Project overview
Ciao is an inclusive, peer-led social platform that empowers students to build genuine connections through natural, everyday interactions. By bringing them together through events, community, and real-world perks, Ciao enriches student life while supporting local businesses.
My role
UX/UI Design, User Research, User Testing
Shuyi Yuan, Joanne Chen, Xiaoming Zhang
Timeline
Mar, 2025 - May, 2025 (10 weeks)
Team
KEY FEATURES
Find events
Discover exciting campus activities and local happenings tailored to your interests.
Club community
Join conversations, connect with others, and be part of a vibrant student network.
Create events
Event updates with the student community.
Local businesses collaboration
Earn points through participation and redeem them for ride credits or exclusive local deals.
Step Out, Say CIAO !
Background & Problem Context
Many students, particularly international students, face challenges in forming meaningful social connections due to cultural barriers, unfamiliar environments, and a lack of casual social opportunities. Traditional campus programs often feel formal, intimidating, or irrelevant to students' everyday emotional needs. There is a need for a platform that supports informal, peer-led interactions and helps students feel seen, connected, and at ease.
Primary research
We used shadowing as an observational method to study students’ weekend behaviors. Through surveys and interviews, we collected 48 survey responses and conducted 10 interviews. In the final stage, we also sent cultural probes to 8 participants.
83.3%of students sometimes feel stuck.
55.6% of students avoid trying new things because they don't have friends to do it with.
66.7% of students expect a fun and casual environment to relax.
“Most days I stay home, but if friends invite me,
I’ll go out — I rely on them to let me know about events.“
Persona
Nana Lee
Kevin Smith
Age: 23 丨 Nationality: China 丨 Major: M.F.A Graphic Design
“I want to make new friends and be more social, but it’s hard when I don’t feel confident speaking English—and I barely have time.”
painpoint :
Feeling lonely in new environment and culture.
A heavy school workload leaves her too tired to socialize.
Lacking of access to activities
Age: 19 丨 Nationality: the US 丨 Major: B.F.A Film
“Life’s a tight shoot schedule — I only stay for the scenes that feel real and fun.”
painpoint :
Limited resource to show his idea to others
Struggle to find the right people to team up with for activities
There’s no clear way to organize or initiate group activities
Insights
Students seek deeper self-understanding and a better balance between academics and personal life. While they often make study plans, they rarely plan for overall life experiences. They value social connection but face challenges accessing accurate club information. Indoor events help break daily routines and bring purpose to their extracurricular lives. Friendly, welcoming environments make it easier for them to engage and feel a sense of belonging.
How Might We…
01
04
How might we help students know themselves better through the club?
How might we create opportunities for students to add variety and excitement to their lives?
02
05
How might we help students make their free time more meaningful and enriching?
How might we improve the channels through which students can discover and engage with club activities, especially for international students?
03
06
How might we help students expand their social circles effectively?
How might we cultivate a warm and friendly atmosphere within the club to enhance student engagement?
Wireframe
Iteration
We invited SCAD UX students to participate in this user testing. First, we asked three UX students with industry experience to evaluate the design across nine dimensions: functionality, intuitiveness, ease of navigation, error recovery, detectability, feedback/information, consistency, aesthetics, and emotion/fun. In addition, we invited 11 UX students to complete the SUS (System Usability Scale) scoring.
Main Problem
Users had difficulty locating where to create a new post in the community section. On the post page, they were also confused about the difference between “New Event” and “New Post.”
Test Result
Expert Review
SUS Scores
Solution
Keep the main functionality of publishing new events on the post page.Keep the main functionality of publishing new events on the post page.
3
Experts
11
Users
38.9 / 45
Average score
76.59 / 100
Average score
Move the “New Post” feature into the Community page and the post drafts into the My Community. This makes it clearer for users to understand what is posts and find where to create posts.
