Dreamwork

1. Prototype link (Please submit a link to a playable prototype, not a link to your design file) Link

2. Describe your project (max 150 words) Introducing Dreamwork: the all-in-one group project hub that helps college students get their assignments done in an efficient and organized manner. Dreamwork will pair easily with students' calendars and use an AI algorithm to book a study room that fits into everyone's schedule, has the right amount of seats for the group size, is in a central location to group members, and takes into account the groups ideal noise level for the meeting. Our other app features include a LinkTree-inspired setup that lets users easily find and collaborate on shared Google Docs or Figmas (no more searching in group chats for links that were sent out days before!) Additionally, you’ll be able to see your groupmates’ profiles to learn their strengths and weaknesses, as well as be able to group and private message your teammates.

3. Describe your research process and findings. If you conducted any surveys or interviews, please include the survey form and/or interview questions here. If you conducted secondary research by pulling from online sources, please include a link to your sources. (Max 500 words) We conducted primarily in-person interviews with people within our academic program (Iovine and Young Academy at USC). These were very informal interviews so the exact questions we asked varied from person to person but in general, we asked what the main challenges people were facing in college and we asked them what prevented them from using/downloading apps. We found that the main issues that people faced were access to internships, socio-emotional connection with their peers, and difficulties regarding group projects. Because group organization was the most specifically addressable problem we identified, we chose to create an app that simplified communication and organization for group members. Once we had a better understanding of what route we wanted to pursue, we asked more specific questions like what would help people manage their group projects and what the main issues they faced when working on assignments with groups of people. We discovered that a huge issue regarding group project management was being able to access everything in one place. By everything we are referring to the necessary documentation (Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Google Docs, etc.), group chats, and group to-do lists. We also wanted to address the question of why college students were reluctant or unwilling to download more apps. The main reason we found was that they felt that they already had too many apps doing similar functions. We decided that creating an app that addressed all of the main issues in group project management and streamlined the process to reduce the number of apps people needed to download and use would be the best course of action.

4. Describe your most important design decisions. What research findings and/or user testing results led you to make these decisions? (Max 500 words) A lot of decisions regarding design came into consideration during our design process but a few stand out as more significant than the others. One major decision we made was to include a dark mode as well as a light mode to increase accessibility and appeal to a larger audience. I know at least personally that when I’m working on a project late at night, nothing is more annoying than a glaring white screen illuminating the entire room and keeping my roommate awake. We recognize that many people study throughout the late hours of the night and might want a less vibrant display option to decrease eye strain and eliminate unnecessary roommate fights. We also recognize that some people simply prefer darker layouts. Whether that be due to color blindness or eye sensitivity, we want to appeal to a broad range of audiences. Another major design choice that we made was regarding our color palette. We chose a very neutral color palette with mostly blacks and whites with various shades of blue as our accent color. We wanted to keep the design fairly minimalist to not detract from the functions of the app itself. However, we didn’t want the entire app to be simply black and white so we chose to have an accent color. When deciding which color should be our accent color, we looked at the psychology of decision-making and how colors can affect people’s attitudes and choices. In the end, we went with blue because it prompts feelings of serenity, stability, inspiration, and reliability which are all values we are hoping to promote and perpetuate through the usage of our app.

Built With

• figma