Snap Design Internship
Projects Type
User Experience Design
User Interface Design
Marketing
Programs Used
Figma
Illustrator
REACT
Overview
Snap Communities is a feature for the Snapchat app aimed toward helping low-income students from underserved communities develop marketable skills to enter the workforce.
The Team
Our team's cross-functional talents in marketing, software engineering, and design were utilized in the prototype and launch of the feature for Snapchat users.
Concept & Challenge
Design Sprint / Need-Finding
Our feature specifically sought to solve inequities of opportunity that our target audience face in their educational pursuits including, but not limited to economics.
UX Interview
Part of our concept development involved interviewing our non-profit partner, Codetalk, who enlightened us on the plights of students from non-traditional backgrounds that are faced with issues tied to poverty such as housing insecurity.
Our interview highlighted an important quality of user behavior that we needed to address:
"They take themselves out of the equation before even starting on their path to avoid the feeling of possibly meeting disappointment once again."
- Sharon Plunkett via Codetalk
With this golden thread in hand provided to us by our non-profit partner, we entered our need-finding phase.
How might we help low-income students become confident in their abilities to develop marketable skills?
Our solution was to connect users to local educational development organizations, building a bridge to their new path in education. These organization communities will contain users of similar background and educational goals, provide direct support, and provide a digital space for users to support each other long-term.
Process
The design process was geared towards the behavioral aspects of user personas that were archetypal of our user base, considering socioeconomic factors tied to intersectional identities.
Personas
Janice
female | age 24 |
Low-income student working minimum wage and living in her automobile. Currently enrolled at a coding academy, promised a certificate upon completion. Straining due to living situation and low wages.
Jairo
male | age 35 |
Latin-American immigrant working minimum wage living in low-income housing. Currently enrolled in community college studying economics. Bilingual ESL.
The User Journey
Our feature was connected to the Snap Map screen, setting adequate limits for organizations that the user can join based on their location.
Experience Map & Wireframes
Communities had to fit with the existing design system of the app, my design partner and I had to call users attention through the HUD of the Snap Map.
Users who are going through hardships while on a rigorous path of completing their education seek comfort in familiarity.
Styles and Assets
Part of our design solution is the badge system, a merit-based achievement system that motivates users to use the feature.
The badge system was based on behavioral psychology, using positive reinforcement to provoke conditioned responses to leveling up within your community and wearing the badge on your Snapchat profile for fellow community members to see.