top of page
Product Experience | Service Design
How do the physical spaces on campus affect the experience of UMD’s INFO students?
What can be improved?
UX Research | Information Architecture | Physical Design
10 weeks
Team of 7
Chinonso Maduforo | Joshua Hochman | Ming Rui Lee | Sadie Grode | Samita Prakash | Sunakshi Jain | Urvi Varma
Create Your First Project
Start adding your projects to your portfolio. Click on "Manage Projects" to get started
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Think of the time when you were a student in college...
what did you like/dislike the most about your campus? What was your go-to spot and why? How did that contribute to your experience of studying at the university? What did you not like and would have preferred instead?
University of Maryland’s INFO college is a rapidly growing department. With a mission to constantly improve the experience of INFO students while being at UMD, a research project was initiated by the INFO’s Academic Advisor to study the different parameters of physical spaces that affect student life.
THE PROBLEM
Without a dedicated department building, students have changing class locations every semester, often with a lot of in-between travel time leading to exhaustion, frustration, and confusion, especially at the start of a new semester.
The variability in classrooms conditions—from uncomfortable furniture to broken plug points and difficulty in way-finding further exacerbates their inconsistent learning experience.
THE SOLUTION
By introducing information about class locations and travel time in between classes during course registration, enabling students to make informed decisions.
As the Hornbake Library undergoes renovation, which hosts the majority of INFO classes, incorporating student feedback on furniture, ventilation, and amenities like eating spaces enhance their learning environment.
MY CONTRIBUTION
Working at the intersection of how interactions with physical space can be improved by collaborating with digital platforms, I focused on mapping and quantifying parameters of space that affects student's time on campus.
Devising long-term and short-term goals like adding features on ELMS Testudo app for classes and on UMD app for finding spaces as per your preference in proximity.
RESEARCH STATEMENTS
Starting with a white board
After a de-briefing session with the Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives, Dr. Wayne Lutters and Professor & Co-director Heera Lee, we engaged in a team brainstorming sessions and framed our research goals:
Possible research questions after team brainstorming session, UMD INFO INST710 (UX Research Method)
REFRAMING
REFRAMING
To better address the problem, we began revisiting with the definition of problem rather than immediately searching for a solution. The framing of questions ultimately drives the nature of the answers. By stepping back from the ‘assigned question’ and asking a different broader question paved a way for a more meaningful project.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Defining our true north star
Keeping in mind that the whole process is a loop: The questions we ask leads to answers that leads to more questions. So, with regards to project scope and project timeline we formulated our plan.
RESEARCH TOOLS & COLLECTIONG DATA
Lets start talking to the students
We decided to utilize mixed methods for this research study design to collect both quantitative and qualitative insights on the quality of physical spaces used by the INFO Undergraduate students.
SURVEY
In order to quickly test our research questions, we started with collecting quantitative data creating a survey template which was shared amongst INFO students by:
-
By putting posters around the buildings in common areas
-
Reaching out to different professors to share it with their students
Detailed Survey Analysis
INTERVIEWS
Following the collection of quantitative data, we recruited 10 INFO students and conducted a combination of remote and in-person interviews. These interviews were semi-structured, allowing us to deeply explore the students' perspectives on campus space utilization and its impact on their overall experience.
Link to the Process tracker sheet & Data collected
Result from the survey conducted
INTERPRETING DATA
Thematic grouping of data to uncover student’s wants & needs
With more than 700 notes from interviews, we delved into grouping the data and finding patterns. We identified 4 themes that revealed a gap between student needs and the current infrastructure on campus.
Link to the Miro Board
Image from the Miro board showing how students want more inclusive and accessible space around campus
REFRAMING
DEFINE LIMITATIONS
While talking to students, we uncovered a lot of other areas which could be improved such as parking system and event alerts in common areas (used for group studies). While we kept improving interview questions to gain in-depth understanding of the situation, we addressed them in 'Project Limitations'. By documenting the insights, we opened other areas of discovery for future, and focusing on our current research goal.
VISUALIZING DATA
Show, Don't Tell!
To effectively illustrate the challenges faced by students to external stakeholders, we developed Physical Model we developed that visualized the spread of student movement across the campus. This model highlighted the frequency and scale of their dispersed activities.
Without a dedicated building, INFO classes are held in different locations each semester, forcing students to continually adapt to new spaces for study, group work, and social interactions, while also demanding the additional travel time needed for meals and other activities.
University Map showing the footprint of INFO Students for various activities
PERSONAS
By analyzing participants' survey and interview responses to identify key characteristics such as living situation, years at UMD, preferences, goals, and space selection considerations, we developed persona types that reflect our sample population.
Convenient Commuter Toni
19M, Sophomore, InfoDesign major, In-state student
Wants travel convenience and amenities to support his study
KEY CONSIDERATIONS:
-
Open, clean spaces
-
Proximity of buildings to parking
-
Cost of food
-
Safety of spaces
PAIN POINTS:
-
Lack of places to study
-
Parking options
-
Limited accessibility accommodations
-
Older buildings
GOALS:
-
I want to get work done in a convenient location in between my classes and work.
-
I want options to work and study in a quiet space with no distractions or around people in a collaborative space
-
Most of the time, I plan to go home after my classes and work is done unless I’m hanging around with my friends.
-
I am looking for places where I can find economically convenient food or can eat the food that I bring from home.
Busy Balancer Kai
21F, Senior, InfoSci major, Out-of-state student
Enjoy sports and hanging out with friends
KEY
CONSIDERATIONS:
-
Space for group work
-
Modern, clean space with convenient seats
-
Smaller class sizes
-
Food options with dietary restrictions
PAIN POINTS:
-
Travel time between classes, lack of directions to and in buildings
-
Lack of food options
-
Limited charging stations
-
Construction on campus
GOALS:
-
I want to find food areas with seating available and have food options based on dietary restrictions.
-
In class, I look for spacious tables, comfortable chairs and spaces that allow for individual and collaborative work.
-
Making time and having space to hang out with friends is a priority to me.
-
I prefer to have options between functional indoor and outdoor spaces.
DESIGN POINTERS
Guiding Design through Research
Inclusivity & equity in campus spaces
Consistency in class locations & shared spaces
Navigation &
way-finding
Diverse learning environments
Economic &
varied food options
Extracting concepts to discuss with stakeholders
VISIONING
Engaging Conversations
WALL-WALK SESSIONS
LOW-MID FIDELITY PROTOTYPING
So, what did we propose to improve the experience?
Adding location and travel time feature in the Testudo app help that can help students to make informed decision while registering for courses in a semester.
1 TESTUDO APP
Lets see how Toni, INFO student uses UMD app to register for classes:
THURSDAY, 11:00 am
With new semester starting soon, Toni wants to register for his classes. But being a commuter, he is looking for classes near a parking lot and all the buildings in close proximity.
He has certain classes in mind that he would love to attend but convenience is his priority this semester.
WEDNESDAY, 3:00 pm
Toni and his friends has some time in between classes and wants to grab some snacks.
However, one of the friend only eats 'Halal food'. So, they are looking for places where they can get food as per their specific needs.
They go to Annapolis Dining Hall to get food, only to realise their is no seating available.
So they open the UMD app and use the 'Finder' feature.
Adding a finder feature in the UMD app that can help students to find spaces around the campus as per their preference for eating, studying, socializing
2 UMD APP
Toni is looking for places to eat Halal food on campus with his friends
CURRENT SYSTEM
The current system ask students to verify themselves if they have enough time between classes for break/travel to other class.
This leads to exhaustion, confusion and often frustration amongst students in the inital weeks of the semester.
REFLECTIONS
What worked and What didn't
Absence of a Project Tracker and Team Miscommunication
Collaborating with team members across both online and offline platforms sometimes led to challenges in distributing tasks evenly. Additionally, the lack of clear communication channels caused misalignment on task priorities and deadlines. With a progress tracker tool, we could have streamlined the workflow and improved accountability within the team.
Accounting for Uncertainties
By acknowledging and building in a buffer for recruiting participants for the study and conducting pilot studies of interview questions proved effective in managing the project's timeline. This approach allowed for flexibility and adjustments as needed, ensuring that the study progressed without unnecessary delays.
Wall-Walk Sessions
By visually mapping out user personas, pain points, and design recommendations on the wall, the team was able to collaborate effectively and quickly identify patterns and areas for improvement. This tangible, hands-on approach facilitated open discussions with other stakeholders at the university, allowing diverse perspectives to shape the direction of the project.
Creating system to manage and track data
Establishing a system to document and organize data from the outset of the project was instrumental in managing large volumes of data efficiently. This proactive measure prevented potential data management issues and ensured that the information remained accessible and well-structured throughout the project.
Graphic Illustration to communicate the concerns raised by UMD INFO Students
PROPOSED FEATURE
Providing a comprehensive route plan for everyday of the week with travel time as per the selected classes.
Adding a class location map with required travel time in-between classes.
Layering it with an 'Alert' feature if the time is not enough and might be difficult for students to attend both the classes, helping them in making informed decision.
bottom of page