Howwaseaseborn?
Thisisn’tjustoneperson’sstory,it’sanexperience sharedbymanyinternationalstudents.
That’swhatinspiredustodivedeeperintothisspace. AND
TheexperienceofstudyingintheUnitedStatesnot onlyshapesthelivesofindividuals,butthefuture ofourinterconnectedworld.
ScottWeinhold SeniorOfficialfromtheDepartmentofState EducationalandCulturalAffairs
UnitedStateshostsmorethan
1.1
1.1millioninternationalstudents athighereducationinstitutions, reachinganall-timehigh MILLION
studentsstudyingintheU.S.2022to2023 enrollmentincreasefromthelastyear contributiontotheU.S.economy
WHYUS?
PASSION
empoweringstudents, promotingglobalmobility, buildingcommunities bridgethegap betweenstudentsand localresources
VOCATION
buildinclusive, accessible,and simplifiedsolutions
MISSION
Howmightwehelpinternationalstudentsin navigatinglifeabroadbyofferingtailoredguidance andcommunitydrivensupportsystemsthatmakes transitionsandliving,lessoverwhelming?
INTRODUCINGEASE
Adigitalplatformdesignedtosupport internationalstudentsinnavigatingtheirmove abroadandlife,empoweringsmarterdecision makingthroughpersonalizedguidance.
CURATION PREPARATION VALUESANDETHOS
Thoughtfulselectionofinformation
ACCESSIBILITY
CONNECTION
Senseofbelongingandcare
PRE-ARRIVALGUIDANCE
Studentsreceiveguidanceevenbeforetheyland,so theycanarriveconfident,prepared,andempowered
HOUSINGSUPPORT
Studentsgetcuratedhousingoptionsthatalignwith theirpersonalneeds,preferences,andpriorities
COMMUNITY&INTEGRATION
Studentsconnectwithlocalpeers,mentors,and guidestobuildtheirnetworkandfeelathomesooner
CONCEPTTESTING
PRODUCTBUILDERS
PRODUCTDESIGNERS
ADMISSIONSDIRECTORS
STUDENTPRESIDENTS
UNIVERSITYPROFESSORS
BUSINESSOWNERS
CREATIVELEADERS
SENIORANALYSTS
Byhavingsomebodywhoisalreadyinthecity.
Akindofmentorwhohastraveledthispath before,understandsyoursituation,andiswilling tohelpcouldbearealgamechanger
InternationalStudentinNY
DesignStrategist
WORKSHOP
Participatoryapproach:co-designingsolutions,shareout,feedback
USERINSIGHTS
EARLYPREPARATION
Craveearlypreparationbut don’tknowwheretostart
PRIORITIZATION
Decisionfatigueisreal duringthetransitionabroad
CONTEXTUALTOOLS
Newterminologiesfeel confusingifnotexplained
STUDENTADVICE
Realstudentexperiences aremoreeasytotrust
PERSONALIZATION
Traditionalplatformsdon't accountforspecificfactors
GUIDEDSTEPS
Selfnavigationisastressful andlonelyprocess
LANDSCAPEANALYSIS
ASPIRATIONAL
POTENTIALCOLLABORATORS
DATACURATION
PRE-ARRIVAL GUIDANCE
PREFERENTIAL
ROADMAP
IreallywishIhadaccesstoa platformlikethis,thatwouldhave helpedmeprepareformymove. Itwouldhavesavedmesomuch time,effort,andmostofall,money! MuskanG.
InternationalStudentinNY
DesignStrategistandGraphicDesigner
IntegratingPreferentialQuestions
USABILITYTESTINGWORKSHOP
TESTING
TESTINGGOALS
PARTICIPANTS
TESTTASKS
RESPONSIBILITIES
BUSINESSCASE
lo-fimobileproduct interface AIgeneratedguide brandvoice businessmodel ensuretheuser experienceanduser journeyissmooth, clear,supportive,and easytocarryout
userjourney userexperience personalized supportfunctions onboarding screens overallnavigation visuallanguage
newinternational students alreadyenrolled international students
EQUIPMENT
laptopandphone screens notetaking materials
reviewAIgenerated step-by-stepguide completeprofile
buildingduring onboardingstages explorepre-arrival guidance(phase1)
findbuilt-inAI chatassistant
LOCATION&DATES facilitatesession notetaking think-aloud feedback remotetesting (zoom) in-persontesting. (studenthub) March-April
Paperprototypesof themobilewireframes
SharedWorkspace
ITERATIONS
Textheavy
Iteration1
Textbalancedwith visuals,hierarchy
Noguidingprompts
Iteration2
Guidedprompts
REFINEDPROTOTYPE
REFINEDPROTOTYPE
REFINEDPROTOTYPE
UserPersonalization
REFINEDPROTOTYPE
Step1:Overview
BuiltinAIassistant (limitedprompts) Mainsercices (limitedinformation)
Accesstoinformation (limitedhours/day)
$6.99/month $13.99/month
EverythinginBasic+
Unlimitedaccesstobuilt inAIassistant
Accesstomainsercices (unlimitedinformation)
Verifiedhousinglistings
EverythinginPremium+
Priorityaccesstonew housinglistings
Accesstotools (budgetcalculator, leasedictionary,etc.)
OUTREACH
NEXTSTEPSANDTHEASK
PARTNERSHIPS
Securetechnicalandacademic partnertosupport development anddeployment
USERONBOARDING
Startoutreachtointernational studentcommunitiesforearly adoptionandfeedback
REFINEMVP
Finalizeandtestourminimum viableproductbasedonfeedback fromadvisorsandearlyusers
PILOTLAUNCH
Beginbetatestingwithapartner universitytovalidatefeatures andgatherusagedata
MENTORSHIP
GuidancefromAIexperts,ed-tech, internationalstudentservices,and startupdevelopment
WORKSPACEHUB
Aphysicalordigitalspace whereourteamcanworktogether effectivelywithotherexperts
श या!
Thankyouforyourtimetoday.
Wehopewhatwesharedofferedmeaningfulinsightandsparked reflectiononhowwecanbettersupportinternationalstudents.
Attheheartofthisprojectisadeepbeliefinthepotentialtotransform thetransitionjourneyforthemillionsofstudentswhoarriveintheU.S. eachyear—fullofhopes,ambitions,anduncertainty.
We’reeagertocontinuetheconversation,explorecollaborations, andexchangeideasthatmovethisworkforward!