junto: Team Building
A platform that helps design students and instructors work better together, through group formation tools and team building exercises.
Group work is a valuable part of design education that prepares students for collaborative experiences as a professional. As valuable as group work is, many students find group projects challenging due to issues with the group dynamic. On the other side, instructors often struggle with forming student groups that optimize skillsets and take into account students' interests and goals.
The Challenge:
How might we support the formation of student teams in a way that empowers effective collaboration, inspires positive team dynamics, and supports the personal growth of its members?
Skills
Product Design
UI/UX
User Research
Visual Design
Deliverables
Mobile User Experience
Brand Identity
Project Overview
A team platform that helps design students and instructors work better together, through group formation tools and team-building exercises.
Case Study Deck
Research
Exploratory Research of the Problem Space
Initial exploratory research aimed to:
• Identify Challenges students and faculty face with group projects
• Understand the nuances of group dynamics on design teams
• Examine current methods for group formation
• Analyze the pros and cons of current methods
To do so, I conducted semi-structured interviews with students and faculty at the University of Washington, and performed a card sorting activity to better understand the factors in group dynamics that are most important.
Research Objectives
1. Identify challenges students and faculty face with group projects.
2. Understand the nuances of group dynamics on design teams.
3. Examine current methods for group formation
4. Analyze the methods pros and cons
Research Questions
What factors contribute to positive or negative group experiences, and why?
1. What do people look for in an urban hiking experience?
2. How do people go through an urban hike from planning to finish?
3.What are some challenges people face in an urban hike experience?
4. How do people remember an urban hike?
Synthesis
I synthesized findings into 3 overarching themes, which led directly to insights that informed subsequent design decisions.
Key quotes from students and instructors.
Grouping interview notes into core thematic areas.
Key Themes and Insights
Ideation
Journey Map of the Current Experience
In order to better understand the current student team experience, I created a simple journey map which highlighted key pain points at each phase.
Storyboard
The rest is coming soon... Check back in later!
(in the meantime, feel free to explore the case study deck for this project below)