Project Brief

100 Things To Do While Studying Abroad is a WeChat program that enables international students to document and share their study abroad experience.

Role

Founder,
Project Manager,
UI/UX Designer,
Back-end Developer

Timeline

Oct - Dec 2020

Team

Nicole Zhang, Winnie Xiao, Chris Zhang, Ziqian Wang, Anna Sun, Hedy Sun, Astrid Zhao, Fang Li

Tools

Figma
Illustrator
Javascript

Low fan count and engagement levels on Pokeji’s WeChat account.

THE PROBLEM

*Pokeji is an subsidiary company of PalmDrive, a education technology company.

content lacks personalization

doesn't fully engage its visually-oriented audience

doesn't facilitate enough interaction among users

THE SOLUTION

100 Things To Do While Studying Abroad

a WeChat program that enables international students to document and share their study abroad experience.

THE SOLUTION

User Research

I held a user research session with 6 Chinese students abroad to identify the pain points above, leading to an affinity map that clarified our focus and actionable insights.

Ideation &
Market Research

I observed the popularity achievement-oriented content/program in contemporary culture, especially among younger demographics.

Recognizing this trend, I ideated “100 Things To Do While Study Abroad”, blending targeted, diverse topics with the achievement-driven interests of the ~1million Chinese students currently studying abroad.

Project Management

I pitched the idea to the manager, gaining support, and was tasked with leading a team of 5 interns and a back-end developer.

The Pitch

Directed brainstorming for 100 study abroad experiences.

Tasked an intern with list refinement through research.

Delegated 40 icon designs to Winnie with consistent guidelines and regular check-ins.

Ideating the 100 Activities

Prototyping

User Flow

Mapping user flow helps me walk in an user's shoes, and think through different scenarios that this user might encounter.

Low-Fidelity Mock-ups

Feedback Session

Redesign #1: Descriptions first, flip to reveal the icon & check the item.

Redesign #2: Enable users to scroll down to dynamically accelerate the automatic movement of the checklist page.

I led the backend team and organized the design assets for clear implementation, using my Java expertise to ensure alignment and effective communication between both phases.

Design to Development

Design System

Reflection

Communication is the strongest adhesive.

Leading a diverse team is hard. As a leader, I learned to value the unique strengths of each team member and realized that inclusive communication is essential for effective collaboration in a diverse team.