2 weeks | Interface Design

A Homesick Management Tool

Where you make Heartfelt Bonds

What?

Snugg helps IITB students in coping with homesickness by ingeniously matching students based on shared interests. It fosters companionship that provides a warm and supportive space. Whether seeking solace through heartfelt conversations or engaging in mood-lifting activities, Snugg cultivates an atmosphere of understanding. Additionally, its repository of self-help videos catering to introverts and those seeking solace indoors.

5W’s and 1H

Starting out with the 5W’s and 1H to get a clear understanding of the situation. The insights found from this exercise decided what ground to base our interviews on.

Primary Research

8 interviews were conducted, keeping in mind the diverse student base of IITB. Students were asked questions around their experience with homesickness, their coping mechanism, social connections, their support system, interests and activities etc.

Analysis

Insights

01

Students are most likely to start feeling homesick at the start of the semester or at home before leaving.

02

Students prefer reaching friends or family rather than a counsellor

03

Students are not aware of the available help and how to approach it

04

Students are not open to take professional Help

05

Students soothe agitation by indulging in different activities

06

There are lack of tools to help students realize their education

What Surprised us?

Inefficiency in current IITB support system and unwillingness among students to seek professional help.

How might we help IITB Students to feel safe, welcomed and form intimate companionships with people while they are low and adjusting to the new environment

Problem Statement

“I want to have someone to talk to during my tough times ”

Information Architecture

The iterations changed from including map features, Ongoing college events that was more supportive of the outgoing personalities to molding the architecture into a softer space for people having low days.

Early Ideation

Persona

Riya Cherian

Riya has been accepted into IIT Bombay for a bachelor's degree in engineering. Despite her excitement, she is also nervous about moving to a new city. She is an ambivert and misses having that emotional bond with her peers and time spent with her cat.

  • Communication Tools: A way to meet like-minded peers and form study groups or social circles.

  • Welcoming Community: Socialization and helps new students feel welcomed and supported.

  • Cultural Integration

  • Emotional Support

Pain Points

  • Difficulty in forming emotional connections

  • Overwhelmed with the New Environment (Coming from a small town)

  • No idea about how to navigate through campus and it's activities

Goals:

  • Easy and Quick transition to college life

  • Academic Excellence

  • Make the most of the learning opportunities

  • To have a strong support network.

  • Personal Growth

Age : 18

Course : B.Tech

Branch : CSE

Home Town: Kochi

PASSIONATE

EMPATHETIC

CURIOUS

ADVENTUROUS

Wireframes

Feedback

We realized from the feedbacks that the app was inclined towards extroverted personalities and needed development around introverts. Focus was needed on self help content and fostering emotional connection rather than activities.

Developing Identity

The logo represents hugging a pillow which ultimately gives the user a sense of coziness.

The font “LATO” was chosen as it is modern and gives a feeling of friendliness and approachability

The color purple was chosen to give a feeling of friendliness and yellow to give a sense of warmth.

High Fidelity Frames

Onboarding:

Connecting with people:

Conclusion

Designing snugg was a thoughtful journey of empathy and innovation. The process involved understanding the intricate emotions tied to homesickness and led to an intuitive user interface design that fosters connections. In future there could also be a section where users would be able to anonymously share their experience, which would be monitored to maintain a positive space on the app. Integration of virtual gatherings, offering solace during moments when physical presence isn't feasible, extending a helping hand when it's needed most.

Thanks for Scrolling

Khushboo Kumari | Ankita Thakur | Khyati Rathore