UX DESIGNER
Boosting Alumni Connections & Engagement at UF
Timeline
My Role
July 2022 -
September 2022
UX Researcher as part of increasing alumni engagement
Overview
UF’s Digital Worlds Institute leads in digital arts and sciences, combining research, technology, and innovative education. Recognized for blending arts, communications, engineering, and science, the institute emphasizes advanced skills and cutting-edge approaches.
UF Alumni Status
Social media connections unite alumni from the 2000s to today. By leveraging technology centers, alumni collaborate on internships and volunteer opportunities, strengthening their ties to the UF community.
OVERVIEW
Kickoff:
Laying the Foundation
As the Lead UX Designer, I worked closely with cross-functional teams to increase alumni engagement for UF’s Digital Worlds Institute.
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I defined the UX vision, aligned stakeholders, and led an iterative process grounded in user research—facilitating workshops, building design hypotheses, and validating solutions through usability testing.
Survey revealed 83% of alumni needed better community support, and 66% struggled to find resources
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 encourage alumni to donate to the school
and be part of strong communities?
How can we engage alumni with local events and program updates?
How might we generate an environment of engagement and growth between alumni and current students?
GOALS
Business & User Goals
Business Goals:
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Increase recurring alumni donations by 30% within 6 months.
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Strengthen the client’s brand perception and align digital touchpoints with organizational goals.
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Improve operational efficiency by reducing manual management of alumni programs.
User Goals:
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Empower alumni with a seamless, intuitive experience to reconnect with the university and participate in donations.
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Provide personalized alumni benefits and social connection opportunities.
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Ensure easy access to relevant content and program updates.
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH
In-depth Qualitative Research Summary :
1 faculty, 4 alumni, 3 students
In-depth User Interviews
I conducted 8 in-depth interviews via Zoom with alumni, faculty,
and students to understand key needs and barriers in alumni engagement:
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Need for diverse and inclusive communities
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Challenges finding jobs and networking opportunities
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Desire for mental health support
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Gaps in alumni contact and resource sharing
These insights guided the design process to improve alumni engagement
and support.
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.
RESEARCH FINDINGS AND INSIGHTS
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)
BREAKING DOWN THE PROJECT
Enhancing the Alumni Experience at UF
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.
Desktop Digital Worlds Institute Hero Page Concept Design
THE CLICKABLE LINK
Clickable Prototype (Full Figma Link Attached)
Mobile Digital Worlds Institute Hero Page
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.
Redesign of Digital World Reunion DASA website
KEY OUTCOMES
Conversion Rate:
3x Improvement Through AB Testing
Alumni Arrangement Search Traffic
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3x increase in conversion rates through targeted AB testing.
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2x reduction in drop-off rates during alumni donation flow.
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Enhanced user satisfaction and trust, as measured by post-launch surveys.
The Conversion
The conversions in this instance are defined as the click through from course page to checkout. And this is also the step where the user's email is collected. This will be beneficial for marketing's re-targeting efforts.
REFLECTION
Client Results & Business Impact
This project exemplified the power of collaborative design thinking at scale. By balancing user needs with business objectives—and fostering stakeholder alignment—I was able to deliver a solution that not only looks great but drives measurable impact.
INQUIRIES
Get In Touch
For more work inquiries, or grab a coffee, email me at rachel.cho5257@gmail.com