A Solution for Students
For college students, on-campus libraries and study spaces are often times the only option for quiet and productive spaces to get work done. However, many campuses face an imbalance in available study spaces and the number of students, as well as a lack of centralized information on these study spaces. As a result, many libraries are often times overcrowded, and it can take upwards of half an hour to find a study spot.
How might we track library productivity and increase productivity for students?
We conducted extensive user research among UC Berkeley students to survey their study habits, as well as the factors they care about most when choosing where to study. In total, we received 43 responses.
The overarching pain point was a lack of important information on campus study spaces which greatly dissuades student from studying on-campus on a day-to-day basis.
We synthesized the results into the following categories which most greatly influence the decision of where students study.
User Journey
Ideation: Divergent Thinking
There were a few main ideas that we discussed for an end-user product to solve the problems faced by students:
1. Map-based web or mobile application
2. Online dashboard tracking campus-specific study spaces in real time
3. A Google Maps plugin or extension to display information in-app
Low FidelityPrototypes
Ideation: Convergent Thinking
In the end, we decided on a web-based application that allows users to view library data in an aggregated and interactive medium.
All of the prototypes for the app were developed in Figma.
The mid-fidelity prototype builds out some of the key features of our application. We specifically wanted to lay out
1. A stratified key for communicating the live capacity of open study spaces.
2. The ability to view and compare details of selected study spaces.
3. The ability to filter the displayed results by various amenities or preferences.
Hi-Fidelity
The hi-fidelity prototype builds out a stronger design system, and creates more components from the individual features of the original app. This allows for better modular functionality that can hopefully be more intuitive for users to interact with.
