Penn Pins
Penn Pins gamifies campus exploration through location-based notifications and live bulletin boards for social engagement that make campus events and their unfamiliar buildings easier and more fun to find.
Company
Penn Spark
Role
Product Designer
Timeline
Fall 2024
CONTEXT
Penn Pins was a semester-long project for Penn Spark, a club at UPenn that delivers digital products for the school community. I worked alongside a co-designer, and a team of talented developers who brought the app to life.
PROBLEM
Not everyone is aware of the what, where, & when of campus events.
Many students are unaware of campus events that happen unless they're plugged into outside club circles, from friends, or from the occasional flyer posted around campus.
RESEARCH
To understand students, we spoke to them
We created a survey targeting UPenn students. The following three numbers informed our design.
didn't know where the LGBTQ+ center was at, a place that frequently hosts free food events.
were more likely to attend an event that offered free food/merch.
wouldn't come to an event if they didn't know where it was located.
DESIGN GOALS
DESIGN SYSTEM
Where game meets function
Taking inspiration from playful gaming apps and the clean UI of social media apps, we created a design system that reflected a colorful palette and playful elements while maintaining a mostly 2D and minimal UI.
SOLUTION
Never miss another event
The main user flow of Penn Pins, utilizing location-based notifications and features to show users events within their proximity and allow them to connect with their classmates through a live bulletin board.
PIVOT
Halfway through, we pivoted our entire system
Before our playful UI, we worked on a design that was purely dark mode and was corporate leaning. We realized this didn't resonate with our target audience, who were young college students.
Our original design was boring and lack luster. We knew we had to pivot.
REFLECTION
Shipping an MVP meant being okay with showing the rough edges in public
IT'S OKAY TO PIVOT
I was nervous pivoting so close to our deadline, but pivoting taught me how to be adaptive, when ti take leadership, and to trust my team.
FAILURE IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN
Pivoting made me feel like I failed my team and the product. However, I learned that it's okay to diverge from the process, and good design doesn't always come from a formula.
