The Calendar Map App

The University of the Arts London’s Creative Shift initiative is dedicated to supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds as they navigate the realms of the creative industries. In a world increasingly dominated by digital platforms and hybrid learning methods, the need for connectivity, community, and representation has never been greater. The task is to design a product or service that foster community-building among students from underrepresented backgrounds in a hybrid world.

Client

University of Arts London
Creative Shift Department

Duration

6 Weeks

My Role

Project co-lead
Interface Design
Interaction Design

Course

Designing Products &
Services For All | Hyper Island

Methodology

Design Thinking

Challenge

Creative Shift has an impactful program that connects students with industry leaders through events and other touchpoints. However, an area of unmet need is facilitating connections and community among the students themselves.

Solution

Addressing the problem involves creating a new online space within Creative Shift. This space will help members easily find and stay updated on events while connecting with each other. The solution includes building a web platform as an addition to the existing Creative Shift website. We'll arrange the current information in a more user-friendly way and add new features to support the community.

Process

Empathize and Define Phase: Our process of working with the brief started with desktop research followed by different interviews with the Creative Shift Staff, UAL students within the target group, Creative Shift students, and similar organizations like Changers Hub.

During our research, our insight was that Creative Shift is good at building bridges between the students and the Creative industry by programming interesting and relevant events for the students.

We also gathered many insights from students and other stakeholders, here’s some quotes that stood out:

“If I knew about the program,
I would have attended.”
-David, Former UAL Student
“It feels more like an event organizer than a social community.”
-Iman, Creative Shift Student
“I don’t know which other students from my college are in the Creative Shift program.”
-Arin, Creative Shift Student
“It is hard to keep in contact with students. It would be nice with a place where students can update each other on different events and keep the contact.”
- Davinia, Creative Shift Student
“If I knew about the program,
I would have attended.”
-David, Former UAL Student
“It feels more like an event organizer than a social community.”
-Iman, Creative Shift Student
“I don’t know which other students from my college are in the Creative Shift program.”
-Arin, Creative Shift Student
“It is hard to keep in contact with students. It would be nice with a place where students can update each other on different events and keep the contact.”
- Davinia, Creative Shift Student
“If I knew about the program,
I would have attended.”
-David, Former UAL Student
“It feels more like an event organizer than a social community.”
-Iman, Creative Shift Student
“I don’t know which other students from my college are in the Creative Shift program.”
-Arin, Creative Shift Student
“It is hard to keep in contact with students. It would be nice with a place where students can update each other on different events and keep the contact.”
- Davinia, Creative Shift Student
“If I knew about the program,
I would have attended.”
-David, Former UAL Student
“It feels more like an event organizer than a social community.”
-Iman, Creative Shift Student
“I don’t know which other students from my college are in the Creative Shift program.”
-Arin, Creative Shift Student
“It is hard to keep in contact with students. It would be nice with a place where students can update each other on different events and keep the contact.”
- Davinia, Creative Shift Student

“If I knew about the program,
I would have attended.”
-David, Former UAL Student
“It feels more like an event organizer than a social community.”
-Iman, Creative Shift Student
“I don’t know which other students from my college are in the Creative Shift program.”
-Arin, Creative Shift Student
“It is hard to keep in contact with students. It would be nice with a place where students can update each other on different events and keep the contact.”
- Davinia, Creative Shift Student
“If I knew about the program,
I would have attended.”
-David, Former UAL Student
“It feels more like an event organizer than a social community.”
-Iman, Creative Shift Student
“I don’t know which other students from my college are in the Creative Shift program.”
-Arin, Creative Shift Student
“It is hard to keep in contact with students. It would be nice with a place where students can update each other on different events and keep the contact.”
- Davinia, Creative Shift Student
“If I knew about the program,
I would have attended.”
-David, Former UAL Student
“It feels more like an event organizer than a social community.”
-Iman, Creative Shift Student
“I don’t know which other students from my college are in the Creative Shift program.”
-Arin, Creative Shift Student
“It is hard to keep in contact with students. It would be nice with a place where students can update each other on different events and keep the contact.”
- Davinia, Creative Shift Student
“If I knew about the program,
I would have attended.”
-David, Former UAL Student
“It feels more like an event organizer than a social community.”
-Iman, Creative Shift Student
“I don’t know which other students from my college are in the Creative Shift program.”
-Arin, Creative Shift Student
“It is hard to keep in contact with students. It would be nice with a place where students can update each other on different events and keep the contact.”
- Davinia, Creative Shift Student

What Creative Shift does currently!

Problem Statement

Creative Shift is doing a great job when it comes to events and connecting students with relevant industry leaders, but they have to improve on the community aspect by focusing on creating strong relationships between the students.

Ideation Phase: "Creative Shift feels more like an event organizer than a social community."

With this in mind, we moved on to the ideation phase. We started generating ideas using methods like How Might We, Crazy 8s and the 100 Ideas method to come up with lots of creative ideas. This helped us brainstorm ways to make Creative Shift more social and inclusive, addressing the issue we identified.

Our solution to Creative Shift!

We developed a vision for an additional web platform supplementing the existing Creative Shift website through extensive research and analysis including student insights.

The two critical objectives were:

Organize Creative Shift's current information and content in a more accessible and engaging structure directly informed by student feedback.

Develop new features fostering social connections and creative exchange between students to elevate the broader community.

We kept the original website but made some changes to the Creative Shift Page and made something even more useful to students by directly asking them what they needed. The result is a place where they love to connect by sharing their passions. We created an Information Architecture followed by a User-Flow for each step the users will be performing.

We developed a vision for an additional web platform supplementing the existing Creative Shift website through extensive research and analysis including student insights.

The two critical objectives were:

Organize Creative Shift's current information and content in a more accessible and engaging structure directly informed by student feedback.

Develop new features fostering social connections and creative exchange between students to elevate the broader community.

We developed a vision for an additional web platform supplementing the existing Creative Shift website through extensive research and analysis including student insights.

The two critical objectives were:

Organize Creative Shift's current information and content in a more accessible and engaging structure directly informed by student feedback.

Develop new features fostering social connections and creative exchange between students to elevate the broader community.

Prototyping Phase: We kicked off the prototyping phase by creating detailed wireframes. Every screen and element was carefully designed to be helpful and effective for our target users.

We followed a plan we created on Information Architecture, ensuring our design decisions aligned with user needs.

Then, we made a Lo-Fi prototype, like a rough draft of our design. This prototype let us test how users would move through our design, back and forth, making sure every part was not just useful but made the whole experience smooth.

After testing our Lo-Fi prototype, we stepped up our game by creating a Hi-Fi prototype. This phase brought exciting discussions within the team about design choices.

The key was keeping our focus on what users truly need and addressing their challenges.

One big decision revolved around Creative Shift's branding. Despite deliberations, we decided to stick with the familiar colors, fonts, and logos used by UAL College. This choice ensures a consistent look and feel, keeping everything in sync with the broader UAL branding. Our screens came to life through thoughtful interactions, stitching together a user-centric narrative.

Testing Phase: During the testing phase, we engaged with a few students from Hyper Island to test our Hi-Fi prototype. Unfortunately, testing with Creative Shift students was not permitted, and though the reasons were undisclosed, we followed the guidelines and started testing within the given time. Through this testing phase, we gained valuable insights that informed a few design modifications. These adjustments were made in direct response to the feedback and outcomes observed during the testing with the students.

This iterative process allowed us to enhance and refine our project based on real-world user experiences.

Task: a) Book an event through "List". b) Book an event through "Map".
We conducted usability testing with students, the task was to book an event using the list and map view. While the students completed the task, there was a slight confusion regarding the labels "List" and "Map." A valuable suggestion emerged from one student, proposing the inclusion of icons next to the names "List" and "Map." This enhancement aims to minimize cognitive load for users, providing a visual aid for quick function identification.

The incorporation of icons not only enhances interface intuitiveness but also proves beneficial for users with language or literacy barriers, ensuring a more user-friendly experience.

Picture A is before testing and Picture B is after testing and feedback from students.

A- Before testing

B- After testing and feedback

Additionally, valuable feedback surfaced during the map screen interaction. A student raised a pertinent question about finding events in a specific area and expressed concern about the need to zoom and pan the map.

This insightful observation prompted a realization about the absence of psychological comfort for users.

Acknowledging the user's desire for a search box was recognized as a key element in instilling confidence and comfort.

The presence of a search box assures users that they can easily locate the desired area, contributing to a positive perception of the app's usability.

You can see the changes that we made after the feedback. Picture C is before testing and Picture D is after testing and feedback from students.

C- Before testing

D- After testing and feedback

The Outcome

Conclusion

This project taught me the importance of creating solutions with people in mind, getting feedback from users, and working together as a team. Considering the root of a problem, adapting to feedback, and being mindful of the environment are key aspects.

The shared effort with the team made the project not just productive but also a rewarding experience, contributing to a more inclusive and accessible Creative Shift community.

Click here to view the final Hi-Fi Prototype design in Figma

Click here to view the Design System for this project

See Full Process and Documentation