Helping Newcomers
In Toronto Make Real Friends & Connections.
The Problem - Why Connections?
In a country like Canada, building new connections and relationships is essential for personal and professional growth. Academic pressures and financial instability further amplify feelings of loneliness among newcomers.
As a result, students often miss opportunities to connect with like-minded individuals who share similar interests or career goals, which are crucial for advancing their futures.
The Solution - What is Meet Sphere?
MeetSphere is an app made to help university students who are new to Toronto feel at home. It makes it easy for them to find events on campus, meet new people, and build friendships. By offering tools like event discovery and group chats, the app helps students connect with others, feel less alone, and settle into their new life in a supportive way.
Context
This project is part of my master’s-level Fundamentals of UX course at the University of Toronto. It was carried out in a moderated environment with guidance from professors, but the work was solely done by me and my teammates.
My Role
Conducted background research to refine the problem statement.
Held user interviews with 2 participants and identified key pain points.
Clustered pain points into themes with the team for better insights.
Performed competitor analysis to understand market gaps.
Designed user flows focusing on the happy path.
Brainstormed and prioritised ideas with team based on feasibility and user value.
Conducted usability testing with 3 participants and iterated on feedback.
Designed final UI mockups, leading the design process for this Studio.
Team Members
Rishi Ashar (Myself)
Harshita Verma
Landuo Wei
Yueting (Elsie) Dong
Project Stages
I used Double Diamond Design process in this project which consists of typically 4 Phases: Discover , Define , Design and Deliver.
Phase 1 : Discover
Refined our problem space
Determined research priorities
Prepareed a research plan.
Phase 2 : Define
Conducted User Research
Analyzed Results
Formalised our problem Definition
Phase 3 : Design
Ideated and prioritised solutions
Created User flows and Wireframes
Tested Interactive wireframes with users
Phase 4 : Deliver
Iterated on Designs
Applied Visual Polish
Presented the final output
Discover
Secondary Research-What do we know about new comers in Toronto ?
Canada hosted over 1 million international students in 2023, many of them facing challenges in adjusting to their new environment. I explored the difficulties students encounter in building friendships and finding opportunities for social and professional growth. Through collaborative research, I discovered that many students feel isolated in a new city, struggling to connect with peers who share their interests or cultural backgrounds.
While this was a team effort, I contributed significantly by analysing unemployment as a key challenge for newcomers. Unemployment remains a major issue, leaving many students unable to support themselves or gain valuable work experience. I also helped identify that the limited availability of part-time jobs or co-op programs further restricts opportunities for professional development. Together, we highlighted the importance of creating a platform where students can form meaningful connections, discover shared interests, and access opportunities to grow both socially and professionally in their new surroundings.
Research Plan
After doing our background research, we collaboratively identified these key research questions to guide our exploration and address the challenges faced by students:
1. What underlying factors contribute to the major challenges that university students face in adapting to life in Toronto, and how do these challenges impact their academic, social, and emotional well-being?
2. What are the networking needs of new students, and how are they currently meeting these needs?
3. How is social media facilitating the networking needs of new international students?
4. What strategies and solutions do university students in Toronto use to overcome social isolation, and how effective are these approaches in building a sense of community and belonging?
These were not the questions we directly asked in our interviews but rather the broader questions we aimed to answer through our research. They helped us focus our efforts and frame the problem in a way that would guide our solution development.
Define
Primary Research- What are new comers saying about this situation?
Our objective was to understand the challenges faced by university students in building connections and adapting to life in Toronto. To achieve this, our team conducted 10 semi-structured interviews with students, including 2 that I personally conducted. Here are the key outcomes of our research:
7/10
students expressed the need for a friend group
8/10
shared that they made friends and meaningful connections through past events
7/10
students reported struggling to break the ice during face-to-face interactions
Key Quotes from Participants
“I prefer someone else could initiate the conversation and then everything, because, like I said, I’m an introvert.”
“It’s difficult to hang out with local people.”
From these interviews, we uncovered the following major themes:
Students find it hard to initiate conversations and prefer structured ways to meet new people.
Cultural and social barriers make it challenging for students to connect with locals.
Events play a crucial role in helping students make friends and connections.
We crafted the persona to encapsulate the needs, motivations, and challenges faced by new international students adapting to life in Toronto. I contributed by analysing interview data and identifying Emily’s key obstacles, such as difficulty initiating conversations, as well as her motivations, like finding meaningful connections and engaging in social activities to overcome isolation.
Meet Emily
Age- 23 years old
Nationality- Chinese
Education- 1st year PHD scholar
She just landed in Toronto two months ago
This is her Journey
Flies to Canada
Hopeful to make new Connections
Tries to Balance things out
Feels Lonely
How can we assist Emily in finding opportunities to build meaningful connections and understand the local culture while balancing her academic workload?
Design
Ideating and Prioritising our Ideas
We did this cool brainstorming technique called "Crazy 8" where we each sketched out 8 quick ideas super fast. After two rounds, we shared our ideas, and I tracked which ones got the most excitement from the team. Then we prioritised them based on feasibility and engagement, helping us focus on the most promising concepts.
The Happy Path
After prioritising our ideas, each team member independently created a happy path for our user. I ultimately chose a happy path with a straightforward action, making it easy to test with users. The happy path required the user to perform a single action: checking out the event and registering for it.
We sketched wireframes with the happy path in mind.
Each team member contributed by sketching wireframes, which we reviewed and discussed collaboratively. Ultimately, we finalised the design based on the wireframes I created. Afterward, we divided the work, and I took responsibility for creating the digital wireframes for the Home screen and the Event Listing screen.
User Testing
I conducted testing sessions with two students from our class and also presented our work to a mentor during one of our studio playbacks for additional feedback. These are the insights which we we got.
Before
After
Feedback- It’s difficult to tell the difference between “see all events” section and “Categories” section.
Solution- Rearranged and divided the homepage in different sections, each with a different types o information.
Feedback- Can’t understand what the search bar is for
Solution- Added a prompt in the search bar to give user some idea about what they can search for .
Feedback- It would be good to add list of people who are going so that user can actually connect with them.
Solution- Add host details and list for people who are going.
We also thought that contact us button as not needed as it can be confusing for the user. One participant in our testing said that he could not get whom to contact, so we decided to remove that CTA and user can directly contact the host from the profile.
Before
After
Feedback- Some users have commented that they would like to have a pop-up interface after clicking on “attend group” to double-check whether their personal information is accurate and whether they have matched the event they want to attend.
Solution- We've added a personal information checkbox with name, student number and email address. And below that we've added a brief description of the event, including event name, date and time, and location. if you see a problem, or want to reconsider, you can click the “back” button below to go back to the event details page. If there is no problem, you can click “confirm” to go to the confirmation page.
Feedback- It would be good to add list of people who are going so that user can actually connect with them.
Solution- Add host details and list for people who are going.
We also thought that contact us button as not needed as it can be confusing for the user. One participant in our testing said that he could not get whom to contact, so we decided to remove that CTA and user can directly contact the host from the profile.
Before
After
Deliver
High Fidelity Designs
After finalizing our wireframes, we focused on creating a moodboard to inspire the design’s colors and style. I took the lead by identifying vision words to guide our design direction, and then each team member individually searched for images. Together, we compiled these ideas into a cohesive moodboard.
UI Design
I took the lead in developing the colour palette for our design. Using a technique I introduced—squeezing your eyes while looking at the moodboard to identify the dominant colours; we determined our primary colours. The idea was that the colours most visible when your vision blurs would guide the palette. This process led us to choose yellow as the primary colour on a dark theme, capturing the vibrant and lively energy of events while maintaining a sleek, modern aesthetic.
Final Mockups
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Paying attention to details: As a designer, I learned the importance of diving deeper into problems and exploring all possible solutions rather than rushing to resolve them. This approach can lead to more thoughtful and impactful designs.
• Improving user interviews: I realised the need to dig deeper during user interviews to uncover meaningful insights that can guide the team’s design decisions.
• Understanding team dynamics: Starting a project by understanding how teammates work and defining clear roles and responsibilities can make collaboration smoother and more effective.
• Balancing focus and team dynamics: I learned to prioritise the project’s goals and move forward even when team dynamics are challenging, without taking unnecessary pressure.
• Time management and alignment: Adapting to my team’s work style and completing tasks in a timely manner is essential for effective teamwork and smoother progress.
Helping Newcomers
In Toronto Make Real Friends & Connections.
The Problem - Why Connections?
In a country like Canada, building new connections and relationships is essential for personal and professional growth. Academic pressures and financial instability further amplify feelings of loneliness among newcomers.
As a result, students often miss opportunities to connect with like-minded individuals who share similar interests or career goals, which are crucial for advancing their futures.
The Solution - What is Meet Sphere?
MeetSphere is an app made to help university students who are new to Toronto feel at home. It makes it easy for them to find events on campus, meet new people, and build friendships. By offering tools like event discovery and group chats, the app helps students connect with others, feel less alone, and settle into their new life in a supportive way.
Context
This project is part of my master’s-level Fundamentals of UX course at the University of Toronto. It was carried out in a moderated environment with guidance from professors, but the work was solely done by me and my teammates.
My Role
Conducted background research to refine the problem statement.
Held user interviews with 2 participants and identified key pain points.
Clustered pain points into themes with the team for better insights.
Performed competitor analysis to understand market gaps.
Designed user flows focusing on the happy path.
Brainstormed and prioritised ideas with team based on feasibility and user value.
Conducted usability testing with 3 participants and iterated on feedback.
Designed final UI mockups, leading the design process for this Studio.
Team Members
Rishi Ashar (Myself)
Harshita Verma
Landuo Wei
Yueting (Elsie) Dong
Project Stages
I used Double Diamond Design process in this project which consists of typically 4 Phases: Discover , Define , Design and Deliver.
Phase 1 : Discover
Refined our problem space
Determined research priorities
Prepareed a research plan.
Phase 2 : Define
Conducted User Research
Analyzed Results
Formalised our problem Definition
Phase 3 : Design
Ideated and prioritised solutions
Created User flows and Wireframes
Tested Interactive wireframes with users
Phase 4 : Deliver
Iterated on Designs
Applied Visual Polish
Presented the final output
Discover
Secondary Research-What do we know about new comers in Toronto ?
Canada hosted over 1 million international students in 2023, many of them facing challenges in adjusting to their new environment. I explored the difficulties students encounter in building friendships and finding opportunities for social and professional growth. Through collaborative research, I discovered that many students feel isolated in a new city, struggling to connect with peers who share their interests or cultural backgrounds.
While this was a team effort, I contributed significantly by analysing unemployment as a key challenge for newcomers. Unemployment remains a major issue, leaving many students unable to support themselves or gain valuable work experience. I also helped identify that the limited availability of part-time jobs or co-op programs further restricts opportunities for professional development. Together, we highlighted the importance of creating a platform where students can form meaningful connections, discover shared interests, and access opportunities to grow both socially and professionally in their new surroundings.
Research Plan
After doing our background research, we collaboratively identified these key research questions to guide our exploration and address the challenges faced by students:
1. What underlying factors contribute to the major challenges that university students face in adapting to life in Toronto, and how do these challenges impact their academic, social, and emotional well-being?
2. What are the networking needs of new students, and how are they currently meeting these needs?
3. How is social media facilitating the networking needs of new international students?
4. What strategies and solutions do university students in Toronto use to overcome social isolation, and how effective are these approaches in building a sense of community and belonging?
These were not the questions we directly asked in our interviews but rather the broader questions we aimed to answer through our research. They helped us focus our efforts and frame the problem in a way that would guide our solution development.
Define
Primary Research- What are new comers saying about this situation?
Our objective was to understand the challenges faced by university students in building connections and adapting to life in Toronto. To achieve this, our team conducted 10 semi-structured interviews with students, including 2 that I personally conducted. Here are the key outcomes of our research:
7/10
students expressed the need for a friend group
8/10
shared that they made friends and meaningful connections through past events
7/10
students reported struggling to break the ice during face-to-face interactions
Key Quotes from Participants
“I prefer someone else could initiate the conversation and then everything, because, like I said, I’m an introvert.”
“It’s difficult to hang out with local people.”
From these interviews, we uncovered the following major themes:
Students find it hard to initiate conversations and prefer structured ways to meet new people.
Students find it hard to initiate conversations and prefer structured ways to meet new people.
Cultural and social barriers make it challenging for students to connect with locals.
Events play a crucial role in helping students make friends and connections.
We crafted the persona to encapsulate the needs, motivations, and challenges faced by new international students adapting to life in Toronto. I contributed by analysing interview data and identifying Emily’s key obstacles, such as difficulty initiating conversations, as well as her motivations, like finding meaningful connections and engaging in social activities to overcome isolation.
Meet Emily
Age- 23 years old
Nationality- Chinese
Education- 1st year PHD scholar
She just landed in Toronto two months ago
This is her Journey
Flies to Canada
Hopeful to make new Connections
Tries to Balance things out
Feels Lonely
How can we assist Emily in finding opportunities to build meaningful connections and understand the local culture while balancing her academic workload?
How can we assist Emily in finding opportunities to build meaningful connections and understand the local culture while balancing her academic workload?
Design
Ideating and Prioritising our Ideas
We did this cool brainstorming technique called "Crazy 8" where we each sketched out 8 quick ideas super fast. After two rounds, we shared our ideas, and I tracked which ones got the most excitement from the team. Then we prioritised them based on feasibility and engagement, helping us focus on the most promising concepts.
We did this cool brainstorming technique called "Crazy 8" where we each sketched out 8 quick ideas super fast. After two rounds, we shared our ideas, and I tracked which ones got the most excitement from the team. Then we prioritised them based on feasibility and engagement, helping us focus on the most promising concepts.
The Happy Path
After prioritising our ideas, each team member independently created a happy path for our user. I ultimately chose a happy path with a straightforward action, making it easy to test with users. The happy path required the user to perform a single action: checking out the event and registering for it.
We sketched wireframes with the happy path in mind.
Each team member contributed by sketching wireframes, which we reviewed and discussed collaboratively. Ultimately, we finalised the design based on the wireframes I created. Afterward, we divided the work, and I took responsibility for creating the digital wireframes for the Home screen and the Event Listing screen.
User Testing
I conducted testing sessions with two students from our class and also presented our work to a mentor during one of our studio playbacks for additional feedback. These are the insights which we we got.
Before
After
Feedback- It’s difficult to tell the difference between “see all events” section and “Categories” section.
Solution- Rearranged and divided the homepage in different sections, each with a different types o information.
Feedback- Can’t understand what the search bar is for
Solution- Added a prompt in the search bar to give user some idea about what they can search for .
Feedback- It would be good to add list of people who are going so that user can actually connect with them.
Solution- Add host details and list for people who are going.
We also thought that contact us button as not needed as it can be confusing for the user. One participant in our testing said that he could not get whom to contact, so we decided to remove that CTA and user can directly contact the host from the profile.
Before
After
Feedback- Some users have commented that they would like to have a pop-up interface after clicking on “attend group” to double-check whether their personal information is accurate and whether they have matched the event they want to attend.
Solution- We've added a personal information checkbox with name, student number and email address. And below that we've added a brief description of the event, including event name, date and time, and location. if you see a problem, or want to reconsider, you can click the “back” button below to go back to the event details page. If there is no problem, you can click “confirm” to go to the confirmation page.
Feedback- It would be good to add list of people who are going so that user can actually connect with them.
Solution- Add host details and list for people who are going.
We also thought that contact us button as not needed as it can be confusing for the user. One participant in our testing said that he could not get whom to contact, so we decided to remove that CTA and user can directly contact the host from the profile.
Before
After
Deliver
High Fidelity Designs
After finalizing our wireframes, we focused on creating a moodboard to inspire the design’s colors and style. I took the lead by identifying vision words to guide our design direction, and then each team member individually searched for images. Together, we compiled these ideas into a cohesive moodboard.
UI Design
I took the lead in developing the colour palette for our design. Using a technique I introduced—squeezing your eyes while looking at the moodboard to identify the dominant colours; we determined our primary colours. The idea was that the colours most visible when your vision blurs would guide the palette. This process led us to choose yellow as the primary colour on a dark theme, capturing the vibrant and lively energy of events while maintaining a sleek, modern aesthetic.
Final Mockups
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Paying attention to details: As a designer, I learned the importance of diving deeper into problems and exploring all possible solutions rather than rushing to resolve them. This approach can lead to more thoughtful and impactful designs.
• Improving user interviews: I realised the need to dig deeper during user interviews to uncover meaningful insights that can guide the team’s design decisions.
• Understanding team dynamics: Starting a project by understanding how teammates work and defining clear roles and responsibilities can make collaboration smoother and more effective.
• Balancing focus and team dynamics: I learned to prioritise the project’s goals and move forward even when team dynamics are challenging, without taking unnecessary pressure.
• Time management and alignment: Adapting to my team’s work style and completing tasks in a timely manner is essential for effective teamwork and smoother progress.