Ping
Timeline:
Timeline:
Oct-Dec 2025
Oct-Dec 2025
Team:
Team:
Layla Tavarez-Ogando, Yohan Mireu Lee, Maddy Calle, Michell Wu
Layla Tavarez-Ogando, Yohan Mireu Lee, Maddy Calle, Michell Wu
My Role:
My Role:
UX researcher and UX/UI designer
UX researcher and UX/UI designer
Tools:
Tools:
Figma, Figjam, Figma Make, Adobe creative cloud
Figma, Figjam, Figma Make, Adobe creative cloud
Nyra
Ping
Ping
THE PROBLEM
Making campus life visible for commuter students
Making campus life visible for commuter students
You finish class.
You check the time.
You have 2 hours before your next lecture.
You could:
Go home (and not come back)
Sit in the library scrolling TikTok
Or accidentally miss something cool happening 20 feet away
Campus life doesn't lack events… it lacks visibility. Students rush to class, check their phones, and leave. Events happen nearby, but by the time students hear about them, they’re already over. Emails pile up. Flyers blend into the walls. Even motivated students feel disconnected.
Our response to that?
You finish class.
You check the time.
You have 2 hours before your next lecture.
You could:
Go home (and not come back)
Sit in the library scrolling TikTok
Or accidentally miss something cool happening 20 feet away
Campus life doesn't lack events… it lacks visibility. Students rush to class, check their phones, and leave. Events happen nearby, but by the time students hear about them, they’re already over. Emails pile up. Flyers blend into the walls. Even motivated students feel disconnected.
Our response to that?
You finish class.
You check the time.
You have 2 hours before your next lecture.
You could:
Go home (and not come back)
Sit in the library scrolling TikTok
Or accidentally miss something cool happening 20 feet away
Campus life doesn't lack events… it lacks visibility. Students rush to class, check their phones, and leave. Events happen nearby, but by the time students hear about them, they’re already over. Emails pile up. Flyers blend into the walls. Even motivated students feel disconnected.
Our response to that?
Problem Discovery
Problem Discovery
Declining Student Engagement
Declining Student Engagement
“Higher education professionals have noted that today’s students are less engaged than previous classes... students’ [campus] participation rates have been declining for the past decade.”
“College students are less likely to participate in various campus activities, such as volunteering, now versus in 2019”
Source: The Multi-Engagement Model: Understanding Diverse Pathways to Student Success at Research Universities by the Center for Studies in Higher Education at the University of California, Berkeley • Data includes survey and institutional data collected from 2012 to 2023 from students at R-1 institutions.
“Higher education professionals have noted that today’s students are less engaged than previous classes... students’ [campus] participation rates have been declining for the past decade.”
“College students are less likely to participate in various campus activities, such as volunteering, now versus in 2019”
Source: The Multi-Engagement Model: Understanding Diverse Pathways to Student Success at Research Universities by the Center for Studies in Higher Education at the University of California, Berkeley • Data includes survey and institutional data collected from 2012 to 2023 from students at R-1 institutions.
Early Interviews
Early Interviews
At the beginning of the project, our team conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with students across different majors, schools and years, with the purpose of discovering key paint points and validate some of our initial ideas.
What surprised us the most wasn’t a lack of interest but the missed opportunities. Some key insights and patterns from synthesis included:
“Higher education professionals have noted that today’s students are less engaged than previous classes... students’ [campus] participation rates have been declining for the past decade.”
“College students are less likely to participate in various campus activities, such as volunteering, now versus in 2019”
Source: The Multi-Engagement Model: Understanding Diverse Pathways to Student Success at Research Universities by the Center for Studies in Higher Education at the University of California, Berkeley • Data includes survey and institutional data collected from 2012 to 2023 from students at R-1 institutions.
At the beginning of the project, our team conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with students across different majors, schools and years, with the purpose of discovering key paint points and validate some of our initial ideas.
What surprised us the most wasn’t a lack of interest but the missed opportunities. Some key insights and patterns from synthesis included:
Inefficient Discovery
Inefficient Discovery
A primary challenge for students is simply finding out what is happening on campus. Current methods are passive (flyers, emails) and fail to drive engagement
A primary challenge for students is simply finding out what is happening on campus. Current methods are passive (flyers, emails) and fail to drive engagement
Attendance Metrics
Attendance Metrics
A lot of students don’t like surprises and would like to know beforehand whether an event or place is going to be crowded. They’d also like to know if friends will be in attendance.
A lot of students don’t like surprises and would like to know beforehand whether an event or place is going to be crowded. They’d also like to know if friends will be in attendance.
Commuter Social Barrier
Commuter Social Barrier
Many students, particularly commuters or those with jobs, have small, limited social circles. They feel disconnected from campus life because their peers "just go to class and to leave," making it difficult to form connections.
Many students, particularly commuters or those with jobs, have small, limited social circles. They feel disconnected from campus life because their peers "just go to class and to leave," making it difficult to form connections.
Privacy Concerns
Privacy Concerns
While students like the idea of social discovery, they are highly wary of apps that track their specific location.
While students like the idea of social discovery, they are highly wary of apps that track their specific location.
from “how do we promote campus life?”
to “how do we reduce the cost of showing up?”
from “how do we promote campus life?”
to “how do we reduce the cost of showing up?”
Who This Is For
Who This Is For
Initial ideas
Initial ideas
Rather than jumping straight to a solution, we intentionally explored different interpretations of what a solution could look like for commuter students
Idea 1: Campo — Find Study Buddies
Rather than jumping straight to a solution, we intentionally explored different interpretations of what a solution could look like for commuter students
Idea 1: Campo — Find Study Buddies
Campo was designed to make studying more social, transparent, and less awkward.
Key Features:AR Study Space Preview, Live Congestion Metrics, Social Study Modes and Study Buddies Network
What We Learned: Campo addressed the socialization problem well, however, it assumed student engagement was based in a “study mindset.” Through discussion and feedback, we realized that not all social friction is academic, and not all engagement happens around productivity
Campo was designed to make studying more social, transparent, and less awkward.
What We Learned: Campo addressed the socialization problem well, however, it assumed student engagement was based in a “study mindset.” Through discussion and feedback, we realized that not all social friction is academic, and not all engagement happens around productivity
Idea 2: Gachai — Motivation Through Play
Idea 2: Gachai — Motivation Through Play
Gachai, explored engagement through gamification and emotional support. The core idea was to use playful incentives to encourage students to complete their studies and assigments.
Key Features:Desk Island with Pet Creatures, Syllabus-Based Assignment Tracking, Emotional help and gamification.
What We Learned: Gachai helped us think deeply about emotional friction, burnout, and motivation. However, it was centered around productivity and didn’t address the campus engagement problem.
Gachai, explored engagement through gamification and emotional support. The core idea was to use playful incentives to encourage students to complete their studies and assigments.
What We Learned: Gachai helped us think deeply about emotional friction, burnout, and motivation. However, it was centered around productivity and didn’t address the campus engagement problem.
Idea 3:
Idea 3:
Ping — Our Final Solution
Ping — Our Final Solution
We chose to move forward with Ping because it addressed the most universal barrier we uncovered in our research: the moment students decide whether to stay on campus or leave.
While our early concepts explored meaningful directions, Ping focused on a problem that affected every commuter student, regardless of personality, major, or level of involvement.
We chose to move forward with Ping because it addressed the most universal barrier we uncovered in our research: the moment students decide whether to stay on campus or leave.
While our early concepts explored meaningful directions, Ping focused on a problem that affected every commuter student, regardless of personality, major, or level of involvement.
Proximity-Based Discovery
Proximity-Based Discovery
Ping opens to a live map and feed showing activities happening right now or very soon
Ping opens to a live map and feed showing activities happening right now or very soon
Live Attendance Indicator
Live Attendance Indicator
Events displayed an anonymous count of how many students are in the event
Events displayed an anonymous count of how many students are in the event
“Drop-In Friendly” Tag
“Drop-In Friendly” Tag
All activities used a short description paired with a Drop-In Friendly tag
All activities used a short description paired with a Drop-In Friendly tag
Plus One Feature
Plus One Feature
Students could tap Find a Plus One to match with another student interested in attending the same event.
Students could tap Find a Plus One to match with another student interested in attending the same event.
Opportunity Statement
Opportunity Statement
How can we foster community and increase in-person interactions between students in a commuter school?
How can we foster community and increase in-person interactions between students in a commuter school?
User Flow and Key screens
User Flow and Key screens
User story: As a commuter student who spends long hours between classes on campus, I want to be able to find events that are happening now so I can spontaneously join activities without the pressure of committing long term
USER FLOW
User story: As a commuter student who spends long hours between classes on campus, I want to be able to find events that are happening now so I can spontaneously join activities without the pressure of committing long term
USER FLOW
Prototype
Prototype
User Testing
User Testing
We conducted moderated usability tests with college students, focusing on discoverability, comfort level, and perceived usefulness. Key insights:
We conducted moderated usability tests with college students, focusing on discoverability, comfort level, and perceived usefulness. Key insights:
Proximity-Based Discovery
Proximity-Based Discovery
Every participant said they would use Ping as a centralized way to discover campus events, especially compared to emails and flyers.
Users described the interface aseasy to navigate without instruction
Every participant said they would use Ping as a centralized way to discover campus events, especially compared to emails and flyers.
Users described the interface aseasy to navigate without instruction
Matchmaking (“Plus One”) divided users
Matchmaking (“Plus One”) divided users
Roughly half of participants were hesitant or opposed to attending events with a matched stranger. Some described the feature as having a “dating app vibe,” while others raised privacy concerns.
Roughly half of participants were hesitant or opposed to attending events with a matched stranger. Some described the feature as having a “dating app vibe,” while others raised privacy concerns.
Minor UI issues
Minor UI issues
Event pins and icons occasionally obstructed the map. Also Some users were unsure what certain numbers or visual elements represented at first glance
Event pins and icons occasionally obstructed the map. Also Some users were unsure what certain numbers or visual elements represented at first glance
Revisions based on user testing
Revisions based on user testing
What we learned and What’s next
What we learned and What’s next
Through this project we learned that commuter students want to participate but engagement becomes easier when opportunities are timely and low-pressure. Looking ahead, to continue developing Ping, we would focus on enhancing the current features rather than adding complexity. Some core improvements would include:
Refine event recommendations using behavioral patterns (events viewed, attended, or saved).
Expand event tags to improve accessibility, including accessibility needs and academic relevance or credit eligibility.
Use AI features to predict when a student is most likely to engage and send notifications.
Through this project we learned that commuter students want to participate but engagement becomes easier when opportunities are timely and low-pressure. Looking ahead, to continue developing Ping, we would focus on enhancing the current features rather than adding complexity. Some core improvements would include:
Refine event recommendations using behavioral patterns (events viewed, attended, or saved).
Expand event tags to improve accessibility, including accessibility needs and academic relevance or credit eligibility.
Use AI features to predict when a student is most likely to engage and send notifications.
Through this project we learned that commuter students want to participate but engagement becomes easier when opportunities are timely and low-pressure. Looking ahead, to continue developing Ping, we would focus on enhancing the current features rather than adding complexity. Some core improvements would include:
Refine event recommendations using behavioral patterns (events viewed, attended, or saved).
Expand event tags to improve accessibility, including accessibility needs and academic relevance or credit eligibility.
Use AI features to predict when a student is most likely to engage and send notifications.