Scholist

Simplifying scholarships: Balancing client expectations and optimizing search flow

SUMMARY

For this client project, my team and I were tasked with expanding Scholist’s design system and completing a flow to help them get closer to launching a minimum viable product by the end of the year.

CHALLENGE

Scholist is a start-up aiming to simplify the scholarship application process with its all-in-one platform; however, it only completed its onboarding process. They came to us wanting to complete the entire app within a 2-weeks.

OBJECTIVE

Prioritize 1 flow to work on to help Scholist get closer to launching a minimum viable product by the end of the year.

ROLE

UX Designer

DATE

April 2023

TOOLS

Figma
Illustrator

SCHOLIST AND THE SCHOLARSHIP GAP

While well-intentioned, scholarship opportunities often go underutilized, leaving many overwhelmed students without the financial support they need.

Scholist is reinventing the scholarship application process by bridging the gap between students and available scholarships. Every application is streamlined and tailored, ensuring that deserving students can easily access the funds that are essential for their educational journey.

Delivering hyper-personalized and dignified aid

By creating a three-sided marketplace, Duet provides unique benefits for beneficiaries, local store partners, and Duet donors.

Beneficiaries tell us exactly what they need by “shopping” in Duet’s local partner stores—ensuring both no waste, and perfect fit.

The Donation Journey

THE SYSTEM IN PRACTICE

DONATE

Donors buy those items and donate them directly to that family

DONATE

Donors buy those items and donate them directly to that family

DONATE

Donors buy those items and donate them directly to that family

DONATE

Donors buy those items and donate them directly to that family

DONATE

Donors buy those items and donate them directly to that family

How might we help Duet donors understand their impact with a donation dashboard?

A donation dashboard would not only serve as a functional place where donors can see donation insights but would be the entry point to nurture relationships between donors and beneficiaries.

Project Goals

VISUALIZE IMPACT

Give donors a high-level overview of their donation impact.

VISUALIZE IMPACT

Give donors a high-level overview of their donation impact.

VISUALIZE IMPACT

Give donors a high-level overview of their donation impact.

Gathering Insights

To kickstart the design process, I scoped out how other companies approached impact summaries. I noted how they distilled numbers and encouraged donations & engagement.

  • Wren, a climate subscription, contextualizes a donor’s carbon footprint by their top 3 emission sources.

  • Charity: Water, a non-profit that provides drinking water to people in developing nations, showcases a donor’s impact by (1) lifetime financial impact and (2) the estimated number of people served.

  • Donor profiles on Charity: Water feature a donation form, where visitors are encouraged to “join” their friend by donating monthly.

Conceptualizing a modular feed of "Impact Cards"

As Duet expands locations and onboards different kinds of beneficiaries onto its platform, the Dashboard will change—in fact, new initiatives were already underway at the time of the project.

Considering Duet’s future, I designed a modular layout of “Impact Cards" that can be rearranged and replaced.

The Architecture of an Impact Card

Impact Cards are informative and/or actionable components that make up the greater dashboard.

Informative

Impact Cards contextualize a donor’s impact in a distinct way, such as “Number of families supported.”

Actionable

Impact Cards may also serve as an entry-point for an action, such as “Donate again” or “Refer a friend.”

The Evolution of the Duet Brand through the Eyes of the Dashboard

During this project, I undertook a sweeping overhaul of the Duet brand. The brand was more than a matter of visuals—it reflected the company’s ethos. In each iteration of this redesign, my goal was to better embody Duet’s values of dignity, community, and trust.

  • Iteration 1

  • Iteration 2

  • Iteration 3

  • Iteration 4

Impact

VISUALIZE IMPACT

Give donors a high-level overview of their donation impact.

VISUALIZE IMPACT

Give donors a high-level overview of their donation impact.

VISUALIZE IMPACT

Give donors a high-level overview of their donation impact.

TAKEAWAYS

Over-document for easy handoff.

Clear documentation makes lives easier for everyone! I learned the hard way that when you leave room for interpretation, your designs probably won’t be engineered to spec.

I had to revisit my designs several times to ensure that component padding, naming conventions, and other forms of documentation were consistent and clear.

During my subsequent project at Duet, I began documenting my work from the outset and even created a template for future designers to use.

Lay the groundwork with patience.

As a product designer whose greatest area of strength was visual design, this project tested my ability to lay groundwork before even touching anything visual.

During my internship, I challenged myself to focus on building a comprehensive understanding of Duet’s donors via research and conversation before diving into the Figma file.

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