Overview
Context
What is it
A three-month summer program empowering female college students to develop impactful projects and showcase their work in a culminating hack challenge.
Who are behind the program
Our judges and mentors are Designers and Engineers from Amazon and Adobe.
How many participants
40+ participants
10 teams
What Sparked This Idea
Research
Problems
Solutions
Lack of school and community support and connection
Onboarding & Community Page
Users can only join with a verified school email, ensuring they connect with real students from their campus. This fosters a sense of community and trust when arranging rides.
Lack of reliable, centralized, and consistent information from peers
Ride Requests & Ride Offers
A single platform combining ride offers, requests, and campus travel tips, replacing the scattered information currently found on Facebook, Reddit, Discord, etc.
Unfamiliarity with local transportation networks and routes
Ride Detail & Local Community Exploration
The app shows optimized routes, estimated travel times, and costs (public transit, rideshare, carpool) so new students can make informed travel choices quickly.
Iteration
Iteration
Iteration
Outcomes
Reflections
— Never be afraid to take the initiative
Stepping into a group of strangers from various universities, I took the initiative to prepare a comprehensive Meeting Agenda, set up a working timeline, and establish collaborative tools like Figma, Notion, and Drive. This proactive approach fostered a comfortable, efficient environment where everyone felt encouraged to speak up and collaborate. By setting a tone of commitment, the team quickly developed camaraderie and enthusiasm, resulting in open discussions and a productive, harmonious dynamic.
— Test test test!!!
User testing became a pivotal part of my design process, where each iteration and usability test uncovered valuable insights. The joy of learning directly from users was incredibly rewarding, fostering a deeper understanding and empathy for their needs. This journey not only refined my designs but also inspired me to continually improve.
— The goal isn’t to impress others, it’s to solve a problem efficiently and collaboratively
I used to prioritize aesthetics over functionality, often creating beautiful but less effective designs. In this project, I shifted focus, starting with low and medium-fidelity designs, which improved problem-solving. Google Material Design played a key role, providing components that streamlined my design thinking and enhanced user testing.