During our initial brainstorm, we reflected on our experiences as students
by discussing spaces, systems, and programs that currently exist at UC San
Diego. We generated a long list of student experience issues that we felt
could be improved, and then narrowed them down to just a few items:
• Connecting to clubs on campus
• Understanding the “real world” applicability of course content
• Meeting potential roommates
We talked to our peers about their experiences in these areas to get their
input on how they’ve dealt with these situations in the past.
• We found that most students relied on word of mouth and library walk
tabling to discover and join clubs. Since few students used the club
website in this process, we felt that designing a new website wouldn’t aid
in this process, so we scratched this idea.
• While some students are frustrated by the lack of connection between the
classroom and the “real world”, we thought that this issue should be dealt
with at multiple levels, including professors’ instruction and the current
educational system. As a single design challenge, we felt that the scope
of this problem couldn’t adequately be addressed by the redesign of a
course textbook or website.
• There have been numerous attempts at solving the well-known “roommate problem”. We decided not to focus on such a cliché issue.
So, after talking to our peers and discussing what we learned as a team,
we were back to square one. After launching another brainstorming session,
we came up with a couple student experience issues that resonated with us:
• Choosing a study abroad program that aligns with your goals
• Designing a four year plan easily and thoroughly
We plan on talking to more students about these issues and researching
what their needs are in these areas.
