Frengo is an app for students. It is simply a networking medium, that the new students can use to make connections or broaden their circle of connections. The aim of this product is to foster effective collaboration among students.
Worked with three other HCI graduate students as a part of a group project.
My contributions included brainstorming ideas, talking to users, creating visual designs, and testing the usability to improve the product.
During the research and interviews for the project, it was discovered that many students avoid participating in class discussions and asking questions. Some feel left out or do not initiate conversations with their peers, one of the reasons being not finding people with similar interests around them. Failing to fit into a class setting closes lots of opportunities for students. Hence, providing a safe space for students to interact, make new friends, and build/be a part of communities was clearly a need.
We were stumped by numerous observations, interviews, and feedback, and found our problem statement, which was,
"How might we use technology to help newcomers easily fit in a class?"
We used our design explorations to better understand consumer pain points and explore potential solutions that suit the best interests of the users. The observations and interviews we conducted revealed that some students, especially newcomers, find it hard to participate in group discussions due to shyness or social anxiety. The observations also helped us explore the issue holistically and move forward in recruiting people for our interviews. However, there was a need to limit the options to avoid overwhelming students with too many resources.
The prospect of using simple, user-friendly technology platforms was seen as a solution to facilitate group interactions and learning. These platforms, encompassing moderate communication and interactive features like whiteboarding, could help in easing group formation, enhancing participation, and amalgamating ideas for better learning outcomes, while also fostering social and team management skills.
The design solution was an easy-to-use app, which included two key components - social networking and study groups. With these two areas in mind, we designed a user flow and incorporated a few other features that we felt would be useful.
For the branding aspect, the idea was to find a short and simple name that was yet attractive and memorable to users. Our inspiration came from companies such as Uber, Figma, Lyft, and others. Why ‘Frengo’? Because its so catchy! Also when you break it down, Fren is short for Friends, and Go as in LesssGo!
The next step was to create wireframes for the prototype, exploring where features may be included to reduce clicks for users and make the flow simple and accessible. Considering prototypes are only a model of the product, we began our prototype by storyboarding the scenario and producing low fidelity wireframes based on our user flow. Using our design thinking approach, we developed our prototype into a mid-fidelity prototype.
We evaluated the platform using think-aloud and heuristic evaluation techniques to assess the usability of a social networking app designed for students. In heuristic evaluations, feedback focused on user experience with the prototype. Think-aloud sessions offered detailed insights into the solution's efficacy.
Moving forward to improve the experience of the app, we plan to simplify the home screen based on the feedback. Key app features, logo, and color scheme will remain unchanged due to positive reviews. More think-aloud and cognitive walkthroughs will be conducted for additional, corroborative feedback to guide decisions.
