project as a UX Design Intern!
The Process
Primary Research
14 users were interviewed in total, including:
-
9 Purdue students in their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd year of Pharmacy school.
-
5 Purdue Pharmacy professors with experience leading research projects.
Approach
Gain insight into emotions and previous experiences of both researchers and students when creating or applying for research opportunities.
Goal
Main Takeaways
The main issue for finding research opportunities is a lack of visibility and accessibility.
Research matchmaking processes traditionally occur through flyers or word-of-mouth.
Both user groups would prefer the research matchmaking process to occur in a digital space.
Competitive/Comparative Analysis
The team looked at direct competitors who are providing research matchmaking platforms and services, as well as similar platforms that can give insight into one or more features that might inform the future design.
Approach
Discover assets and weaknesses of other sites, as well as understand if any existing platforms can be utilized for our design.
Goal
Main Takeaways
A chat feature could be considered to connect researchers and students for projects.
The limitations of other competitors confirm our direction of creating a new site.
A matchmaking algorithm would be beneficial to maximize students to suitable projects.
Primary Research
Tinder
Analyzing matchmaking site
OurConnect
Analyzing research competitor
Khan Academy
Analyzing module-based platform
Preference filters including deal breakers
Ability to chat when "matched"
Lacks customization + filter system
Projects are difficult to find or identify
Steps are organized into intuitive units
Certifications are displayed on profile
Example of some sites and observations collected.
Low-Fidelity Sketching
With the project timeline and varying design possibilities in mind, design sprints were conducted throughout the ideation process. This allowed the team to explore as many ideas as possible while still having time to test the functionality and usability of our low-fidelity sketches.
Approach
Ideate on UI elements for proposed site based on takeaways from previous research centering user needs and painpoints.
Goal
