Expedu App
Expedu is a web application designed to assist expat families residing in Germany in their search for the best schools, courses, and social events for their children.
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The platform empowers parents by offering access to ratings, reviews, and contact information for schools and courses. Additionally, it facilitates social interaction among parents through its messaging and community features.
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01
EMPATHIZE
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Expat parents face significant challenges navigating the German education system and overcoming language barriers with teachers, which hinders their ability to find suitable schools and private tutors, especially in smaller cities. Additionally, both parents and students struggle to find platforms for social connections and extracurricular activities due to a lack of teachers and facilities.​
SOLUTION
Expat parents can create profiles detailing their location, children's school, cultural background, and parenting preferences. Location-based features help them connect with others nearby, fostering community, while parents can join local playgroups, meetups, and events tailored for expat families. The platform includes a directory of schools, events, and courses with user-generated ratings and reviews, secure messaging for user communication, and an extensive calendar of family and children's activities, including cultural events and family-friendly gatherings.
Project Duration
February 2024 - Juni 2024
Roles
UX Researcher
Product Manager
UX Designer
UI Designer
Tools I used
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
For competitive analysis, I examined 'Sdui' and 'Internations' to understand their strengths in providing educational and community resources for expat parents. This analysis helped identify opportunities to enhance our app's user experience, ensuring it offers intuitive navigation, clarity, and valuable local expert insights.
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Sdui
Internations
Strengths / Weaknesses
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In onboarding process, clarifications and explanations regarding how app works are quite helpful.
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Before login the system, there is a «free demo» option for the new schools/institutions
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The home page is too loaded and not easy to navigate in the app.
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The news screen is not user-friendly. It is not possible to filter the news according to the sender or the date navigate in the app.
Opportunuties /
Threats
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Expanding the app's capacity for personalization and customization can increase user satisfaction especially for the students.
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Similar applications like ClassDojo and Edmodo which offer veither virtual classrooms or a communication tool for students,
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Changing user expectations for design, usability, and accessibility can pose a threat if Sdui fails to keep up with evolving design trends and preferences.
Strengths / Weaknesses
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Global Reach and Large Community​
InterNations has a vast, international user base
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Comprehensive Resources: The app offers a variety of resources, including local guides, event listings, and forums,
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Complex Navigation: The user interface can be overwhelming due to the abundance of features
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Limited Free Features: Many valuable features and resources are paid.
Opportunuties /
Threats
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Enhanced Personalization: There is potential to improve user experience by offering more personalized recommendations
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Improved Onboarding: Simplifying the onboarding process could help new users acclimate more quickly and efficiently
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Competitive Market: With numerous apps and platforms targeting expats, InterNations faces strong competition,
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User Privacy Concerns: As with any social network, concerns about data privacy and security could deter potential users from joining to the platform.
USER RESEARCH
To conceptualize the Expedu app, I gathered insights into the needs and preferences of expat parents through a user survey and user interviews. This approach identified essential features and improvements, helping us to enhance the app's effectiveness and user experience.
Research Goals
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To understand users' needs, preferences and key pain points when they reach information regarding the education and social well-being of their children.
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To investigate which communication channels expats use in their interactions with fellow expats.
Survey Technique
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The user survey consists of 10 questions, all of which are close-ended. It shared with people via link. Over the course of 2 day, I collected 19 responses.
User Interviews
After completing mid-fidelity wireframes, I chose to conduct user interviews as a complementary research method. This approach allows me to present a tangible prototype to participants and engage in detailed discussions about usability and functionality. By asking open-ended questions, I aim to capture valuable insights into user experiences and needs. Conducting interviews at this stage helps identify potential issues early in the design process, reducing extensive iterations and unnecessary effort. Additionally, these interviews provide a deeper understanding of users' behaviors, motivations, and emotions, contributing to a user-centered design.
CLICK TO SEE FULL USER INTERVIEW
02
DEFINE
To refine insights and define the actual problem, I synthesized data from the discovery phase and developed user personas as a foundational step.
USER PERSONAS
Please meet the apps core personas: Canan and Katerina.



My son needs to socialize and spend some of his enery while playing basketball.
Canan
Age: 44
Occupation: Sales Manager
Nationality: Turkish
Marital Status: Married, 2 Children
Education: University Graduate
Newly relocated expat Canan seeks a smooth transition for her fifth-grade son's education in Germany. With spring approaching, she's determined to find the right gymnasium, considering her son's passion for piano and basketball. Researching local gymnasiums with balanced curricula and nearby extracurricular options, Canan prioritizes convenience in her quest.
I have no idea where to find good and inexpensive sport courses in the city I live.
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Katerina
Age: 35 years old
Occupation: Former Official
Nationality: Ukrainian
Marital Status: Married, 1 Child
Education: University Graduate
Recently immigrated expat Katerina is actively securing a smooth transition for her son's education and social integration in Germany. With a one-week deadline, she's finalizing three kindergarten options. Recognizing a potential six-month wait, Katerina is also seeking playmates and gymnastics courses for her son's engagement during this period.
03
IDEATE
Designing User-Centered Solutions
Supported by extensive research, I began to delve into the problem-solution space, identifying the most critical app features that align with users' goals and motivations.
First step was to create my sitemap offering a structured overview of the app's layout, detailing main sections like school search, course information, community events, and user profiles.
SITEMAP
​I aimed to ensure that users can easily navigate and find information, enhancing their overall experience. By outlining primary navigation paths, the sitemap serves as a foundational guide for design and development.
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2. Using Optimal Workshop, 
I conducted an open card sorting to get more input from the users about labels and categories 
for the app.
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As the second step, I developed three user flows aligned with the needs and actions of my personas.
Here’s the user flow illustrating the steps our persona I follows as she navigates the app to find the most suitable school for her son.
Here’s the user flow detailing the steps our persona II takes to write a review for a course her daughter previously attended
The final user flow outlines the process our personas follow to write a post in one of their communities
04
PROTOTYPE
In the prototype section, I will present the design evolution of the Expedu app through low-fidelity, mid-fidelity, and high-fidelity wireframes. This progression highlights the iterative refinement of the app's functionality and visual aesthetics. These wireframes demonstrate the transformation of initial concepts into a polished, user-centered interface tailored to the needs of expat parents.
First step into design:
'Hand-sketched wireframes'
Then, figma helped bring my ideas to life, making everything look much more polished.
SEARCH& RESULTS SCREENS
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LO-FI WIREFRAMES
MI-FI WIREFRAMES
HI-FI WIREFRAMES
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Creating the high-fidelity prototype was an exciting milestone in my design journey. This prototype was developed before conducting usability, preference tests, and peer feedback, and it served as a solid foundation for further refinement. Using detailed visuals and interactive elements, it brought the app concept to life, showcasing its potential. This stage was crucial for identifying any remaining issues and ensuring a polished final product.
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05
TEST
USABILITY TEST
I performed a usability test for the Expedu web app to uncover any potential user discomfort or misalignment with their needs. This testing process involved potential users interacting with the app to pinpoint pain points and areas for improvement. The goal was to ensure the app is intuitive, user-friendly, and aligned with user expectations.
1
Problem
33% of testers are required to have a section where they put their postal code to the seaching filters so that they can come up with better results.
Solution
I introduced a postal code input field in the search filter. Users can now easily input their postal code, allowing the app to tailor search results to their specific area. This enhancement improves the relevancy of the results.
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2
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Problem
66 % of the participants argued that reviews can only be valued and validated if there is a more objective method to get them.
Solution
Along with the open-ended review box, a rating system of different criteria regarding the school or course is applied to increase the reliability of the reviews.
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3
Problem
50% of participants find this first screen either unnecessary or confusing.
Solution
To resolve the confusion, I redesigned the homepage entirely. The new layout features the search functionality at the top, providing a clear starting point for users and it enhances usability by prioritizing the search feature, enabling an easy navigation without confusion.
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06
REFINE
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Expats, having left their friends and family behind, need a trusted person to navigate important decisions with warmth and trust. It aims to have that friendly, blending casual and professional tones to make users feel secure and supported. Notifications are gentle nudges, clear and reassuring, ensuring users stay informed without feeling overwhelmed.
This friendly guidance inspired my visual UI design journey.
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