Juro: Find Your Fun & Friends. Explore Campus Life (at Indiana University)
Created a social app and wearable ring concept that helps Indiana University freshmen and new students connect through interest-based activities, enhancing campus engagement.
Date
December 2023
Role
Cross-platform and Experience Designer, User Research, Concept Ideation
Industry
Education Technology
TL;DR
A digital and physical experience to combat loneliness and encourage engagement among Indiana University freshmen during orientation. Juro integrates with the student portal, using a mobile app and wearable ring system to connect students with shared interests through activities and events, aligning with IU's goals of fostering interdisciplinary exposure and active campus participation.
Research
Background:
Higher Vulnerability: College students are more prone to loneliness compared to other groups
Widespread Issue: Nearly 48% of students report feeling extremely lonely in the past two weeks
Chronic Problem: One-third of students experience frequent or constant loneliness
Spike in Loneliness: Freshmen, especially during COVID, face increased loneliness due to limited on-campus connections (80% off-campus)
Understanding the Challenge and Audience
Humans tend to stick to familiar people and activities, which poses a challenge for Indiana University’s goal of promoting interdisciplinary exposure and student empowerment. Juro, aims to help bridge this gap by encouraging students to step outside their comfort zones during orientation and beyond.
Aligning with IU's Vision
Indiana University emphasizes creating a supportive environment where students gain experiences beyond the classroom to prepare for academic success and life after graduation. This vision applies to both academics and extracurriculars, making Juro an ideal fit.
All of this lead us to this question which is
How can we help college students, especially freshmen and transfers, overcome social isolation and build connections on campus?
Target Audience
Insights from User Interview
Developing a Strategy: Fostering Connection at IU
Juro goes beyond browsing student organizations by focusing on:
Discovery: Helping students find new organizations and activities that match their interests
Social Interaction: Facilitating connections between students with shared interests to reduce isolation
Active Participation: Empowering students to promote their organizations and foster community engagement
Keeping these things in mind, I came up with the following mission statement:
Juro aims to create a digital experience that connects, engages, and empowers Indiana University students to become active participants in the campus community.
Juro's mission focuses on three key goals:
Interest-Based Matching: Connects students with activities and organizations that align with their passions.
Expanding Horizons: Encourages exploration by recommending events outside of a student's immediate interests.
Leadership Development: Empowers students to promote their organizations, fostering leadership skills.
After refining these goals, we designed a Random Roulette Idea Generator. Students choose activities based on their preferences and system suggestions. The roulette generates a random event nearby, allowing users to sign up and redeem any available coupons or gift cards—all with a simple spin on their phone.
Storyboard
The storyboard outlines the exact steps a potential user must take to identify and meet people they are interested in using the app.
Paper Mockups
Design Justification
The random roulette activity generator introduces users to new contacts and interests, encouraging exploration and fresh experiences.
By focusing on university towns, the app meets college students' needs for innovative socializing and learning opportunities.
Detailed Prototype
Mobile App: Users create personalized profiles to connect based on interests, helping overcome loneliness and build community.
Wearable Ring: Indicates openness to interaction with an LED light, facilitating communication at events.
Activity Roulette: Suggests random activities to combat indecisiveness and encourage exploration.
Click here to play with the prototype
User Testing and Iteration Results
Key Findings
Successes
Activity generator promoted participation effectively
Juro ring provided subtle interaction indicator
User interface was easy to navigate
Areas for Improvement
Design Iterations
Added prominent login button to homepage
Expanded roulette wheel for activity pre-selection
Refined Juro ring interface with more color options
Reflection
Working on Juro taught us a lot about user-friendly design. Our login and features needed work, but the core idea of connecting students resonated well. The activity suggestions and the ring's social signaling were hits. We're now focusing on making everything smoother based on user feedback. It's all about creating an app that really helps students connect easily on campus.