adjoa-hagan profile photo

Adjoa Hagan

User Experience and Service Design MA

Hi, I'm Adjoa, a UX Designer from Essex. With a background in customer success, I connect people and services helping to turn ordinary encounters into unforgettable experiences. My passion is to empower marginalised people and communities through thoughtful, inclusive design.

For Us By Us (F.U.B.U)


The Problem

I identified that there is a racial awarding gap in university degree classification with Black students less likely to achieve a 1st or 2.1 than their white peers. User research highlighted that these students often feel marginalised, othered and distrustful of their universities due to experiences of racial discrimination and a lack of representation that has pervaded throughout their educational journeys.

How it works:


The Solution

I designed a university partnership programme which gives Black students access to resources and information from different UK universities that can help support them in their studies. These resources include Black mentors, culturally relevant events and university action projects. By creating a safe space and a large community network, these students can feel less alone and more motivated to get the best out of their degrees.

Students enrolled on the F.U.B.U program will answer a series of personalisation questions to help them outline their goals and aspirations for the academic year ahead. This information will be shared with a mentor to ensure a personalised experience throughout the programme.

Students will be shown a directory of events taking place at not only their own but other nearby universities. They will be given information on what will take place during the event, how it can help them reach their goals and transport assistance if required.

Students will book and attend an event where they will be exposed to likeminded, successful Black students and professionals. Seeing themselves in programme leaders, mentors and other students will help rebuild self-esteem and confidence which is likely to have been negatively affected due to being a minority.

The Process


User Research

My user research aimed to address why current university interventions are falling short in addressing the UK black awarding gap. I conducted focus groups and a range of mapping activities with target users and stakeholders. The results were analysed using a thematic analysis from which four key insights were generated.

Journey Mapping

I mapped my users current university journey to understand where, when and how their discontentment and disconnect began. I then ideated and co-designed my final concept, F.U.B.U with target users and stakeholders. I contextualised this solution using a Storyboard and Service Blueprint.

Prototyping and Refinement

I used Low-Fidelity wire-framing to build the initial screens of F.UB.U. Working with target users I iterated and refined these screens into High-Fidelity screens, then underwent further user testing to ensure flows were efficient, meaningful, and engaging.

Project Reflection & Next Steps

This project was meaningful to me as I deeply empathised with my target users, being a Black university student myself. I brought with me my own experiences, cultural understanding and knowledge which made me uniquely able to make cultural links and interpret data allowing me to get the best of this experience. Going forward I hope to gain employment for a company whose ethos aligns strongly with my values of equality, compassion for others and empowering people. It is my mission to create and design with an inclusive society in mind.

← Previous - Sujit Gudipati
Next - Amy Haynes →