Helping students find people, events, and belonging.
ROLE
Product Designer · UX Researcher · Behavioral UX
TIMELINE
8 Weeks
TEAM
2-person team
At a Glance
Uni-Verse is a student-first campus engagement app that helps students connect, belong, and thrive. It brings events, communities, friends, and campus movement into one real-time experience, turning everyday campus life into opportunities for discovery and connection.
Real-time view of campus activities, events, and student activity zones.
Join friends at events and make showing up feel easier, safer, and less awkward.
Interest-based spaces for students to find people, groups, and shared belonging.
Live shuttle updates that make campus navigation easier and less stressful.
A clear platform direction built around belonging, access, participation, and trust.
Prolem
University students, especially freshmen and internationals struggle to connect, adapt, and stay engaged on campus, often leading to loneliness and missed opportunities.
Difficulty in building friendships and adapting to new cultural environments.
Limited access to real-time information on events, communities, and campus resources.
Logistical barriers such as transportation, scheduling conflicts, and hesitation to attend events alone.
The Goal
Design a digital companion for students that reduces isolation, connects communities, and makes participating in campus life simple and welcoming.
Solution
Street Name
Street Name
Street Name
Street Name
Street Name
Street Name
Street Name
Street Name
Street Name
Street Name
Street Name
Street Name
I’ve got what’s happening around you.
Social Heat map
Don’t just go—tag along.
Together feels better.
Design Process
01.Empathize
During this phase, we validated the problems we had observed such as loneliness, hesitation to attend events alone, and transportation issues while also discovering new challenges students face, like feeling ignored in groups, struggling with cultural adjustment, and missing opportunities due to poor event visibility.
Competitive Analysis
ThriveUp
Event Discovery & Networking
A platform aimed at student engagement through event discovery and networking. However, the website's purpose is unclear, and navigation is challenging.
SWOT Analysis
✓ Strengths
• Conceptually focused on event discovery
• Networking-oriented approach
• Student engagement focus
✗ Weaknesses
• Website lacks clarity regarding purpose
• Navigation is difficult and unintuitive
• No comprehensive college database
○ Opportunities
• Improve UI/UX for better usability
• Develop structured database
• Define clear value proposition
⚠ Threats
• Competition from established platforms
• Low user retention due to poor UX
Eventee
Mobile Event App for Universities
A mobile event app widely used in educational settings like Stanford, Oxford, and Cambridge. Provides real-time updates, personalized schedules, and interactive features.
SWOT Analysis
✓ Strengths
• Popular among top universities
• Real-time event updates
• Personalized schedules
✗ Weaknesses
• Complicated and unintuitive UI/UX
• Difficult navigation
• Limited search functionality
○ Opportunities
• Simplify UI/UX design
• Expand event listings
• Build centralized database
⚠ Threats
• Better usability from competitors
• User frustration with complexity
Modern Campus
Student Engagement Platform
Designed to enhance student engagement through event hubs, student organizations, and social media integration. Offers real-time updates and personalized agendas.
SWOT Analysis
✓ Strengths
• Good UI and clean design
• Comprehensive club management
• Event and organization sections
✗ Weaknesses
• Events page loading issues
• Ineffective college search
• Missing transportation features
○ Opportunities
• Improve website performance
• Enhance search functionality
• Add transportation integration
⚠ Threats
• More streamlined competitors
• Performance issues affecting retention
Feature Analysis
| Feature Details | Uni-Verse | ThriveUp | Eventee | Modern Campus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
› Cultural Adaptation★ | ||||
› Centralized Event Hub | ||||
› Last-minute Event Joining★ | ||||
› Real-Time Heat Map★ | ||||
› Live Event Updates★ | ||||
› Study Cohort System | ||||
› Tag-Along Features★ | ||||
› Transportation Integration★ | ||||
› Sports Partner Matching★ | ||||
› Interactive Features | ||||
› Vibe Matching★ | ||||
› University Building Finder★ |
User Survey Insights
To validate assumptions and uncover real needs, we conducted a survey with 58 students. The results revealed that many hesitate to attend events alone, cancel plans without company, and struggle to find like-minded peers for activities such as studying, sports, or hobbies. Students also highlighted frustration with missed shuttles and poor visibility of campus events, confirming the need for a solution that combines social connection with logistical support.
USER SURVEY INSIGHTS
In order to further validate the issues found during heuristic evaluation, I conducted a user survey. Read the data below.
EXPERIENCE LONELINESS
FEEL LONELY OFTEN OR SOMETIMES AFTER ARRIVING
WANT NEW CONNECTIONS
DESIRE TO MAKE NEW CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS
NEED EMOTIONAL SUPPORT
NEED EMOTIONAL OR SOCIAL SUPPORT FROM OTHERS
CULTURAL ADAPTATION ISSUES
FOUND IT HARD TO ADAPT TO CULTURE
DIFFICULTY MAKING FRIENDS
FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO MAKE FRIENDS
02.Define
At this stage of the process, We created personas, empathy mapping, and visualized customer journeys.
Empathy Mapping
Says
- I want to make new friends but don't know how.
- I feel nervous about joining events alone.
- I wish I had someone to guide me through campus and city life.
Feels
- Lonely and overwhelmed by cultural shock.
- Hesitant and socially awkward in large groups.
- Anxious about missing out on opportunities.
Thinks
- Cultural differences will make it harder to fit in.
- Wants a buddy system to ease the transition.
- Studying in groups could help him stay on track.
Does
- Scrolls through event boards but rarely attends alone.
- Relies on limited acquaintances or flatmates for socializing.
- Avoids campus events when he doesn't have company.
Says
- I wish I had a reliable study buddy.
- I don't have time to explore social activities.
- I need better ways to keep track of events.
Feels
- Overwhelmed with coursework and responsibilities.
- Regretful about missing out on social life.
- Frustrated when events clash with studies or transport fails.
Thinks
- Balancing academics and social life is impossible.
- Wants networking opportunities before graduation.
- Reliable transport would make life easier.
Does
- Focuses heavily on academics at the expense of socializing.
- Studies alone even when it feels demotivating.
- Skips events because logistics feel complicated.
User Journey Mapping
To validate assumptions and uncover real needs, we conducted a survey with 58 students. The results revealed that many hesitate to attend events alone, cancel plans without company, and struggle to find like-minded peers for activities such as studying, sports, or hobbies. Students also highlighted frustration with missed shuttles and poor visibility of campus events, confirming the need for a solution that combines social connection with logistical support.
02.Ideate
We established the information architecture to ensure seamless navigation across all core features and defined the brand guidelines that shaped a consistent, intuitive, and visually cohesive user interface.
Information Architecture
The platform’s information architecture is designed for clarity and ease of use, structured around core sections such as Tag-Along, Communities, Events, and the Social Heat Map. Each section addresses specific student needs for example, we designed Tag-Along to enable students to join activities without going alone, while we built the Social Heat Map to provide real-time event visibility and shuttle tracking to reduce uncertainty.
Sketches
This was the moment where ideas started to take shape. We dove into the design phase with quick, low-fidelity sketches that allowed us to explore possibilities without overthinking. Inspired by what we heard in user interviews and guided by both business goals and usability principles, these early sketches gave form to student needs and pain points, setting the stage for a simple, friendly interface.
Mid-Fidility Screens
Using Figma, we translated our first sketches into mid-fidelity wireframes. We started by laying out all the screens we needed to design. We blocked out sections for each element and did our detailed work.
04.Design
Design Kit
This design kit is more than a collection of visuals; it’s a foundation for meaningful experiences. Every element buttons, menus, icons, colors, and typography was intentionally crafted by us to feel clear, consistent, and approachable. It serves as a guide that not only streamlines collaboration but also ensures that every interaction feels natural, intuitive, and respectful of the user’s journey.
High Fidility Screens
This design kit is more than a collection of visuals; it’s a foundation for meaningful experiences. Every element buttons, menus, icons, colors, and typography was intentionally crafted by us to feel clear, consistent, and approachable. It serves as a guide that not only streamlines collaboration but also ensures that every interaction feels natural, intuitive, and respectful of the user’s journey.
Login
Multiple sign-in options – Apple, Google, Meta for quick access.
Traditional entry with email and password.
Password recovery – “Forgot Password?” ensures easy account retrieval.
Simple onboarding – Clean layout reduces friction for new users.
Home
Quick access bar – Tag-Along and Clubs pinned at the top for instant navigation.
Interactive Heat map helps students to track shuttles and explore live events
Cohorts preview – Quick access to joined communities/ Groups
Bottom nav bar – Simple navigation across Home, Explore, Tag-Along, and Profile.
Events section – Shows upcoming activities with RSVP option with an option to navigate and view all events
Event details – Clear info: host, time, date, and location.
Search
Search bar – Quick lookup for events or cohorts by name/keyword.
Visual cues – Image-based tiles make browsing intuitive and engaging.
option to navigate to cohorts and events page
Category cards – Clear options like Fitness, Gaming, Sports, Music, Books & Arts.
Social Heat Map
Search bar – Quickly find events, Tag-Alongs, or shuttle info.
Filter buttons – Toggle between All, Tag-Alongs, Events, and Shuttles.
Live map view – Real-time visualization of events, clubs, and student activity.
Shuttle tracking – Live updates on shuttle location and next arrival.
User presence – Shows peers attending nearby events, reducing hesitation to join.
Create
Clear entry point – Users choose what to create: Tag-Along, Cohort, or Event.
Minimal layout – Simple design keeps focus on action, reducing friction.
Events and Communities
Tabs – Toggle between Events and Cohorts for easy discovery.
Event card – Displays image, host, title, time, date, and location.
RSVP button – Simple call-to-action to confirm attendance.
Community visibility – Shows number of attendees to encourage participation.
Create a Cohort – Easy entry point to start a new group
Community grid – Visual cards (e.g., Hiking, Football, UX Club) for quick discovery.
Explore section – Highlights active communities students can join instantly.
Join button – Clear CTA for effortless onboarding into a group.
Data Input
Overall App
05.Testig
Final usability testing for Uni-Verse was conducted with 5 students across campus using scenario-based tasks, think-aloud protocol, and guided prototype walkthroughs. Participants were asked to complete key flows across events, communities, Tag-Along, and the Social Heat Map while sharing their thoughts in real time. The testing helped evaluate task success, ease of navigation, interaction clarity, and overall fit with student needs, leading to the following results.
Overview
Ease of Navigation
8/10
Tag-Along
9/10
Social Heat Map
7/10
Communities
7/10
Scenario-Based Tasks
- ✅Join Event via Tag-Along
- ⏳Use Social Heat Map
- ✅Join a Community
- ⏳RSVP to Event
Key Feedback
- •Smooth navigation flow
- •Heat map cues unclear
- •Tag-Along reduces hesitation
- •Cohorts need better filters
Prototype
Reflection
Working on Uni-Verse was deeply personal for us. We believe that true innovation comes when you’ve actually gone through the pain and experienced it yourself and we had. Missing classes because of unreliable shuttle timings and feeling hesitant to attend events alone were challenges we lived through, which gave us the empathy to design meaningful solutions.
Throughout the project, we made it a point to seek feedback from peers after every milestone, which sharpened our collaboration skills and helped us see problems from different perspectives. We also held ourselves accountable by setting collective deadlines and meeting them, which strengthened our time management. In the end, Uni-Verse didn’t just solve problems for students it helped us grow as designers who lead with empathy, embrace iteration, and believe in solving from lived experience.
BTS
Awarded as the best UX/UI Designer for Uni-verse by ASU GIT
Survey & Interview
Team at Work
AB Testing (Naming the App)
Sticky Note Wall
Universe
Universe
Helping students find people, events, and belonging.
ROLE
Product Designer · UX Researcher · Behavioral UX
TIMELINE
8 Weeks,
TEAM
2-person team
At a Glance
Uni-Verse is a student-first campus engagement app that helps students connect, belong, and thrive. It brings events, communities, friends, and campus movement into one real-time experience, turning everyday campus life into opportunities for discovery and connection.
Real-time view of campus activities, events, and student activity zones.
Join friends at events and make showing up feel easier, safer, and less awkward.
Interest-based spaces for students to find people, groups, and shared belonging.
Live shuttle updates that make campus navigation easier and less stressful.
A clear platform direction built around belonging, access, participation, and trust.
Prolem
University students, especially freshmen and internationals struggle to connect, adapt, and stay engaged on campus, often leading to loneliness and missed opportunities.
Difficulty in building friendships and adapting to new cultural environments.
Limited access to real-time information on events, communities, and campus resources.
Logistical barriers such as transportation, scheduling conflicts, and hesitation to attend events alone.
The Goal
Design a digital companion for students that reduces isolation, connects communities, and makes participating in campus life simple and welcoming.
Design Process
01.Empathize
During this phase, we validated the problems we had observed such as loneliness, hesitation to attend events alone, and transportation issues while also discovering new challenges students face, like feeling ignored in groups, struggling with cultural adjustment, and missing opportunities due to poor event visibility.
Competitive Analysis
ThriveUp
Event Discovery & Networking
A platform aimed at student engagement through event discovery and networking. However, the website's purpose is unclear, and navigation is challenging.
SWOT Analysis
✓ Strengths
• Conceptually focused on event discovery
• Networking-oriented approach
• Student engagement focus
✗ Weaknesses
• Website lacks clarity regarding purpose
• Navigation is difficult and unintuitive
• No comprehensive college database
○ Opportunities
• Improve UI/UX for better usability
• Develop structured database
• Define clear value proposition
⚠ Threats
• Competition from established platforms
• Low user retention due to poor UX
Eventee
Mobile Event App for Universities
A mobile event app widely used in educational settings like Stanford, Oxford, and Cambridge. Provides real-time updates, personalized schedules, and interactive features.
SWOT Analysis
✓ Strengths
• Popular among top universities
• Real-time event updates
• Personalized schedules
✗ Weaknesses
• Complicated and unintuitive UI/UX
• Difficult navigation
• Limited search functionality
○ Opportunities
• Simplify UI/UX design
• Expand event listings
• Build centralized database
⚠ Threats
• Better usability from competitors
• User frustration with complexity
Modern Campus
Student Engagement Platform
Designed to enhance student engagement through event hubs, student organizations, and social media integration. Offers real-time updates and personalized agendas.
SWOT Analysis
✓ Strengths
• Good UI and clean design
• Comprehensive club management
• Event and organization sections
✗ Weaknesses
• Events page loading issues
• Ineffective college search
• Missing transportation features
○ Opportunities
• Improve website performance
• Enhance search functionality
• Add transportation integration
⚠ Threats
• More streamlined competitors
• Performance issues affecting retention
Feature Analysis
| Feature Details | Uni-Verse | ThriveUp | Eventee | Modern Campus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
› Cultural Adaptation★ | ||||
› Centralized Event Hub | ||||
› Last-minute Event Joining★ | ||||
› Real-Time Heat Map★ | ||||
› Live Event Updates★ | ||||
› Study Cohort System | ||||
› Tag-Along Features★ | ||||
› Transportation Integration★ | ||||
› Sports Partner Matching★ | ||||
› Interactive Features | ||||
› Vibe Matching★ | ||||
› University Building Finder★ |
User Survey Insights
To validate assumptions and uncover real needs, we conducted a survey with 58 students. The results revealed that many hesitate to attend events alone, cancel plans without company, and struggle to find like-minded peers for activities such as studying, sports, or hobbies. Students also highlighted frustration with missed shuttles and poor visibility of campus events, confirming the need for a solution that combines social connection with logistical support.
USER SURVEY INSIGHTS
In order to further validate the issues found during heuristic evaluation, I conducted a user survey. Read the data below.
EXPERIENCE LONELINESS
FEEL LONELY OFTEN OR SOMETIMES AFTER ARRIVING
WANT NEW CONNECTIONS
DESIRE TO MAKE NEW CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS
NEED EMOTIONAL SUPPORT
NEED EMOTIONAL OR SOCIAL SUPPORT FROM OTHERS
CULTURAL ADAPTATION ISSUES
FOUND IT HARD TO ADAPT TO CULTURE
DIFFICULTY MAKING FRIENDS
FOUND IT DIFFICULT TO MAKE FRIENDS
02.Define
At this stage of the process, We created personas, empathy mapping, and visualized customer journeys.
Empathy Mapping
Says
- I want to make new friends but don't know how.
- I feel nervous about joining events alone.
- I wish I had someone to guide me through campus and city life.
Feels
- Lonely and overwhelmed by cultural shock.
- Hesitant and socially awkward in large groups.
- Anxious about missing out on opportunities.
Thinks
- Cultural differences will make it harder to fit in.
- Wants a buddy system to ease the transition.
- Studying in groups could help him stay on track.
Does
- Scrolls through event boards but rarely attends alone.
- Relies on limited acquaintances or flatmates for socializing.
- Avoids campus events when he doesn't have company.
Says
- I wish I had a reliable study buddy.
- I don't have time to explore social activities.
- I need better ways to keep track of events.
Feels
- Overwhelmed with coursework and responsibilities.
- Regretful about missing out on social life.
- Frustrated when events clash with studies or transport fails.
Thinks
- Balancing academics and social life is impossible.
- Wants networking opportunities before graduation.
- Reliable transport would make life easier.
Does
- Focuses heavily on academics at the expense of socializing.
- Studies alone even when it feels demotivating.
- Skips events because logistics feel complicated.
User Journey Mapping
To validate assumptions and uncover real needs, we conducted a survey with 58 students. The results revealed that many hesitate to attend events alone, cancel plans without company, and struggle to find like-minded peers for activities such as studying, sports, or hobbies. Students also highlighted frustration with missed shuttles and poor visibility of campus events, confirming the need for a solution that combines social connection with logistical support.
02.Ideate
We established the information architecture to ensure seamless navigation across all core features and defined the brand guidelines that shaped a consistent, intuitive, and visually cohesive user interface.
Information Architecture
The platform’s information architecture is designed for clarity and ease of use, structured around core sections such as Tag-Along, Communities, Events, and the Social Heat Map. Each section addresses specific student needs for example, we designed Tag-Along to enable students to join activities without going alone, while we built the Social Heat Map to provide real-time event visibility and shuttle tracking to reduce uncertainty.
Sketches
This was the moment where ideas started to take shape. We dove into the design phase with quick, low-fidelity sketches that allowed us to explore possibilities without overthinking. Inspired by what we heard in user interviews and guided by both business goals and usability principles, these early sketches gave form to student needs and pain points, setting the stage for a simple, friendly interface.
Mid-Fidility Screens
Using Figma, we translated our first sketches into mid-fidelity wireframes. We started by laying out all the screens we needed to design. We blocked out sections for each element and did our detailed work.
04.Design
Design Kit
This design kit is more than a collection of visuals; it’s a foundation for meaningful experiences. Every element buttons, menus, icons, colors, and typography was intentionally crafted by us to feel clear, consistent, and approachable. It serves as a guide that not only streamlines collaboration but also ensures that every interaction feels natural, intuitive, and respectful of the user’s journey.
High Fidility Screens
This design kit is more than a collection of visuals; it’s a foundation for meaningful experiences. Every element buttons, menus, icons, colors, and typography was intentionally crafted by us to feel clear, consistent, and approachable. It serves as a guide that not only streamlines collaboration but also ensures that every interaction feels natural, intuitive, and respectful of the user’s journey.
Overall App
05.Testig
Final usability testing for Uni-Verse was conducted with 5 students across campus using scenario-based tasks, think-aloud protocol, and guided prototype walkthroughs. Participants were asked to complete key flows across events, communities, Tag-Along, and the Social Heat Map while sharing their thoughts in real time. The testing helped evaluate task success, ease of navigation, interaction clarity, and overall fit with student needs, leading to the following results.
Overview
Ease of Navigation
8/10
Tag-Along
9/10
Social Heat Map
7/10
Communities
7/10
Scenario-Based Tasks
- ✅Join Event via Tag-Along
- ⏳Use Social Heat Map
- ✅Join a Community
- ⏳RSVP to Event
Key Feedback
- •Smooth navigation flow
- •Heat map cues unclear
- •Tag-Along reduces hesitation
- •Cohorts need better filters
Prototype
Reflection
Working on Uni-Verse was deeply personal for us. We believe that true innovation comes when you’ve actually gone through the pain and experienced it yourself and we had. Missing classes because of unreliable shuttle timings and feeling hesitant to attend events alone were challenges we lived through, which gave us the empathy to design meaningful solutions.
Throughout the project, we made it a point to seek feedback from peers after every milestone, which sharpened our collaboration skills and helped us see problems from different perspectives. We also held ourselves accountable by setting collective deadlines and meeting them, which strengthened our time management. In the end, Uni-Verse didn’t just solve problems for students it helped us grow as designers who lead with empathy, embrace iteration, and believe in solving from lived experience.
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Engagement UX, Behavioral Design, UI Systems
Helping students find people, events, and belonging.
Designed a campus companion that connects students through Tag-Along, communities, live events, and real-time activity maps.
Best UX/UI Design Award · ASU GIT Fall 2025
