Fair-Ly
Fair-ly is a mobile application designed primarily for volunteers looking to give their time to educate youth about their careers, making the process of finding opportunities more streamlined. Using Fair-ly, volunteers can easily search for opportunities in their area and have a convenient platform to connect and communicate with organizers
01
Problem
We were asked to identify problem areas and develop a solution to benefit the Santa Cruz community non-profits.
02
Logistics
Team: Pichy Jumpholwang, Carson Walter, Vincent Kurniadjaja, Stephen Zheng
Role: Team Lead + Product Designer
Timeline: 10 weeks
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Research Methods
Thematic Analysis, Interviewing, Wire-framing, Prototyping, Competitive Analysis, Empathy mapping.
04
Solution
Fair-ly is a mobile application designed primarily for volunteers looking to give their time in educating youth about their career in order to make that process of finding opportunities more streamlined. Using Fair-ly, volunteers will be able to easily search for opportunities in their area and have a convenient platform connect and communicate with organizers.
Research Foundation
CMPM 178
This product was developed as part of a class project for CMPM 178: Human-Centered Design Research at UC Santa Cruz. Our team analyzed four interview transcripts provided in class, featuring insights from local Santa Cruz community members. During our thematic analysis, we discovered a recurring challenge faced by community helpers: many struggled to find people willing to visit schools and share real-world experiences with students. One professional highlighted the difficulty of coordinating with schools and organizations, emphasizing the extra effort required to do something meaningful for the children. These insights guided us toward identifying a critical need within the community.
Ideation
CMPM 178
We began our ideation phase by generating "How Might We" prompts based on the problem statements. These prompts guided our creative thinking and helped us explore potential solutions. Each team member then brainstormed individual ideas, which we collaboratively synthesized to create a cohesive solution. This iterative process ultimately led to the development of Fair-ly.
Problem Solving
How did we find the answer?
Building on the ideas generated from our "How Might We" prompts, each team member proposed an individual concept for the product. We then collaborated to merge the strongest elements of these ideas, creating an alternative solution that ultimately became Fair-ly.
To refine our concept further, we conducted follow-up interviews with professionals experienced in organizing career-related events such as panels and career fairs. Their feedback provided valuable insights, which we incorporated into our design to ensure the product addressed real-world needs effectively.
Stepping into the user's shoes
Design and Development
How did we make a prototype out of it?
After deciding to create an app service that connects counselors with industry professionals willing to share their career paths with students, we began outlining the specific details required to bring this vision to life. We broke down the process into key steps, starting with task flows to map out user interactions. From there, we created sketches and wireframes to
visualize the app’s structure and functionality. These foundational elements guided our progression to low-fidelity prototypes, which allowed us to refine the design iteratively before developing high-fidelity prototypes.
With our final prototype complete, we presented our app to the entire class and a group of industry professionals at a fair we hosted. This event provided an opportunity to showcase our work, gather valuable feedback, and explore how our app could make a meaningful impact in connecting counselors with industry professionals for student career development.
Reflecting on the project, here are the key lessons and changes I would implement with the same time and resources:
Research and Concept Development
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Conduct broader surveys with counselors to better understand their actual needs before narrowing down concepts.
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Present more developed ideas visually rather than relying solely on oral explanations.
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Avoid overloading the app with unnecessary features, such as chat functions, to focus on core services.
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Innovate with unique offerings, like an automated matchmaking system for events or reusable materials.
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Define goals and user needs more clearly from the outset.
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Design and Testing
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Allocate more time to researching and testing workflows to identify overlooked areas.
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Test concepts with fellow students and create additional surveys for feedback.
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Work toward a deeper understanding of the target audience to avoid misinterpretations about practical, real-world needs.
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Figma and Design Tools
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Use components instead of copying and pasting elements for efficiency and consistency.
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Ensure better contrast in the design, avoiding colors like yellow that may not be accessible.