I'm a UX and Service Designer skilled in user research, service design tools, and behaviour change strategies. I create user-centred solutions, transforming insights into impactful experiences that foster connection and align with business goals through empathy, creativity, and strategic thinking.
International students face significant cultural barriers such as stereotyping, where generalizing about other cultures leads to misunderstandings, and differences in norms like eye contact and personal space, creating psychological barriers. Language differences cause misinterpretations, while ethnocentrism and varying values lead to biased judgments and conflicts. These challenges affect students’ emotional well-being, academic success, and ability to form meaningful connections, emphasizing the need for a service that helps them overcome these barriers and enhance their cross-cultural experience.
In the Discover & Define phase, I focused on understanding the key challenges faced by international students through a mix of research methods and analysis tools:
This phase laid the foundation for a user-centred design process, ensuring that the service directly addressed the needs and pain points of the target users.
These insights were crucial in shaping the design and features of CulturAlly to ensure it effectively addressed these specific pain points and improved the overall student experience.
The design process was iterative, following the Double Diamond model to reach the outcome. It involved 12 participants throughout the design and evaluation stages, leading to 3 key iterations that shaped the final concept. The approach included ideation, testing, and refinement, with user feedback guiding each step to ensure the product was user-centred and impactful. Additionally, behaviour change strategies were integrated into the design to make the service more persuasive and engaging for the target audience, ensuring the solution effectively addressed their needs and challenges.
In the Ideation phase, I used creative techniques like Brain Writing and SCAMPER to generate a wide range of ideas for addressing the key challenges identified. These methods helped explore diverse solutions, such as interest-based matching, AI-curated prompts, and personalised activity suggestions. This phase was crucial in developing innovative features that directly addressed the needs of international students and enhanced their cross-cultural experience.
The Customer Journey Map outlines the user experience from start to finish, identifying key touchpoints where users interact with CulturAlly. It highlights potential pain points and areas for improvement, guiding the development of features like personalized suggestions and AI-curated prompts to ensure the service meets both practical and emotional needs, ultimately enhancing the user experience for international students.
The Co-design phase involved collaborating with potential users to refine the service concept. Using frameworks like the Feasibility, Desirability, and Viability model, participants evaluated the initial ideas and provided valuable feedback. This process helped prioritise features using the MoSCoW method, ensuring that the final design aligned closely with user needs and expectations, while remaining practical and achievable.
This map illustrates the key stakeholders involved in the CulturAlly ecosystem, including international students, universities, support services, and technical systems. It captures the relationships and interactions between these actors, ensuring that the service is coordinated and aligned with everyone’s needs. Understanding these dynamics was crucial in delivering a solution that benefits all parties, from students seeking cultural integration to universities aiming to improve student satisfaction and retention.
From a business perspective, CulturAlly operates on a B2B2C model. This model involves collaboration with universities to provide a tailored service for their international students. Universities benefit from increased student satisfaction and retention, while students gain a supportive platform to navigate their new environment. This model ensures sustainability and scalability for the platform.
The Service Blueprint provides a detailed overview of CulturAlly‘s service delivery. It outlines the key stages—such as onboarding, daily interactions, and feedback loops—along with the front and back-stage actions. This blueprint ensures that every interaction is seamless, enhancing the overall user experience. It also highlights the behind-the-scenes efforts necessary to maintain and improve the service.
CulturAlly connects international students with peers through interest-based matching, verified by university email for security. The app offers personalised prompts and activity suggestions to enhance cross-cultural experiences. Universities support the service by integrating it with their systems, benefiting from improved student engagement and well-being. The app continuously evolves through feedback and data.
The onboarding experience is designed to be smooth and reassuring, giving students confidence to use the app. It includes verifying their university email for a secure environment and guiding them through the profile creation.
Connects students with like-minded peers, fostering belonging and social connection. It provides a clear starting point for building meaningful relations, making it easier for students to integrate and feel at home.
The homepage serves as the central hub, featuring notifications, alerts, and cultural information. Regular reminders about connections and activities keep users engaged, helping them maintain relationships and stay informed about cultural opportunities.
To support seamless conversation and engagement. These features help students interact easily, regardless of language proficiency, and create opportunities for meaningful activities, enhancing communication and building confidence in social settings.
Bridging cultures, building connections—CulturAlly empowers international students to thrive in a diverse world by turning challenges into opportunities for growth and meaningful interaction.
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