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Interacto

It all started with a simple question: How do freshers of a college interact and adjust with each other?

Guided by the 6D process, we used ethnography to uncover social bonding challenges, observe how friendships evolve, introverts adapt and locations shape interactions. The insights led to the creation of Interacto, a responsive platform designed to support freshers.

Project Duration: August, 2024 - February, 2025

Note:  This research was conducted in our university, but as a personal project, so it was carried out within our designated control region.

Discover. Knowing the Unknown.

We chose ethnography as our research methodology as it would let us know the unknown by seeing beyond words to understand the emotions, behaviors, and subtle connections that shape freshers' social experiences. We began the research with a question: "How do freshers at a college interact and adjust with each other?"

PHASE 1: PERIPHERAL PARTICIPATION

Technique Used: Field Study

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Body Language

Open; excited; conscious; hesitant; lousy; confident

Tone

Polite; disdainful; gleeful; arrogant

Initial Bonds

- They preferred to hang out either with their roommates (hostellers) or classmates (hostellers or day scholars).
- Some hostellers seemed to maintain contact with their roommates more.
- Some were too conserved and weren’t spotted hanging out.
- There were students who tried to keep up with the reserved ones.
- While interacting with the students of different cultures or faraway cities, students were either thrilled, hesitant or avoidant.
- Some were seen interacting politely with each other, whereas some were uninterested or diffident.
- The ones with the upbeat personality seemed to be keeping the group together.

College Core

- Many were spotted strolling in groups.
- They appeared to be more enthusiastic than their seniors.
- Students were witnessed being thrilled to be involved in different clubs:

   1. Many responded with enthusiasm to the publicity of clubs.
   2. Some waited for the publicity of specific clubs which they couldn’t see as they kept asking the seniors about it.
   3. There were students who begin to appear for auditions for the upcoming events of college while some seemed     too reserved to be in limelight.

- Many found volunteers safe to be around with or ask doubts.
- There were friend-groups that were spotted frequently in canteen building, playing cards or chattering.
- Many friend-groups behaved differently with the change in locations and the friend-groups displayed same characteristics.

Response to Change

​- Some students seemed homesick, they kept going home often.
- Whereas some students even seemed to be enjoying and emerging in the changed condition/new phase.
- Also, there were some students who displayed neutral nature of themselves.

PHASE 2: ACTIVE PARTICIPATION

Videography Documentation & Focus Group

A rejuvenating and informative hangout with a group of freshers provided us with the detailed observations in the change in behavior with the change in location. But we were not done yet! We formed a focus group of students from different friend groups to gain deeper insights into how freshers interact and adjust. While observations and videography captured real-world interactions, a structured discussion allowed participants to express their thoughts, challenges and experiences more openly.

Questionnaire for Focus Group:

Q.1. What were the expectations that you had regarding college before coming here?

Q.2. With which students of your batch or seniors did you interact first?

Q.3. Did anyone of you, face any challenge while interacting?
Follow-up: What were those challenges and how did you overcome them?

Q.4. How did you form your current friend groups?
Follow-up 2: Do all of you feel comfortable and absolutely adjusted in your groups?

Q.5. Could you give us an idea regarding how many good connections you have made outside your main friend circles?
Follow-up: How do you all keep up with them?

Q.6. How many of you identify yourself as an introvert?
Follow-up 1: For you, what role a location plays to make you comfortable or open to interaction?
Follow-up 2: Were there any groups that never made any conscious efforts to include you?

Q.7. What challenges have you faced while adjusting in college life in respect to academics, social acceptance, peer pressure?
Follow-up 1: Were your mentioned challenges faced by you before this group was formed or after that?
Follow-up 2: Were you helped by someone (friend group or others) to overcome these challenges?

Q.8. Do you seek help from someone you don’t know in the absence of your friends?
Follow-up: Can it be considered helpful for you?

Q.9. Do you find seniors here comfortable to interact with?
Follow-up: In what situations do you rely on seniors the most? *OR* In what situations did you feel troubled by the seniors?

Q.10. Could you walk us through the evolution of your social interactions since joining college?

Q.11. How long did you take to adjust?
Follow-up: Were the issues that you faced here addressed by the friend group, other peers or respective authority?

Q.12. Is there anything else you’d like to share about your social experiences in college?

As freshers settled into college life, their experiences shaped a pattern of challenges and adjustments. While they were eager to learn, the slow pace of classes and struggles with cooperation created frustration. Friendships formed early but often faded, reinforcing the importance of lasting connections. Hostel allotment issues added confusion, leaving some students at a disadvantage compared to those with prior networks. Concerns about safety and the need for guidance became evident, highlighting a gap in structured support and accessible information.

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We conducted a user survey to validate the findings by testing whether the observed trends and challenges were consistent across a larger group of freshers. This helped to confirm the relevance of key issues, reveal any overlooked perspectives, and ensure the insights were not limited to just the focus group participants.

Define. Turning Insights into Clarity.

The previous stage provided a flood of insights that needed to be carefully analyzed to gain clarity and align with the purpose. We segmented the users based on personality and gender to analyze our core target audience and empathize with them.

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Target Audience Focus: Introverted students with limited networking opportunities face the most challenges in adjusting to college life. On the other hand, ambiverts and introverts benefit the most from pre-existing connections, as they rely on familiar social circles for smoother transitions.

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Problem Statement: Freshers experience varying levels of ease in adjusting to college life. While some seamlessly integrate through prior connections, others struggle to find their place because of which they feel disconnected and uncertain in their new environment.

Bridging the gap via HMW (How Might We?):

Why does this happen?
Freshers often lack pre-college networking, making social and administrative navigation challenging. While some rely on prior connections, others struggle alone, leading to isolation.

What can we explore?
We can explore ways to help freshers build early connections, establish support systems for smoother integration, and foster an inclusive environment for all students.

How Might We?
HMW help freshers build connections before arriving at college?
HMW create a support system that helps students integrate socially and emotionally?
HMW encourage inclusivity and bonding among students who don’t have pre-existing connections?

Design. Creating a New Experience.

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Ideation Technique: Brainwriting

Subsequently, we translated key ideas into a structured sitemap to ensure smooth navigation and an intuitive user experience. By grouping similar concepts and prioritizing essential features, we refined the information architecture to align with the user needs. This sitemap establishes clear pathways between primary and secondary pages, creating a strong foundation for a seamless and user-friendly design.

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We created desktop wireframes with this foundation, to structure the layout before refining them into high-fidelity mockups. Once finalized, we adapted the design for mobile, starting with wireframes to ensure responsiveness, then transforming them into polished mockups. While wireframes provided the backbone of the experience, the final mockups brought the design to life.

Desktop Mockups

To maintain clarity and focus, all desktop screens are displayed without frames, ensuring the UX writing and visual style take center stage. By removing device frames, we showcased the design as adaptable and we didn't confine the design to a specific hardware context, allowing stakeholders to focus on the user experience itself. This clean, immersive presentation ensures that every detail from layout to interaction flow is easily visible and evaluated. 

1. Home

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2. Chatrooms

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3. College Hub

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4. Community

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5. Privacy & Safety

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6. User Profile

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7. Login

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8. Signup

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Mobile Mockups

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Develop. Brining the screen-being to life.

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©2023. All Rights Reserved to Aakriti Srivastava.

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