Buddy
A college-focused social app focused on NYC open campus college students.
Project Type
UX Case Study
Capstone Thesis
(worked with partner)
Duration
August 2023 - May 2024
Role
UI Visual Designer
UX Researcher
Market Researcher
Tools
Figma
Miro
Adobe Illustrator
MAXIMIZING YOUR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE BY MINIMIZING THE BIG CITY
Buddy is a mobile app designed to connect students across different New York City colleges by matching undergraduates through profiles that highlight similar personalities, facilitating connections across the city and allowing them to expand friendships. We are here to providing tools such as student profiles, access to campus events, and other features geared towards fostering friendships and social interactions.
Primary Value
Helping undergraduate freshmen in NYC build meaningful friendships by connecting them with like-minded peers in a secure and curated way.
Secondary Value
Providing colleges with a tool to enhance student engagement and help students transition smoothly into the campus community
Understanding your Social Energy
We crafted thoughtful questions about hobbies and lifestyles, focusing on college students' routines and personality traits, to generate accurate user profiles.
Connecting with Compatibility Matches
Match with a Buddy by viewing a brief profile and compatibility categories. Full details are revealed only after matching to prevent judgments based on physical attributes. In today's society, many friendships are formed based on Instagram aesthetics and followers, leading to superficial connections.
Match and Chat with a Buddy
After matching with a Buddy, you can view their full profile, check out any linked socials, and contact them directly through the app.
SSO Verification for Extra Safety
To ensure Buddy is strictly for college students, only participating schools have access, and students can sign up using their SSO. Our research showed many students felt uncomfortable using apps like Bumble BFF, which are open to a broader audience.
Background
It was hard for us to find and make friends in NYC as young 18 year old college students that were new to the city. Since our school campus was the city, it wasn't easy navigate what felt like an in-between of being a student and a full-time adult.
Business Model Canvas
Laying out the Business Blueprint
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Landscape Analysis
Identifying Buddy's Market Niche
I consolidated my research from market competitors, value propositions, academic studies, stakeholders, target audience, and more to ensure all the data aligned and made sense collectively.
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User Research
Building a Strong Case for Buddy
At the start of presenting our idea, we received mixed feedback. Some groups loved Buddy, while others didn't see the point. Was Buddy "too cool for school?" These were some of the sentiments we encountered. However, based on our personal experience, we felt there was more to it, so we decided to delve deeper into user research.
121
survey responses from NYC open-campus college students
15
user interviews from open and closed campus students + stakeholders
38
in-person intercepts with NYC city students
Direct Work Experience (being apart of my school's student engagement program) and Personal Experience (being an NYC student)
Extensive digital ethnography insights from social media platforms and online forums.
academic research on the importance of engagement in the well being of college students
Survey Results
Lack of Community Affects City Campus Life
To gather our 120 responses, we got hands-on, even during exam season and a strike. We handed out free snacks and tabled for weeks. We were surprised by the conversations about the school's lack of engagement efforts and open campus issues.
37%
Of New York City college students do not feel a sense of community at their schools. This feeling can impact their academic performance due to disengagement and overall wellbeing.
User Interviews
Key Quotes from the Interviews
We gained numerous valuable insights from the 15 interviews we conducted. These interviews revealed that it is common for city campus students to feel isolated. The reasons for this issue were consistent among the majority of the students we interviewed.
Digital Ethnography
CUNY schools feel common feelings of loneliness
Since we don't attend CUNY schools, we turned to social media to gauge how other students were feeling. Many students frequently use TikTok to express their thoughts on this issue, and these videos often receive thousands of views and comments from users who share similar sentiments.
One-Pager
What we presented to our stakeholders
Visual Design
The design language of Buddy
My partner and I aimed to make the app feel "cool" and appealing. Many students avoid friend-finding apps, thinking they're lame. To create an inviting atmosphere, we chose a default dark mode with collegiate colors. Additionally, the Buddy icon represents two friends—do you see it?
Wireframing
Building out the first iteration of wireframes
Here are some initial wireframes I created. Before picking out the brand colors with my partner, I chose a black background to align with the app's default dark mode theme, enhancing the collegiate aesthetic.
Question Card Sample
A Buddy's Profile
Connect with Buddies
Detailed Questions Page
User Testing
Getting feedback through user testing
"The competition is BIG with college based apps (Fizz, CORQ, Zeemee) so college contracts are a great focus, but you need to identify how its specific to NYC"
"Some people may need special social accommodations based on identity (ex: religious cannot have opposite sex friends, Accessibility - cannot go to places where mobility devices cannot go)”
"I think targeting freshmen was a great idea since they are particularly vulnerable. It's important to really tell the story from a freshman's perspective, emphasizing that Buddy is here to support them and be their friend. For the next prototype pages, create an intro Figma page that reflects this message."
Wireframing
Final Adjustments Made After Testing
I made significant revisions to my designs following testing. These revisions include updating the interactions on the Feed Page, adding a new Create a Diary flow, and implementing major design updates. I also added pictures and colors so that I could accurately visualize the Jetset brand colors and aesthetic, which is a key part of the interaction.
Splash Screen
SSO Verification Screen
Questions Walkthrough
I added a progress number at the bottom to track remaining questions.
More Questions Page
Added more specific categories if users wanted to get more refined matches.
Connect Page
Not many changes here but I wanted to point out the added navbar!
User Profile Page
Messaging Page
Wanted to make a seamless chat feature that still aligns with the Buddy design language.
Personal Profile Page
Created a page for the user to update and edit their personal profile. They will be able to check their matches and refine their questions through this page.
Key Learnings and Next Steps
Continue to iterate...
✤ This is such a valued market! After talking to potential investors, the problem spans even outside of college in NYC!
✤ Learned the importance of being able to pitch yourself and your brand and being receptive to the feedback and critiques.
✤ ITERATION IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT + CHANGE IS OKAY (it is obvious but after an over year-long research project, you can get stuck in your head)
✤ Continue to finish the rest of the BUDDY wireframes such as the Events Page, Settings, Questions for the Refined Questions, and more!
