Glasgow is a vibrant metropolis, and the home to three Scottish Universities; Glasgow University (est.1451), Strathclyde University (est.1796), and Glasgow Caledonian University (est.1993). Glasgow is also home to the Glasgow School of Art (est. 1845), The National Conservatoire of Scotland (est.1847), and four Further Education colleges. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the number of new university students alone in Glasgow each year is more than 50,000. Many of those students will come from across Scotland, the UK, and indeed, the world, and could therefore be in a strange place with little or no knowledge of what Glasgow offers in the way of entertainment, clubs, bars, restaurants, sporting activities or places where students go to socialise.
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Designing a dynamic student guide app for 18-24-year old to promote Glasgow's attractions and enhance the positive experience for international students relocating to the city.
A mobile app that allows students to explore Glasgow’s Attraction, offerings and social activity to overcome academic burnout and enhance student life experience.
Based on the usability test, the proposed design had a 93.5% respondents finds the idea of promoting local events, deals, and attractions to bring a pleasurable and fun-filled study experience.
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Age: 18-24 years old
Location: Scotland, UK, International
Background: New Students in Glasgow
Who Are They: Typically university students, diverse backgrounds
What Do They Want/Expect: Convenient access to information about Glasgow, recommendations, event updates
What Products/Services Do They Use: Mobile apps, social media
Content Consumption: Partying, Eat/Drink, Shopping, Events
Pain Points: Lack of local knowledge, Difficulty finding venues, Overwhelming options for entertainment, Difficulty in staying updated on events and offers.
The competitors are “What’s on Glasgow”, “People Make Glasgow” and “I love Glasgow”.
In order to understand the problem, and the user needs I conducted a survey using Google Forms and had 45 international students answer it. Here are some of their answers and data I collected.
Q. What specific features of the mobile app for Glasgow's student life will be exciting and beneficial?
82.6% responded a high likelihood of using a mobile app than the web version
68.9% rated their interest to integrate a map
91.3% respondents find the idea of promoting the local events within Glasgow
61.8% believe that the app's ability to guide them to the right regional cuisines is a crucial feature
To gain a deeper understanding of the demographic, I conducted user interviews with aged between 18 to 24. The insights gathered from these interviews were helped in shaping the empathy map presented below. Subsequently, I developed two personas to understand the user behaviour, challenges, and expectations.
Needs: Wanted a mobile app that provides Social entertainment in City of Glasgow. Need a help in finding restaurants which serves southeast asian food, especially filipino cuisine. Open to discovering local favourites and wants recommendations.
Frustrations: I'm worried about missing out on social events or opportunities to make friends due to a lack of local knowledge.Navigating a new city, its transportation system, and cultural nuances can be overwhelming.I'm concerned about feeling isolated or disconnected in a foreign environment.
Based on the market analysis and user research, POV statement provided user needs and insights, helping me in gaining a deeper understanding of the specific problems that needed resolution. This user-centric approach guided subsequent design decisions and ensured a more focused and effective problem-solving process.
A young student needs social life because their time is mainly occupied studying and it's affecting their mental health.
A student needs good deals because he/she can save some money and be cautious on their spendings.
Someone who has came to a new country needs a guidance on basic informations because to live a fun filled life and be aware of the city's culture and entertainment
- Keep the content at the forefront of the app.
- Do not overload the user with information.
- Chunk the features basis on the category.
- Allow students to select their interest of attraction and to pre-book in advance with the deal.
- Suggest upcoming sporting events to them and enable them to connect with new people to join the event.
- The app should integrate the map with link of public transportation details.
- Keep the content at the forefront of the app.
- Do not overload the user with information.
- Chunk the features basis on the category.
Working on this project, immersed in the experience of being a student in a new city myself, has been both engaging and enlightening.
Through the research, I gained insights into the diverse needs of new students, challenging my initial assumptions and biases along the way.
I learned the importance of precision in targeting specific demographics outlined in the brief, ensuring inclusivity in the design process.
