PROJECT: AXIS APP – Advancing eXchange for Independent Scholars

UX Research Project Statement: Intellectuals in Portland lack a centralized platform to connect, collaborate, and access resources for research-driven, community-focused initiatives beyond academic institutions. This project explores how a platform can empower and unite them.

Scope: This project addressed a problem I identified: how intellectuals can connect beyond institutional boundaries to foster community, reclaim education, and pursue free independent research. The work involved conducting UX research through surveys, compiling and analyzing data in spreadsheets, developing one primary User Persona along with two additional personas based on research insights, mapping pain points, and creating User Journey Maps for all three personas. I conceptualized the product, created the app name and acronym (AXIS – Advancing eXchange for Independent Scholars), designed the brand identity, including moodboards and a light style guide, and completed UXUI design in Figma.

The project includes comprehensive research, such as surveys via Google Forms, data analysis, and three User Personas, with Alex the Autodidact as the primary focus. User Journey Maps were created for each persona, and the project’s scope and functionality are showcased through eight key app frames and an interactive prototype.

Process Steps:
UX Research: Define goals, plan methods, recruit participants, conduct surveys/interviews, analyze data, create personas, develop journey maps.
UX Design: Sketch information architecture, create low-fidelity wireframes, develop prototypes.
UI Design: Define a style guide, create high-fidelity wireframes, design UI components, and build/refine the high-fidelity prototype.

Deliverables: An interactive UXUI prototype video, low- and high-fidelity wireframes, surveys, research data, brand identity, and style guide. Three As-Is User Journey Maps for The Independent Researcher (By Choice), The Knowledge Seeker (College is Too Expensive), and The Alum Seeking Knowledge (Regain Access to Intellectual Community).

Goals Reached: Delivered all assets. Demonstrated clear design-thinking across research, mapping, wireframes, prototypes and UXUI design. Tackled complex personas, refined storytelling, and incorporated branding, culminating in a polished, interactive app prototype.