The Client: University of Florida, Digital Worlds Institute

Work Done

What work have you done?

UX Research, Visual Design, User Experience Design, Interaction Design

Timeframe

4 months

Overview

UF’s Digital Worlds Institute is on the cutting edge of digital arts and sciences — both in our research initiatives and innovative approach to education. We are a recognized leader in combining arts, communications. engineering and science, with a focus on advanced skills

UF Alumni Status

Social media connections between alumni from the 2000s to the present.

Using technology centers to gather alumni together and create future internships and volunteer programs

Timeline

July 2022 - September 2022 (Contract)

My Role

UX Researcher as part of increasing alumni engagement

Deliverable

Creation of a responsive website to increase alumni engagement

Company

University of Florida, Digital Worlds Institute

THE BACKGROUND

The Problem

Digital Worlds Institute has dedicated undergraduate programs and graduate programs that needs to improve its alumni engagement because alumni currently lack information and support.

STAKEHOLDER STATEMENT

The Statement

“We need to find ways to increase alumni social engagement, establish a communication, and make connections that would incentivize alumni to return and give back to the community”

(James Oliverio ,Executive Director of the Digital Worlds Institute)

HMW PROBLEM STATEMENT

How Might We Increase Alumni Engagement?

How might we support students’ mental health and interpersonal skills?

How can we engage with local events to improve and showcase our alumnis' portfolio?

How might we generate an environment of engagement and growth between alumni and current students?

USER INTERVIEW

In-depth User Interview Summary :
1 faculty 4 alumni 3 students.

We shared a LinkedIn survery to more than 40 people of total by Google Survey. I've come to realize that students and alumni needed communities to share up-to-date information and support from experienced ones.

I need to conduct in-depth interviews with alumni about what they need and how they felt to navigate their careers after graduation.

I conducted in-depth user interviews of 8 peoples by Zoom.

I interviewed one faculty member in the AI department and four Alumni among the undergraduates and graduates schools, and three students who currently attend the school.

“Once I moved out in Hollywood for a Job, I don’t remember the last time I communicated with other alumni”

“Are only alumni invited to the networking events?”

“ I’ve received tons of supports from professors but not from any alumni or the school. “

“Diverse food options are important for school life”

THE OVERVIEW

Overview of 4 Research Findings

01

Broaden Mental Health / Career Counselling

(3/7 of interviewed users interviewed mentioned the need for a larger workforce on this; it took 1–2 months to get counseling despite the demand, and some interviewees didn't even know there was a counseling program)

02

Offering Alumni Perks

(Alumni can also benefit from school growth and continuing education for discounted rates)

03

Connect With Alumni Through Social Media

(Currently, they’ve mostly connected through Discord but at present only 6% of alumni are on there)

04

Keep an Up-to-Date Database

(Harvard, USC, and Calarts use Almabase to keep up with alumni data; when social gatherings happen, this database will be a great help. 6/7 users interviewed agreed)

THE FINAL DESIGN

A Sustained Approach is Needed
For Long-Term Success

1. Constant consultation for mental health and feeling that you are not alone in the career process is important not only for students but also alumni.

2. Planning consultation schedules

3. Hiring a workforce for the counseling department to create approachable student counseling services.

4. Executing this in the short term and making sure the institution is committed to the long-term outcomes.

DIGITAL WORLDS INSTITUE DASA REUNION

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

Competitive Analysis

These listed Schools are known for "The 50 Best Video Game Design Colleges" from successfulstudent.org and my personal point of view of what makes student selects these schools. What I notice is that Digital Worlds, as a pretty brand new department and still needs to grow for their career services and build alumni connections.

THE SOLUTION

Recommendations

Based on WCAG Guideline and usability.gov user experience guidelines, visual elements, search and navigation systems can be improved. In addition, organization structures for information architecture can be more efficiently delivered to alumni. I asked an interview with 8 alumni from the school and took google survey format to investigate the issues thoroughly.