A student working at a laptop in a learning environment

TLDR;

Overview

A graduation project exploring how a mobile learning space can make peer support easier to find and easier to offer.

Concept testing clarified the importance of small groups, visible context, and recognition that did not feel competitive.
Role
Product designer
Team
Independent capstone
Timeline
12 weeks
Scope
Research, service concept, prototype

The Problem

Students needed help outside class, but asking publicly felt intimidating and useful peer knowledge was difficult to surface.

My contribution

I shaped the project from research question to tested prototype, focusing on low-pressure ways to request and offer help.

Student interviewsAffinity mappingConcept testingInteraction design

01 / Understand

Students wanted help without feeling exposed

Interviews revealed that students often delayed asking questions because they worried the question was too basic or the audience was too broad.

Affinity mapping separated the need for answers from the equally important need for psychological safety.

Opportunity: make asking for help feel specific, contextual, and low pressure.
A student using a laptop while learning

02 / Decide

Design small spaces for useful peer exchange

I explored topic-based groups, contextual questions, and lightweight ways to signal when a response was useful.

The design avoided public rankings and focused recognition on contribution quality and helpfulness.

Interface design notes arranged across a workspace

03 / Validate

Learn where collaboration needs structure

Concept testing showed that open-ended communities felt vague, while small groups with a shared course or task felt easier to trust.

The final prototype made context visible and kept the path from question to useful response short.

Outcome: clearer principles for building safe, useful peer-learning spaces.
People moving through a large shared cultural space

Available for product design roles

Let's make the next useful thing.

I'm open to working with teams that care about understanding the problem before polishing the answer.

hello@example.com
Based in
Chicago, Central time
Availability
Open to full-time roles
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