OVERVIEW 
The Problem
​Universities across the U.S. know that alumni are one of their greatest assets. Alumni are the foundation of fundraising, provide great support for sporting and entertainment events, and are critical for student recruitment and promoting the school within the community. However, staying connected with those alumni has become increasingly difficult.   ​

The Task
Design a mobile app to help Carnegie Mellon University engage with alumni, and to help alumni keep strong bonds with the school.

Duration
3 Days, Individual Project

My Role
UX Research, UX Design, UI Design

Tools Used
Sketch, Figma

​
 Design Process
Background Research

To gain better understanding of the problem space, I did secondary research online. I then used this to make some insights about current solutions.

Currently, a website is one of Carnegie Mellon’s main source of communication with alumni. Features in the website include an events page, guidance to the school’s online alumni community, links to the alumni directory, and information about regional networks.
​

​There is a lot of information, and it’s a time consuming process for users to comb through all of it to find relevant information according to their personal needs. 

However, the current networking trend is striving to make connections in a fast and effortless way- like a simple handshake.  

Additionally, the information was presented in a formal and distant manner. The website felt more like a newsletter for recent updates, rather than a place to foster deep engagement. 

​
So.... what’s next?
Some additional resources for alumni connections were found in LinkedIn and Facebook Alumni groups. But, which of these resources were current alumni utilizing the most to build alumni connections? The next step was to conduct some user research to gain better understanding of the stakeholders' actions and needs. 
​
User Research
​
I interviewed 3 individuals- the CMU Alumni Relations Director and 2 CMU alumni. I was able to synthesize the data I gathered in the interviews to create 3 personas that represented different stakeholders within the problem space. Their goals and characteristics gave me more insight into the various different needs and pain points.

The three personas were:

1). The CMU Alumni Relations Director wants engagement from as many alumni as possible. Engagement can come in many forms including campus engagement through visitation, alumni event attendance, donations, and connection with regional alumni groups. He is most worried about time as the obstacle that prevents more alumni from being as engaged in these activities.

2). A Recent CMU Grad wants to maintain old connections and possibly build new ones as she’s making the transition from student to alumna after graduation. She is most comfortable with building connections with others who share similar characteristics with her- like her major and class.

3). A CMU Alumna wants to continue to build on the connections she has maintained throughout the years after graduation. She feels less motivated to go out of the way to build new connections, since she feels comfortable and well adjusted to the post-grad life.

Key Insights from User Research 

The School's Main Goals

Foster alumni engagement through:
1). Regional Events
2). Campus Visits (such as during Carnival and Homecoming)
3). Utilizing the online resources, such as the directory
4). Building communities and networks throughout the globe
5). Donations

​
CMU Alumni's Main Goals
​
I found that alumni were not really using the online resources provided from CMU. Instead, they were using other resources to connect with other alumni such as:

1). LinkedIn
2). Facebook
3). Email (by using directory)

The most commonly used tool currently was LinkedIn, as alumni perceived they took little effort in using it, since they were already using it anyway.

The biggest factor in building active communities with other alumni was through shared experiences, such as the same major, class, culture, clubs, greek life, and other organizations. These shared experiences helped foster a sense of team spirit in the group, and a strong sense of belonging.

The strongest motivation to visit the campus was connections with other current students. After years passed from graduation, and alumni personally knew less current students, they felt less of a reason to visit campus and participate in events such as Homecoming and Carnival.

Participation in alumni regional events depended on if they knew other close connections were coming. Rarely, did alumni feel incentivized to go to the event, without knowing another close friend going.

Design Goals

How might we foster stronger alumni networks and build a sense of team spirit (belonging) in these communities for more active engagement? ​

Based on the research, there is a gap between the school’s goals for alumni engagement and the motivation level from the alumni themselves to be actively engaged. Currently, alumni are more engaged in groups where they identify with other members through shared characteristics or experiences. How can we design a solution around these strong bonds?

​

​App Features
​
After ideation through a brainstorming session, I chose the features that I felt most directly solved the problem.



User Flows

​After fleshing out the app features, piecing together the various pieces to make a user flow was the logical next step. Given the strategy that went into making the features, creating a logical chronological flow between the steps was an easy next step.
​
Final Design

After fleshing out the flows, adding thematic colors and patterns in design style were the bulk of the design decisions I was making in the final designs. Although I wanted the app to look sleek and professional, I also wanted the design to be easily accessible for different generations of alumni (such as the younger ones) and encourage engagement. ​
​
Promotion and Onboarding Plan

In my interview with the alumni relations director, I found out that part of CMU’s goal is to help students start making the transition to alumni during their last semester. In particular, the week before graduation is called Senior Week, and is dedicated to free events for the graduating seniors.

A strategy to promote this tool and help students with onboarding, is to advertise this app in the events during Senior Week. Workshops can also be implemented to help students figure out how to use the app.

​
Reflections

Given the short amount of time given for this project, I tried to go through as many steps of the design process as possible. I think I need more revisions after additional user testing and feedback on the current solutions I have. Another key feature I would develop more if I had more time, would be to design a separate user flow of the administrative view.

​This way, my client (CMU) would have better visuals to understand how they would be using this solution. Although the short time constraint was stressful, I learned a lot about how to prioritize and make a successful design, even when given a shorter amount of time.

​
←Back to the rest of the projects