Summary

In early 2021, amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, I joined a team through Co.Lab’s winter cohort to create Connectr, a platform designed to help prospective students navigate their college search from home. With college visitations and in-person interactions largely unavailable, Connectr aimed to bridge the gap by offering virtual campus tours, detailed college information, and opportunities for students to connect with current students and alumni. This case study outlines my role as Product Designer in creating an intuitive and engaging platform that aimed to facilitate meaningful connections between students and college communities.

Approach

The challenge we faced was clear: how could we help prospective students navigate the college search process without the ability to visit campuses in person? With the COVID-19 pandemic making limiting traditional college visits, our goal was to create a virtual experience that would bridge the gap between students and the colleges they were considering. We wanted to make the process of researching and choosing a school more manageable and engaging, despite the constraints of the pandemic. The main elements of our platform were simple yet crucial: immersive virtual campus tours that allowed students to explore schools remotely, interactive features for students to connect with current students and alumni, and an easy way for users to compare colleges based on factors like location, programs, and campus life. These features would not only provide important information but also help prospective students feel more confident in their decisions, even without the traditional in-person campus experience.

Outcomes

By the end of our project, we were able to deliver a platform that fulfilled its original purpose and provided real value to students navigating the college admissions process. The virtual campus tours were one of the standout features, offering prospective students an engaging, interactive way to explore schools they couldn’t visit physically. The ability to connect with current students and alumni through chats provided students with a deeper understanding of college life, giving them authentic, first-hand insights. Additionally, the platform’s college comparison tool made it easy for students to browse multiple colleges side by side, helping them make more informed decisions. Usability testing revealed that the platform was well-received by students, who appreciated its simplicity and the way it brought together essential college information in one place. Ultimately, the platform made the college search experience more manageable, engaging, and accessible, especially during the uncertainty of the pandemic.

Process

The process began with a thorough understanding of the problem: prospective students were struggling to make informed decisions about their future colleges due to the lack of in-person visits and face-to-face interactions. From there, we set out to create a platform that could replicate key aspects of the college experience, albeit virtually.

The first step involved brainstorming sessions where the team discussed core features such as virtual tours and student connections, ensuring that we focused on what would make the biggest impact. Once we had a clear idea of what we wanted to achieve, I began sketching out the initial wireframes, starting with key pages like the landing page, university profiles, and community interaction areas. These wireframes evolved into a high-fidelity prototype, which we tested multiple times with real students who were navigating their own college search.