Raymond Oosterbaan
CommuniCare
An app to help Duch Caribian Students
Project Overview
At The Hague University, only 12% of Dutch Caribbean students graduate – a concerning statistic. In this project our goal was to design an app to let Dutch Caribbean students achieve academic success Through in-depth interviews and extensive research, we gained valuable insights into their unique challenges. The outcome? A strategically designed app intended to support them in their studies. This is a school project I did in a team of 5, shoutout to: Julia Luyben, Shitel Kalloe, Fenna van Mourrik & Lisa Nieuwveen
Design Process
In our project, we adopt the Double Diamond process, a design thinking framework that involves four key stages: Discover -> Define -> Develop -> Create
“Why do so few Dutch Caribbean students graduate?”
Discover
Our goal was to understand the factors contributing to the low graduation rate. To achieve this, we sought answers to crucial questions: What does academic success mean for Dutch Caribbean students? How crucial is Dutch proficiency for academic success? And what challenges do they encounter? To answer these questions, we utilized a questionnaire, conducted desk research, interviews, and love & breakup letters.
Out of these techniques we gained a lot of valuable informations. these are the most important insights
🎓 Academic success is not solely about academic performance but also encompasses one's overall life, efforts, and personal development.
😔 Loneliness is a significant problem since many students come to the Netherlands alone and often struggle with the language.
🇳🇱 Many students struggle with the Dutch language, especially speaking and colloquial language.
🧭 Many students experience a sense of overwhelm as they navigate living independently, adapt to a new culture, and juggle their academic pursuits
🦮 There is insufficient assistance in handling practical matters (e.g., applying for student financing and housing).
🌧️ The weather is very different from what the students are accustomed to,
What does study success mean to you?
“Is not only about having your diploma, but more like what you have learned you'll put in practice in the real world”
Define
In our analysis, we redefined academic success to include adapting to life in the Netherlands and pinpointed three critical factors impacting the low graduation rate: 1. Students' unpreparedness for cold weather affecting well-being, 2. Loneliness due to language barriers and cultural differences, and 3. The significant pressure of independent living, adapting to a new culture, and academic pursuits.
To maintain a user-centric approach, we crafted two distinct personas, ensuring our app consistently caters to the needs of Dutch Caribbean students.
Ideate
To visualize the functionalities of the app, we created a sitemap using various methods such as reverse brainstorming, brain writing, and card sorting. The result is CommuniCare, a community app designed to help students connect, join events, socialize, and even participate in fashion contests based on the weather.
Create
Due to the app's numerous features, it's crucial to organize everything effectively. We did this using wireframes.
Final prototypes
After incorporating changes based on user testing, we present our final prototypes:
An easy way to log in and create an account. The landing page is a dashboard where you can see upcoming events, the daily scoreboard, and new matches.
A built-in chat system allows for easy communication between students. We split this section into three different types of chats: group chat, community chat, and one-to-one chats.
In the event section, you can view planned events and join them.
The main function of the app is the Meetpoint, where students can meet new friends and make connections.
In the #GAMETIME section you can challenge your friends by creating fun outfits that match the weather
View in figma
Closing words
📚learning
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Understanding User Needs: Listened and learned about the pain points experienced by Dutch Caribbean students, gaining insights into their needs and preferences.
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Collaborative Design: Successfully collaborated within a design team.
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Client Communication: Recognized the importance of consistent client communication and providing timely updates throughout the project.
🤔Reflection
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I am moderately happy with the outcome of this project. I believe we have created a useful app that addresses some of the challenges encountered by Dutch Caribbean students.
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I also believe there are opportunities for further enhance in the app. (e.g improve the #GAMETIME replayability and eliminating distracting features to create a more streamlined experience.
🔮Future
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My final grade for this project was a 8.5
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I'm gonna hit you with the cold water, as it is a school project it will probably not be developed, but perhaps...someday 😉
