Virtual Assistant for Terra Dotta
Personalized study abroad planning through virtual assistance.
Problem statement
Terra Dotta, a study abroad software company, asked us to create a virtual assistant that would guide students during their study abroad program selection journeys. This virtual assistant would need to be scalable across many universities; not only created for the University of Michigan. Aside from that, no other guidelines were given.
The solution
We created an interactive survey, guided by the respective schools’ mascot acting as the virtual assistant. Each question in the survey is accompanied by a “did you know” card that gives tips to the student about the question they’re on. For example, if the question is about finances, the “did you know” might provide helpful resources for financial aid since many students do not know that financial aid can be provided for their study abroad experience.
Once the student completes the survey, their answers are used to sort the study abroad programs; showing the student their closest matches at the top of the list, and programs that don’t necessarily meet as many of their needs/wants lower down on the list. The student can then use the virtual assistant tool to compare programs side-by-side with a clear view of the differences.
Key Methods and Takeaways
User Interviews
Surveys
Competitive Analysis
Personas
Sketches
User Flow Diagrams
Wireframes & Mockups
Prototypes
Usability Testing
Requirements Checking
Research
Phase 1: Surveys, Interviews, and Competitive Analysis
Phase 2: Personas and Journey Map
Early Stage Ideation
Using the research, we began to brainstorm ideas for how the virtual assistant could look and function.
Mockups
In Figma, we began to create a digital representation of our ideas.
Final Designs
After conducting usability tests with our prototype, we found flaws in the initial design. From that, we were able to rethink the designs and created a final product.
