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Mixer - For All, By All

As a student-athlete, I have always felt like an outsider, absent from the rest of campus. Unable to sign up for campus events with an average of 30+ hour commitment to athletics, I redesign my university's current event sign-up space, Anchor Link. “Mixer” provides all students with a calendar to host events based on participants’ availability to increase the chances of participation.

Service Design| Web re-design | Inclusive Design | 2023

The Problem

Students Have Difficulties Signing Up for Campus Events

This topic came from my personal experience being a student-athlete. With an average of 30+ hours commitment, it becomes challenging for student-athletes to participate in events with other students. Aside from training and competition, the limited off time is often met with physical and mental fatigue and takes away motivation for other activities.

Not only does this occur to these groups of students, most students have many commitments in organizations, research, jobs, and classes and finds it difficult to attend all events.

Obstacles
Biggest Challenges for Students When Signing Up for Events

Conflicting Schedule

Low interest

Overcoming Obstacle

The People
Who Have Difficulties Participating in Campus Events?

Off-campus students
International students
Student-athletes

1
2
3

Live further away and may take more effort
Have cultural differences and anxiety meeting new people
Have a vigorous schedule and are more involved in their teams

My Design Process
To Increase Event Participations for Students

Research Challenges

Analyze
Current Solutions

IDEATION
Prototype

Design

Outcome

Platform

Research

What is preventing students attending events?

User Research

Varying Schedule of Students

Students’ schedules often differ significantly due to various commitments, making it challenging for their available times to align.

Interviews

Difficulties Signing-up For Events of Interests?

After conducting face-to-face interviews with 10 students, they share their difficulties when signing up for events.

Jacky L.

"My schedule is inconsistent and most of the time events I am interested in don’t match my time. Through the years I stopped looking and going to events."

Luke T.

"I see no point scrolling through all these uninteresting and repetitive events."

From the interview with ten students—residing off-campus, student-athletes, or international students:
8 students expressed interest in participating in on-campus events if they align with their interests and schedules.

Design Question

How might we redesign event participation to fit within students' time constraints while preserving their value and impact?

Analysis

Pain-Points

Gap between current situation and user needs

User Needs

Current Situation

Find a Suitable Time

Inconsistent Schedules

Find an Interesting Topic

Lack of Event Options

Find Certain Group of People

Detached With Certain Cultures

Want to Host Own Event

Inconsistent schedules

Weakness of Current Solution

Anchor Link’s Website

Side Bar

Information Structure

Ways of exploring events

1. Home

Discover by School

2. Event

Search by Factors

3. Organization

Search by Organizations

4. Newsletter

Find Relevant Articles

5. Form

Submit Sign-up Form

Event Browse & Search

Unable to search by time

For students with rigorous schedules the most important aspect of an event sign-up page should allow selection by time block.

Limited Selection

User can only select from existing events. Students find no-place to host their own events or subscribe their interested topics.

Students often have very different schedules, making it hard for a event time to work for everyone. This can lead to students unwilling to go to future events since they have already missed some.

Design Opportunity: The current event sign up website Anchor Link lacks

Option to choose events based on time

Option to subscribe to organizations

Option to host events by every student

Calendar view of events organized

Competitive Analysis

Product 1

When is Good

How does it work?

Each participants select the time that work for them
The software send all the results to event host and shows common availability

Analysis

Event host can overview participants

Participants have limited customization options

UI design is less intuitive and hard to operate

Product 2

Google Calendar

Analysis

Intuitive operation, easy to customize

Can see other’s time arrangements and availability

Once shared, can’t protect one’s privacy

My Takeaways

To Keep

Shared Calendar

Group Edit

To Optimize

UI Design

Privacy Issues

Design

My Solution

Hosting own events & find best time to host with the help of shared calendars

Ricky Nakano

Year: Junior

Hometown: Fresno, CA (Japan)

Interests: Zoos, Tea, Baseball

Frustrations

I want to join different cultural events but none fit my schedule

The school does not have a tea-related organization

Step 1 : Host Your Own Event

Side Bar Added:

Host an event
Calendar

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Design Portfolio Dec 28 2023 (1)_edited.

Opt-in Shared Calendar for Recommended Host Time

Step 2 : Event Posted on Home

After Participants' Submission
The Host Will Receive a Notification

Step 3: Determine Best Time to Host

When to Meet

Shared Calendar
of Earliest Participants
& Recommended Time to Host

Based on the earliest participants the best time to host your event for optimal attendance is from 5pm-6pm. However, the best time can change as more students join.

Participation Information Page

Check participants’ department distribution
Read participants’ comments and expectations
Learn how to host better events

Event Posted

User Can Share Event With Friends and Others

Receive Feedback From Participants & See Their Willingness to Host

Mixer - For All, By All

The Problem

Students Have Difficulties Signing Up for Campus Events

Not only does this occur to these groups of students, most students have many commitments in organizations, research, jobs, and classes and finds it difficult to attend all events.

Obstacles Biggest Challenges for Students When Signing Up for Events

Conflicting Schedule

Low interest

Overcoming Obstacle

The People Who Have Difficulties Participating in Campus Events?

Off-campus students International students Student-athletes

1 2 3

Live further away and may take more effort Have cultural differences and anxiety meeting new people Have a vigorous schedule and are more involved in their teams

What is preventing students attending events?

Students’ schedules often differ significantly due to various commitments, making it challenging for their available times to align.

After conducting face-to-face interviews with 10 students, they share their difficulties when signing up for events.

Jacky L.

"My schedule is inconsistent and most of the time events I am interested in don’t match my time. Through the years I stopped looking and going to events."

Luke T.

"I see no point scrolling through all these uninteresting and repetitive events."

From the interview with ten students—residing off-campus, student-athletes, or international students: 8 students expressed interest in participating in on-campus events if they align with their interests and schedules.

Each participants select the time that work for them

The software send all the results to event host and shows common availability

Obstacles
Biggest Challenges for Students When Signing Up for Events

The People
Who Have Difficulties Participating in Campus Events?

Off-campus students
International students
Student-athletes

1
2
3

Live further away and may take more effort
Have cultural differences and anxiety meeting new people
Have a vigorous schedule and are more involved in their teams

From the interview with ten students—residing off-campus, student-athletes, or international students:
8 students expressed interest in participating in on-campus events if they align with their interests and schedules.