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Role: UX/UI Designer
Timeline: 10 weeks
Platform: App
Tools: Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud, Teams

GenAlly

Designing a research-driven platform that supports first-generation college students in navigating academic and career uncertainty

Genally is a student-centered platform designed to provide structured guidance, accessible resources, and clarity for first-generation college students navigating unfamiliar academic systems.

Problem Statment

First-generation college students often navigate higher education without inherited knowledge or structured support. Many struggle with:

  • Understanding academic systems

  • Accessing reliable career guidance

  • Knowing what resources are relevant

  • Feeling confident in decision-making

Despite the availability of information, clarity is lacking.

Design challenge:

How might we create a centralized, guided experience that reduces overwhelm and builds student confidence?

Possible Solution

Genally is a structured, research-driven platform that centralizes academic and career resources, guiding first-generation college students through clear, actionable pathways to reduce overwhelm and increase confidence in decision-making.

Design Process (Goal- Directed Design)

Throughout the project, I led the framework phase, leveraging my experience in prototyping and visual design to translate research insights into structured interface solutions. Additionally, we conducted five interviews with a diverse group of first-generation college students, along with an expert interview with a college counselor, to ensure our design decisions reflected both student needs and institutional perspectives.

Research

Modeling

Requirements

Frameworks

Refinement

  • Kick-off Meeting

  • Literacy Review

  • Competitor Audit

  • In-person Interviews

  • Behavior Mapping

  • Synthesize Characteristics

  • Define Goals

  • Personas

  • Brainstorming

  • Context Scenario(s)

  • Requirements List

  • Wireframing

  • Visual Design

  • Usability Testing

  • Implementing Feedback

Research Phase

We started with a kickoff workshop to align on goals, then conducted audits, literature reviews, expert interviews, and student interviews to uncover structural and emotional barriers faced by first-generation college students.

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Design implication:

These insights led us to prioritize structured navigation, contextual guidance, visible mentorship integration, and simplified pathways to community engagement within Genally.

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Kick-off Meeting

1 meeting to plan project goals

Aligned on user assumptions and defined project scope.

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Competitive Audits

Compared 3 platforms

Analyzed gaps in existing digital platforms.

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Literacy Review

Reviewd about 4 documents

Identified systemic challenges faced by first-generation students.

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User Interviews

Interviewed 5 users

Uncovered emotional and behavioral patterns.

Key Research Insights

  • Information exists, but clarity is missing.

    • Students feel overwhelmed navigating scattered academic resources.

  • Belonging drives persistence.

    • A strong sense of community significantly impacts confidence and retention.

  • Mentorship is critical but inconsistent.

    • Students need visible and structured support systems.

  • Networking feels intimidating without guidance.

    • Students want connection but lack clear pathways.

Modeling Phase

Translating research into behavioral patterns

We synthesized interview findings to identify key behavioral variables that shaped how first-generation students navigate college systems.

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1. Institutional Familiarity Varies Widely

Some students understand academic systems well, while others rely heavily on peer guidance.

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2. Confidence Is Tied to Belonging

Students who feel socially integrated report higher academic confidence.

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3. Technology Comfort Is Moderate to High

Most students are comfortable using digital tools, but expect intuitive design.

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4. Guidance Is Prioritized Over Information

Students prefer step-by-step clarity rather than resource overload.

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These behavioral patterns revealed a consistent user archetype: a motivated but uncertain first-generation student seeking structured clarity.

This directly informed the creation of our primary persona.

Persona
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Evelyn Holmes

  • 21 years old

  • First- generation student

  • Majors in biology with a focus in pre-med

  • President of the ceramics club

  • Loves cats and watching reruns of Grey’s Anatomy

  • Works part-time in Kroger

Persona Narrative

Evelyn is a first-generation junior studying biology on the pre-med track, balancing academics, a part-time job, and family responsibilities. She is active on campus and values mentorship but struggles with navigating academic systems, building professional networks, and accessing structured guidance.

She uses platforms like LinkedIn and Handshake for opportunities but finds them formal and overwhelming, wishing for a more supportive, student-centered space tailored to first-generation needs.

End Goals

  • Build a professional network for internships and career growth

  • Access trusted college resources (financial aid, advising, counseling)

  • Connect with peers for shared support and guidance

Life Goal

  • Confident in her career aspirations and college journey

Requirements Phase

After defining our primary persona, Evelyn, the next step was to determine what Genally must provide to genuinely support her academic and professional journey.

We structured our brainstorming around one core question:

“If Evelyn opened Genally after a long day of classes, what would she need to feel supported rather than overwhelmed?”

Generated Ideas

  • Guided resource pathways

  • Peer discussion spaces

  • Mentor visibility and messaging

  • Internship filtering by major

  • Saved resources tab

  • Clear next-step prompts

Context Scenario

To pressure-test our ideas, we created a real-world scenario:

Setting: Dorm room after a long study session
Trigger: Feeling unsure about internship requirements
Device: Personal laptop
Interruptions: Assignments and notifications
Goal: Find clear next steps for applying to internships

Evelyn doesn’t want to “browse.” She wants direction.

Core Product Requirements
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1. Structured Navigation

Genally must guide students through academic and career pathways step-by-step.

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2. Centralized Resources

All advising, financial aid, and mentorship tools must live in one organized system.

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3. Community Integration

Students must be able to connect with peers experiencing similar challenges.

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4. Visible Mentorship Access

Mentor support should be easy to find and low-pressure to initiate.

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5. Customizable Career Filters

Internships and opportunities must be filterable by major and interests.

This helped define core requirements such as:

  • Clear next steps on every page

  • Minimal cognitive overload

  • Visible progress indicators

  • Confidence before taking action

Framework Phase

Designing a structured, student-centered ecosystem

With core requirements defined, we focused on building an intuitive system that reduces overwhelm while reinforcing guidance and belonging.

Information Architecture

To simplify navigation, we organized Genally into four primary pillars:

  • Resources

  • Community

  • Mentorship

  • Career Development

Key Design Decisions

1. Guided Home Dashboard

Genally must guide students through academic and career pathways step-by-step.

2. Filterable Opportunity System

All advising, financial aid, and mentorship tools must live in one organized system.

3. Community Threads with Structure

Students must be able to connect with peers experiencing similar challenges.

4. Visible Mentor Profiles

Mentor support should be easy to find and low-pressure to initiate.

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Refinement Phase (final Design)

Polishing the experience for clarity, confidence, and cohesion

After defining Genally’s structure, we focused on refining the visual language and interaction patterns to ensure students felt guided, not overwhelmed.

What We Improved

Visual Hierarchy

Refined typography scale and spacing to make primary actions immediately visible.

Reduced Cognitive Load

Simplified page layouts and minimized competing calls-to-action.

Tone & Emotional Warmth

Adjusted language and UI tone to feel supportive rather than institutional.

Consistency Across Screens

Standardized card components, buttons, and color usage to build trust.

Resulting Experience

The refined design creates a calm, structured environment that supports clarity, belonging, and forward momentum.

Interaction Enhancements

  • Clear progress indicators within guided flows

  • Contextual prompts that suggest next steps

  • Save-for-later functionality for reduced pressure

  • Confirmation states to reinforce progress

This transformed resume building from a stressful task into a guided, repeatable system.

Reflection

What I Learned

  • As a first-generation college student, this project felt personal and reinforced the importance of designing with lived experience in mind.

  • I learned to move beyond intuition and ground decisions in research and behavioral patterns.

  • I shifted from trying to include “everything” to prioritizing clarity and guided structure.

  • Usability feedback strengthened my ability to refine hierarchy and reduce cognitive load.

  • This project deepened my commitment to empathy-driven, systems-focused design.

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