THE SUSTAINABILITY CENTER PORTAL

Creating community for virtual students.

With online classes becoming more common than ever, the personal interaction between peers becomes extremely limited. Although online courses are more convenient and often the only option for some, students are left feeling isolated and desire a connection outside of the virtual classroom.

ROLES

I assumed the following roles while designing this project.

User Experience Designer (UX)
Interaction Designer (IxD)
User Interface Designer (UI)
Visual Designer

DELIVERABLES

High-fidelity prototypes.

UX/UI Design:

Competitive analysis
Stakeholder Interviews
User surveys and one-on-one interviews
Personas
User journey maps
Site map
Low-fidelity wireframes
High-fidelity mockups and prototypes
Usability tests and findings

PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS

Duration: 6 weeks

Tools:

Photoshop
Illustrator
Figma

OVERVIEW

CHALLENGE

Virtual students at Santa Monica College have limited opportunities to connect and engage with like-minded peers, especially around shared interests like sustainability.

The existing virtual spaces lack an inclusive and centralized platform to build community, foster collaboration and promote the work being done by the Sustainability Center.

INSIGHT

A platform of communication with engaging features is the key to student engagement, and sustainability can serve as a unifying theme to bring diverse individuals together.

By providing tools for interaction and shared purpose, students are more likely to form connections and actively participate.

PROPOSED SOLUTION

Develop a virtual platform for the Sustainability Center that acts as a hub for community-building.

This platform includes features like swap and sell, event listings, clubs, classifieds, and the ability to share sustainable tips—creating a dynamic space for students to connect, collaborate, and take action.

RESEARCH

I analyzed existing virtual platforms and sustainability-focused communities in order to understand their strengths, weaknesses, and features. This research included reviewing sustainability websites, online forums, and other student-focused virtual hubs.

FINDINGS

The current website is looked over. Students are generally unaware of all of the features and clubs the center has to offer.
Virtual community overall is practically nonexistent as there is no real way to connect with other students.
Showcasing easy and intriguing features online can foster deeper connections among students.
Informative communication is the common theme of similar online sustainability communities.
A modular approach to their design allows for a cohesive and easily interpretable layout.
Incorporating relevant resources such as classifieds, access to specialists, newsletters, discussion forums, and various tips related to sustainability provides diverse avenues for users to engage with one another in a virtual space.

STAKEHOLDER KICKOFF

To understand the gaps in community engagement, interviews were conducted with the stakeholders of the school’s Sustainability Center.

"We want to promote SMC as the leader in affordable sustainability education, and emphasize its reputation as a pioneer in the field."

- Gillian Glebler, Cultural & Linguistic Anthropologist

"Focus on cultivating the right mindset and driving cultural change. Start small with initiatives like a zero-waste or recycling program, encouraging actions such as using reusable utensils or water bottles."

- Victoria Charles, Sustainability Professor

"Raise awareness that sustainability includes both environmental and social aspects, such as community- focused initiatives like free clothing programs and the bodega."

- Ferris Kawar, Sustainability Director

USER INTERVIEWS

Interviews with current SMC students were conducted in order to assess the visibility of the Sustainability Center in its current state and to understand their participation in virtual spaces.

INSIGHTS

Online students lack a connection to their peers due to a limited amount of interaction outside of class. This creates the desire for students to seek out in- person classes or other avenues of online groups outside of the school.

Sandi is a virtual student looking for more in-person interactions with other students because she believes that being able to create that type of camaraderie is hard to imitate online.

- Sandi P.

During the pandemic, Jonna desired making connections with others so she joined the Facebook group “Swedes in LA”, and created friendships with many people she’s still close with today.

- Jonna B.

Carey feels like the school should do more to have online students interact with each other because she believes that the community is lacking. She only knew of the sustainability center through a passing comment from a fellow student.

- Carey C.

VISUALIZING A USER-CENTRIC PORTAL

Based on the feedback from the students and the needs of the stakeholders, I focused on revitalizing the Sustainability Center’s webpage. My first iteration involved sketching out variations of the web page to include engaging features, and a structure that kept the user’s attention.

I came to the conclusion that students rarely follow the SMC Instagram or app due to lack of awareness or interest and would rather just go to the actual website. They also reacted negatively to the current site due to being text-heavy and lackluster. Engagment will increase if we improve the structure of the sustainability center’s website.

IMPLEMENTING A SEAMLESS USER EXPERIENCE

The prototype was iterated based on the sketches developed from user & stakeholder feedback. From low fidelity to high fidelity, the iteration proposes an engaging format to encourage users to participate.

To eliminate the clutter from the original page, the left toolbar was removed. Instead, the options are broken down under each appropriate category within the modular format for an improved wireflow.

Based on user feedback, the text-heavy portion at the top of the page was removed to allow for more interactive elements to take its place.

EXECUTING THE VISION

Naming this page the Sustainability Hub establishes it as a central destination for all sustainability-related resources.

Icons were designed to replace the introductory paragraph, providing users with a direct and immediate pathway to engage with the hub's features.

Displaying events on the Hub's main page instantly connects users to opportunities for participation and engagement with others.

The Social Media Wall highlights the strong sense of community within the Sustainability Center, showcasing the various ways people are engaging and building connections.

STORYBOARD

I created a storyboard to visually represent how users might interact with the hub, illustrating a scenario like discovering the hub, and participating in a discussion.

INSIGHTS

The structure of the website can aid in creating virtual connections. If students have the means to connect, they can do so successfully.

Influential marketing campaigns and promotion

of the Sustainability Center will further aid in developing more engagement and participation.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

User testing uncovered the following insights;

Consider creating a structure of clear hierarchy and prioritization to prevent users from feeling overwhelmed by the many features.

Highlight active participation in the hub, such as “200 students joined this month” or “50 items swapped this week,” to encourage new users to get involved.

Its diverse features and interactive design offer a meaningful way for students to engage with each other and the broader SMC community.

HOW USABILITY MIGHT BE IMPROVED

Issues to address during long-term development;

Consider the consistency and frequency of content creation on social media and continue to update the hub to keep the platform relevant.
Improve user retention through new features like gamification and rewards to further encourage and to maintain long-term engagement.
Creating a robust marketing strategy— including promotion at orientation events, through social media, and catalogue ads—will maximize visibility and participation.
These steps will position the platform as a vital hub for student interaction and sustainability advocacy.

REFLECTIONS

The final design successfully addressed the challenge of fostering connections among students through the Sustainability Center.

With features like swap & sell, event listings, classifieds and sustainable tips, the platform offers practical tools for collaboration and engagement for prime usability.

The new user-friendly interface enhances accessibility, making it easier for students to participate in the sustainability-focused activities through an online platform.