Designing a platform for scholars (particulary in Ghana) to share knowledge

Answercity-2022

Introduction

  • Industry: Education
  • Role: UI/UX & Front-end
  • Aim: Education
  • Target Users: Students, Teachers, Researchers
Final Designs

Understanding the problem

Process

1. Design Brief

I started the project with the design brief meeting where I discussed with the client his goals, target users and requirements.

2. Competitive Analysis

Together with my client, we reviewed existing platforms to better understand and draw use cases.

Findings

1. Despite having quite a number of Q&A sites, there is not one specific to African academic communities, precisely Ghana.

2. Finding individuals to best explain subject matters in African settings was quite troublesome.

Popular Platforms

Ideating:

Drafts

1. User-Friendly Design

Design a catchy and user-friendly platform for academicians.

2. Cultural Representation

Use colors that easily represents the African community, precisely Ghana.

3. Familiarity Enhancement

Retain design ideas of similar popular platforms to enhance user familiarity.

Wireframes

Winning Concepts:

Final Designs

1. Timeline Display

Timeline to display all questions submitted that can be sorted in preferred categories.

2. Search Component

Prominent search component to allow users find particular questions they are looking for.

3. Ask a Question

A Ask a Question button that runs through all the pages to allow users post questions when and wherever they desire to.

4. User Dashboard

A simple dashboard similar to the timeline to allow users comb through questions they have submitted and answers to question they have attempted.

Final Designs

Challenges:

1. Inadequate Research

Despite thorough researches, I realized on several occasions that they weren't enough. Modern emerging concepts weren't thoroughly considered at the genesis which meant I had to reconstruct certain pages and components midway through the design process.

2. Clear and Concise Scope

Defining a standard use case was difficult throughout the entire design phase as new ideas kept surfacing requiring me to re-think the original concept.

Important Takeaways

I realized the need to have a proper structure when working on a design project. Thoroughly adhering to UI/UX design standards goes a long way to make life easier and the work more desirable.