Bob Jones University.
Making the user experience better at a university.
05/2020
Bob Jones University is a Christian institution that is known for its strict Christian conduct. My goal on the project was to find out what problems the users (students) face and find solutions to the problems that they face.
Problem
The main problem I faced was making lives easier for the students of BJU, but there are two sections to the problem. The first section of the problem was to solve it by not using phone screens; this means I have to make physical solutions to the users' problems. The second section of the problem was to solve it using screens; this means I have to convert a lot of the digital necessities of students and put them in an app. The main problem I faced with the application was simplifying communication and information between the university and students.
Empathy Mapping.
I started with research in which my empathy mapping help to organize users' thoughts, feelings, actions, and conversations. There are two empathy maps because one is for the physical UX and one for the mobile. What I found in the physical UX empathy map was that most users were frustrated when an experience made the users wait. That meant roads, pathways, and lines for chapel or the cafeteria were problems. The mobile empathy map told me that users were frustrated with the lack of quick communication, and lack of abilities because of time or items.
Journey Mapping.
Journey mapping for the physical was a little different than your average journey mapping. I tapped a camera to my chest and walked around BJU. This type of journey mapping helps me to see people's habits and needs around BJU. For mobile, the journey mapping help me figure out what information was more important to the users and their needs.
Style Guide.
color.
The colors I choose would only be for section 2 of the project; this is because section 2 of the project requires a user interface. The Primary Color is (#00b4f2) light blue with one variant: (#028bbc) dark blue. The Secondary Color is (#ffffff) white with one variant, (#cccccc) light mid-grey. Other than these main colors, there are other colors to help organize certain parts of the applications. For example, the Newsfeed page is color coated for the different sections: Dark Blue is urgent newsfeeds; light blue is an important school-related feed; yellow is the sports newsfeed; green is missions newsfeed; red is society newsfeed, and the list goes on depending on the user's preference on their interest for their application.
fonts.
BJU uses the font Requiem, Minion Pro, and Times New Roman as their main fonts. If you look up these fonts you will find some very nice serif fonts. The other san serif font that they use was Antonio, Chalet Comprime, and Source Sans Pro. The problem with the san serif font was that they were too bold for the application and the grief fonts were too formal. This meant I did not use any of their fonts and picked out Airbnb Cereal font for the final product. The reason I picked it was because it gives a soft but professional look to the application and it wasn’t bold on your face.
style.
A lot of design choices for this website were inspired by outlines and cards. Other than that, I was trying to make the application look like a new and updated BJU institution.
The Finial Product.
Physical Solution.
To solve the first problem, I had to step out of my comfort zone of screens and think hard about how to make a better user experience in the physical world. In response, I changed the layouts of roads, pathways, and building structures to increase movement and productivity. This meant pathways of students determined the geography of the campus and certain buildings were moved to other areas for better transitions of students. As you can see from the map, the footpaths even decide the layout of the buildings. The result allows quicker traffic and less headache for the students.
One thing the university requires out of our students is to carry their student ID on their person at all times; this allows the students to take their attendance, and get into buildings. The problem with the ID is that it requires a scan every time to access anything; this means there will be a waiting period for every time groups of people are involved. To solve this issue, I wanted to upgrade the students' ID to RFID chips, and with the new layout, strategically put RFID rugs in areas with a lot of traffic. The result will be students not having to wait in line like in the dining commons to enter or pay for food because as soon as they walk past the RFID rug, the rug tags the card in the user’s pocket as paid.
Application Solution.
To solve the second problem, I had to organize the application into sections. The first page is called newsfeed. The newsfeed page is where students can keep up with announcements or interests. On the top of the page, you have locked universities' urgent announcements; that is color-coded dark blue. Below the dark blue is the universities' announcements; that is color-coded light blue, and below the light blue will be based on the users' selection of subscriptions of what they want to be notified about. Please note each subscription will be color-coded to help users find what they're looking for. The next page is BJU life, where students can post pictures and advertise events to the student body. The idea was that students can share experiences to help connect with the students of BJU. The next page is the ability to post on the BJU life page. The next page is the Schedules; this allows users to keep up with classes they have next or if things are canceled. The page also allows users to see overall grades and days left of school. The next page is Profile, this allows users to access all important information that is usually scattered around BJU. The profile allows users to text messages to BJU, create e-passes, pay school bills, report church attendance, check bruin bucks, check demerits, and scan the phone version of students' NEF cards. All these abilities allow users' life to be easier because they do not have to wait for one person to give that information or go treasure hunting for the information.
