Digi Assist
University of Cincinnati
Design Strategy & User Experience Research
As a UX Researcher & Visual Designer, I led the research and design for UC Digi Assist, a digital kiosk aimed at improving campus navigation and resource access for international students.
Our goal was to reduce barriers in accessibility by providing real-time navigation, multilingual support, and essential university resources. Through user research, testing, and iterative design, we developed an intuitive solution to help students navigate campus more confidently and integrate seamlessly into university life.
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Tools Used:
My Role
Figma, Procreate, Solidworks
At-A-Glance
Digi Assist is a digital kiosk concept designed to bridge the gap in accessibility and navigation for students, especially international students at the University of Cincinnati. The project was inspired by Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities, which highlights disparities in opportunities and resources. Through research, we discovered that many international students struggle with finding essential campus facilities, understanding university services, and adapting to a new academic environment.
Storyboard: Jessica’s Journey with Digi Assist
Meet Jessica
Jessica, an international student at the University of Cincinnati, was excited to attend an event invited by a friend from another department. However, she couldn’t remember the exact location.
See how Digi Assist helped Jessica navigate this challenge through the storyboard below.
Scroll right to explore!
Prototyping a New Tool for Accessible Campus Navigation
UC Digi Assist is an interactive digital kiosk designed to simplify campus navigation and resource access for students, especially international students. Built with accessibility and ease of use in mind, it provides real-time support to help users confidently navigate university life.
Key Features:
Intuitive & User-Friendly Interface
Real-Time Navigation
Multilingual Support
Seamless Resource Access
Touchscreen & Interactive Guidance
UC Digi Assist enhances the campus experience by making information readily available empowering students to move around with confidence and ease.
The screen is rotatable with gentle touch.
Solution
Make the Journey
Seamless
Existing information kiosks across the university lack intuitiveness and approachability, making it difficult for students, especially international students, to access essential campus resources.
To enhance usability, it was important for us to redesign these kiosks to be more inviting and efficient while ensuring a smooth transition for future expansions.
"We cannot achieve sustainable development and make the planet better for all if people are excluded from the chance for a better life."
01. DISCOVERY
We focused our research on local and global inequality, aligning with the UN goals.
Our specific interests centered on health disparities and academic inequality among international students.
We chose to delve into academic inequality since all of us are international students.
SECONDARY RESEARCH
Key Statistics
17%
72%
Of the international student
population comes from Asia
Of international student live
in California, the most of any state
In 2021, international students in the United States came from 224 countries and represented every continent in the world, except Antarctica. Because most students come from China and India, Asia is the most popular continent of origin. Other countries that have historically not been common countries of origin, such as Nigeria and Kyrgyzstan, have recently seen an increase in students taking English proficiency tests for admission into programs around the world, according to a 2020 report published by Duolingo.
Source: Sevis by the numbers 2020 - ice. (n.d.). https://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/sevisBTN2020.pdf
Challenges
International Students
When students arrive in the United States, they might find the culture different, known as "culture shock,". They can experience intense feelings of homesickness and irritability when traveling to a new country with a different language and customs, which can make them feel overwhelmed.
Financial
College in the United States is expensive especially for out-of-state tuition. According to CollegeData.com, a moderate budget for a private college is $47,831 per year. Students need to figure out how to pay for tuition and expenses.
Social
Not only do students and teachers interact differently in the United States, but people interact differently in social situations as well.
Academic
With so many things going on, it can be destructive to school work. Still, students need remember that academic experience is their main priority. While studies should always come first, this can be a challenge if students discover that U.S. language and classroom expectations are different.
PRIMARY RESEARCH
Data Gathering: Understanding the Student Experience
Before diving into the design, we needed to truly understand the challenges international students face when navigating campus life. To do this, we conducted surveys, interviews, and autoethnography, allowing us to gather insights from both personal experiences and expert perspectives.
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Surveying the Student Community
We designed a survey with questions covering five key areas: Personal Information, Language, Entertainment, Mental Health, and Accommodation. This helped us identify patterns in students’ experiences and the common difficulties they encounter. We received 134 responses, providing us with valuable data on the real needs of international students.
Expert Insights
To gain a broader perspective, we reached out to UC International and interviewed Lauren Steinmann (Assistant Director) and Kelly Plazibat (International Academic Coordinator). Their expertise helped us understand the institutional challenges and support systems available, giving us a well-rounded view of the problem.
Learning from Our Own Experiences
As international students ourselves, we realized that our personal struggles could serve as valuable research data. Using Collaborative Autoethnography, we documented our own experiences, capturing insights through one diary entry and two recollected experiences. This method helped us identify pain points that might not surface in traditional research.
By combining quantitative data, expert perspectives, and firsthand experiences, we built a comprehensive understanding of the real challenges students face, laying the foundation for a user-centered solution.
02. EMPATHIZE
We focused our research on local and global inequality, aligning with the UN goals.
Our specific interests centered on health disparities and academic inequality among international students.
We chose to delve into academic inequality since all of us are international students.
To design an effective solution, we needed to step into the shoes of international students and uncover the recurring struggles they face. By analyzing our research data, we identified key pain points that influence their academic and social experiences.
Coding Patterns: Identifying the Overarching Issue
To make sense of our data, we used challenge mapping to track recurring pain points across surveys, interviews, and autoethnography. A clear pattern emerged, most of these challenges stemmed from communication barriers, whether in housing, academics, or social interactions.
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"How might we help improve communication between stakeholders to improve the academic experience"
03. IDEATE
Opportunity Ideation: Exploring Solutions
In the ideation phase, we brainstormed multiple concepts to enhance campus accessibility for international students.
From personalized mobile apps to interactive digital kiosks, we explored various solutions that could help students navigate campus life seamlessly. Our focus was on creating an intuitive, easy-to-use system that provides real-time assistance.
Concept Mapping: Identifying Key Features
To refine our ideas, we conducted concept mapping to identify the most impactful features. This helped us categorize different solutions, ranging from housing support and mental well-being resources to teamwork collaboration tools. Through this exercise, we narrowed down our focus to Digi Assist, ensuring that the final solution effectively addressed the biggest communication and accessibility challenges faced by students.
Proposal Evaluation: Structuring the Solution
We used a value mapping approach to align our proposed solutions with the student journey, from pre-arrival to academic integration. This framework helped us determine the cost-effectiveness, feasibility, and overall impact of each idea.
Digi Assist emerged as the most viable and scalable solution, ensuring students can access information effortlessly while fostering a more inclusive campus experience.
04. REFLECTION
What We Learned
Through this project, we gained valuable insights into the challenges international students face and how design thinking can create impactful solutions. By engaging with students, university staff, and stakeholders, we deepened our understanding of communication barriers, housing struggles, and accessibility issues on campus.
#1 most significant takeaways was the importance of user-centered design, ensuring that every solution is intuitive, inclusive, and directly addresses user needs. The process of surveying students, conducting interviews, and using autoethnography helped us see the problem from multiple perspectives, reinforcing the necessity of a multi-faceted approach to problem-solving.
#2 The collaboration with UC International Services provided an opportunity to present our research to decision-makers, demonstrating the real-world impact of our findings.
#3 The positive feedback from faculty and UC International reaffirmed the relevance of our work and encouraged us to continue refining our solutions.
Next Steps
#1 Refining the Digi Assist Concept – Based on the feedback, we will further develop Digi Assist to ensure it is not only feasible but also seamlessly integrates into the university ecosystem.
#2 Presenting to More Stakeholders – Sharing our findings with additional university departments and student groups to gather more insights and refine the implementation strategy.
#3 Exploring Real-World Implementation – Investigating potential collaborations or pilot programs to bring Digi Assist to life as a functional tool on campus.
#4 Future Research – Expanding on the research by looking into other accessibility challenges international students face and how digital tools can further improve their academic and social experience.
