Smart Study: finding out why students fall behind.
A research-led group project for a student planner. We interviewed students, surveyed more, and turned what we heard into a persona, a journey, and a prioritized feature set. The research is the part I am proudest of.
"I wish there was an easier way to organize all my deadlines."Struggling to prioritize assignments"I do not know where to go.""I just don't have enough time to get everything done."Will do HW tomorrowLast minute studying for tests"A task manager app would be so helpful."
Figma, sticky-note boards, an online card-sorting tool
The 60-second version
At a glance
Problem
Students struggle to keep track of assignments, deadlines and college events. The information lives in too many places, and reminders come too late.
What I did
3 in-depth interviews and a structured survey
Empathy map, persona, scenario and journey map
MoSCoW and value/effort prioritization, then a card sort for the structure
Outcome
A clear, research-backed feature set: what to build first and what to leave out
An information architecture based on how students actually group things
A lo-fi prototype grounded in all of the above
01 · The problem
Students aren't lazy. Their deadlines are scattered.
Assignments sit in one portal, events in another, reminders in a third app, and IDs and forms somewhere else. Students know what they should do. They lose track because nothing brings it together.
Proposed solution: one app with reminders, a digital ID, to-do lists and access to essential college resources, to reduce stress and improve the academic experience.
How might we
…give students one place to see everything they have to do, without another app that feels like work?
02 · Research methods
Talk to a few deeply, then check with many.
Qualitative
3 in-depth, one-on-one interviews about students' experiences, motivations and pain points.
Quantitative
A structured survey with set answers, to check whether the patterns from the interviews held across more students.
Why both
Interviews explain the "why" in detail. The survey shows how common it is. Together they keep the findings honest.
03 · Empathy map
What students say, think, see and do.
Who
Who are we empathizing with?
StudentsFull-time students with a part-time jobStruggling with collegeBurning outDue dates
Says
What have we heard them say?
"I just don't have enough time to get everything done.""I wish there was an easier way to organize all my deadlines.""If I had a good reminder, that would help.""I do not know where to go.""What the professor expects""Will do HW tomorrow"
Hears
From friends, family, advisors
"You need to work harder.""Don't fall behind.""You will figure it out in time.""Take tutoring.""Speak with your advisor.""There are apps to help you stay organized."
Thinks & feels: pains
Fears, frustrations, anxieties
Getting behindFailingBad gradeRetaking the classToo many due datesBurnout from assignmentsBalancing work and studyAnxiety
Thinks & feels: gains
Wants, needs, hopes
Relief when tasks are done on timeBetter gradesGraduate with good gradesBetter job optionsTo be reminded, all in one placeA clear mind
Sees
In their environment
Classmates using time-management appsClassmates taking notesProfessors adding assignmentsApps that are hard to navigateSocial media distractions
Does
Behavior we observed
Last-minute assignmentsLast-minute studying for testsStruggles to prioritize assignmentsTries setting up schedulesStudies for tests if they rememberTries to stay motivated
Needs to do
The job to be done
Pass their classesOrganize their tasksOrder prioritiesManage timeGet reminded, all in one place
04 · Key insights
Three patterns kept coming up.
InsightIt's scattered, not forgotten.
Students know the work exists. It's spread across portals, apps and emails, and "hard to navigate applications" came up again and again. One home for everything is the core need.
InsightPrioritizing is the hard part, not listing.
"Struggling to prioritize assignments" and "ordering priorities" showed up more than "forgetting." A to-do list alone isn't enough; it has to say what matters most right now.
InsightReminders come too late, or not at all.
Last-minute studying and "will do HW tomorrow" point to timing. Students asked to be reminded, all in one place, early enough to act.
05 · Persona and scenario
Meet Emily.
Emily Carter, 21
Junior, Psychology · Upper Manhattan · Teaching assistant, partial scholarship, focused on landing an internship
"Sometimes, I wish there was one place where I could see everything I have to do instead of using different apps and websites."
"I'm always stressed out about my assignments and deadlines, and I feel like I'm constantly behind, even when I try to stay organized."
Driven and ambitious, but struggles with time management. A perfectionist who gets anxious when she falls behind. Social, in student clubs, good at breaking tasks down but struggles to follow through.
Goals
Submit assignments on time, without last-minute panic
Keep a good GPA while balancing work and social life
Graduate on time with an internship by senior year
A system that fits her routine without being cumbersome
Frustrations
Constantly overwhelmed by assignments, exams and activities
Procrastinates, then crams
Tools are too simple or too complex, and don't connect to school portals
Anxiety about falling behind
Her scenario
😰
Two weeks out, several projects due and midterms coming. She feels overwhelmed and needs a way to stay organized.
📱
She downloads a planner app, but it's too complex and she can't figure out reminders. She misses her first deadline.
🤝
She asks classmates for something easier. A friend recommends a student app built for classes, and she sets up her profile.
😌
She adds assignments with due dates and reminders in minutes. Now she gets timely notifications and sees what needs her attention most.
06 · Journey map
From overwhelmed to relieved.
Midterms and projects due
Too many projects due in the next two weeks, with midterms approaching.
Tries a planner app
A digital planner puts her due dates in one place, for a while.
Falls behind
The app is too complicated to set reminders. She misses a deadline and gets anxious.
Finds a student app
Sets up her profile and adds projects and due dates by class.
Prioritizes and schedules
Sees every project in the calendar, knows what matters most, and gets a reminder for each task.
😟🙂😣😊😄
Overwhelmed
Optimistic
Frustrated
Hopeful
Relieved
07 · Prioritizing
Lots of ideas. What comes first?
I ran two passes. MoSCoW sorted features by how essential they are. A value vs. effort chart then showed where to start. Try the MoSCoW sort yourself first.
Value vs. effort
Value →
Bang for the buck
High value, low effort: build first
Grades notificationDeadline remindersCUNY NewsInsights about classesDigital IDQuiz reminders
Worth the effort
High value, high effort: plan for
Event calendarAssignment remindersFAQ pageLibrary and student resourcesCollege announcements
Low-hanging fruit
Lower value, low effort: nice extras
Professor info cardProfessor contact (email, live chat, office hours)College mapPersonalized interfaceCollege club finder
Don't really need it
Nothing landed here, which kept the scope tight.
Effort →
08 · Card sort
Letting students organize the app.
I ran a card sort with 26 words and phrases, from "To-do list" to "FAFSA," and asked participants to group them. The similarity matrix and dendrogram showed three clear clusters, which became the app's main sections.
ClassesHomeworkProjectsGradesTestClass rubricAdd assignmentInsights about classesPriority assignment reminder
Admin and schedule
The paperwork side of college
ScheduleProfessors infoFAFSAClass registration
The raw results: cluster view, similarity matrix and dendrogram.
09 · Brand foundation
What the product stands for.
What we do
Give students a centralized, easy app to manage classes, assignments, deadlines and resources, to reduce stress and improve academic success.
Where we fit
A productivity tool made for students: organize schedules, prioritize tasks and reach college resources, with simplicity, reliability and student-centered design.
How we're different
Reduces overwhelm by prioritizing tasks by due date and weight.
Integrated reminders for assignments, events and deadlines.
One app for a digital ID, academic reminders and resources.
How we're perceived
Supportive
Empowering
Friendly
10 · Lo-fi prototype
Sketching the structure the research asked for.
Low-fidelity flows built on the card-sort sections and the "build first" features.See the early UIOne of my first UI projects, from before AI tools. Shown for completeness; the research is the point.
11 · Reflection
What I learned, and what I'd do now.
What I learned
Research changes the brief. I started thinking "reminders." The research said "prioritizing" and "everything in one place."
Let users draw the map. The card sort gave me an information architecture I wouldn't have guessed.
Saying no is a design decision. MoSCoW and value/effort made the "won't" list as useful as the "must" list.
What I'd do now
Usability-test the lo-fi flows with students before any visual design.
Share the survey results as numbers next to the interview quotes.
Redesign the UI with what I know now. The research still holds up.
