Digital Friendship Bracelet
What is BGR (Boiler Gold Rush)?
Boiler Gold Rush (BGR) is our welcome week orientation program for all new undergraduate students. You’ll learn about campus traditions, Purdue culture and University resources. It’s also a great chance to make lasting friendships and learn how to be a successful Boilermaker. (Purdue website)
My Work
As a team member, I mainly participated in the following activities:
1. Mid-fi prototype (on my own time)
2. Literature Review
3. User Research
4. Sketching, ideation, and iteration
Final Design
Documentation
Presentation
User Group
Users centered around their absent presence on social media (Facebook) who may be counter-intuitive to our design of an interactive bracelet.
Final Design
Our final solution consists of utilization of short term interactive wristbands. They incorporate an on/off switch, a color variable LED, a button to activate the LED, and a proximity sensor.
When turned on, the band will be able to detect other bands within a restricted distance of 15 feet whose information is matching that of the two users. The user would then press the activation button, and the LED would light up on both users' wristbands with the correct color based on the matching information they share.
How does this work?
Users will enter their information on a page in the Purdue Guide app that corresponds to their hobbies/interests, hometown, floor, and/or classes.
Bracelet Guideline
Guideline on how to connect the device and start using the bracelet.
Hotspots
In these Hotspots, students can make friends by using the wristbands to find people with commonalities.
Students would be able to see where the Hotspots are for the day on the Digital Friendship Bracelet page of their Purdue Guide app.
Understand BGR Experience
BGR's Mission
“To introduce and connect all new undergraduate students to Purdue through student- and staff-led academic and social programming, both on campus and virtual, to prepare them for their Purdue experience.”
#1
The goals of BGR are to create an atmosphere that allows the new students of Purdue University to meet new people and get acclimated to campus.
#2
The current set-up of BGR groups and how they work is pretty simple with 10-15 students per group.
#3
The cost of BGR is quite pricey ($320) for just a week long experience, so adding on a small upcharge wouldn’t make a large difference.
Students’ Comments about BGR on Class of 2024 Facebook Page
Takeaways
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Doesn’t feel like a proper “college experience” but rather feel like a summer camp from high school.
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The BGR system is too dependent on which group students are randomly placed.
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A good experience is completely up to luck.
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Students don’t have the motivation to continue their friendship after BGR, so they leave the group and have to look for new friends again.
Reviews and Comments About BGR on Reddit
Takeaways
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Currently BGR groups can make or break someone’s entire experience
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A good Boiler Gold Rush experience is completely up to luck
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People leave their groups to find new people if they don’t like their assigned group
User Interview
Through 7 different interviews, we were able to gain thoughtful insights about how freshmen feel, think, and express about BGR experience as well as what barriers draw them back from having a great experience.
"It was definitely not worth the $300 though."
"Constant online seminars"
"We didn't have much in common"
"I wish I were able to meet people not from [my hometown]"
Design Process
Going into our initial sketches, our team aimed to design an outlet where students can effectively find friends who share their interests as well as create an experience outside of activities within a BGR group.
#1_Initial Sketch
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Profile of interests
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Demographics
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Personality preferences
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Different colors for activities based on who made it (student, Purdue, etc.)
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Students could create their own activities they like
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An hour warning before the activity
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Anonymous
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Guidelines with admins
#2_Host an Event App
#3_Host an Activity App
Final Idea & Sketches
We decided to create a digital bracelet to help new students make friends in order to initiate physical interactions. We integrated the feature into already existing Purdue app for accessibility and not having to download a separate application.
When turned on, the band will be able to detect other bands within a restricted distance of 15 feet whose information is matching that of the two users.
The user would then press the activation button, and the LED would light up on both users' wristbands with the correct color based on the matching information they share.
Customize Your Interests
Color Guide
Interests & Hometown
Purdue App
Scan QR Code
Final Design Wireframes
I championed on creating Mid-Fi wireframes using Figma. Below are some interfaces students will interact with when using their Digital Friendship Bracelet.
Screen #1
Students can choose their top 3 interests and customize the range of hometown they want to get matched with
Screen #2
This page shows different daily hotspots around campus where bracelets can be activated
Screen #3
This is the detailed view of each day's hotspots with the map and information
Bracelet Guideline
We also included a step-by-step guide on how to set up your bracelet and link to the app. We used icons as visual aids to minimize any confusions.
Color Guide
The color guide explains which color means what similarities between the two students.
We also included an image to describe how the bracelet works within the range.
