Overview
All-in-one app for international students
YouTalk is the first social network and an all-in-one service for international students. It offers a variety of features specifically designed to meet the diverse challenges of studying abroad. YouTalk aims to simplify the student experience and create a supportive, collaborative community.
As a UI/UX Designer at YouTalk, I utilized Figma to craft UI designs for iOS, Android apps, and websites, integrating feedback from over 100 users across several design iterations. To date, more than 1,000 international students continue to use the service.
The Problem
As international students facing language barriers, it's challenging for us to grasp and verify essential information needed to adapt to the local environment. Moreover, our needs often differ from those of local students. Therefore, it's beneficial for us to learn from other international students who have faced similar challenges and found solutions.
However, connecting with other international students can be difficult since we are a minority within the broader community and there aren’t specific channels for us to meet. This often leaves us to tackle our issues alone.
Solution
To address these challenges, I designed features that bridged the gaps in information and community support:
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Reddit-like Forum: A space where international students can exchange information, communicate, and use a marketplace tailored to their specific needs. This feature fosters community-driven solutions to common problems.
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Student Links Dashboard: A centralized hub of essential links to help students manage daily tasks and overcome challenges, making navigation of their new environment more seamless..
Branding
Instagram Branding and Promotions
To establish a strong visual identity for the app, I designed a 3x3 grid Instagram post, where nine individual posts combined to form a cohesive, large-scale visual on the Instagram profile. This design served as the main branding element, capturing user attention and reinforcing the app’s theme at a glance.
Beyond the grid post, I created dynamic Instagram stories for promotions, app updates, and announcements of new school launches. These stories were designed to engage the audience, maintain consistency with the app’s branding, and effectively communicate key messages.
Through this approach, we gained 200+ followers on Instagram organically, without additional promotions.
App Store Screenshots
I designed 5 App Store screenshots to showcase the app’s features and value proposition with attention-grabbing visuals and concise messaging. Strategic layouts and consistent branding highlighted core functionalities and user benefits, ensuring clarity and a competitive edge in the marketplace.
Bulletin Board / Home
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The bulletin board is divided into three categories: “All Schools,” “My Region,” and “My School,” allowing users to access posts from all U.S. schools, local schools in their region, or their own school community.
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All posts are anonymous, enabling users to exchange information, share casual conversations, and connect freely with peers in a secure and welcoming space.
Post View
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Users can view a selected post from the bulletin board, where they can like or report the post if it is inappropriate.
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A comment section below the post allows users to leave comments, like or report comments, and reply to them. All interactions remain anonymous to ensure privacy and openness.
Post Creation
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Users can create posts by entering a title, writing content, and uploading up to five media files.
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The simple and intuitive UI ensures an easy and seamless posting experience.
App Dashboard
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The dashboard consolidates frequently used links created by students from each school, offering quick access to resources like the school homepage, academic notices, calendars, dining information, and professor ratings.
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Users can also manage their activity by viewing their own posts and comments in one convenient location.
Results
Monthly Active Users (MAU)
Buyout Offer from a competitor "AllClass"
With zero marketing costs, we reached over 1,000 users across 10 Boston-area schools, including BU, Berkeley, Tufts, UMass, and Harvard, solely through word-of-mouth among international students.
Additionally, a competitor "AllClass" approached us with a buyout offer.
Reflection
Working on YouTalk gave me a deeper understanding of how design can directly impact underserved communities. As the sole UX Designer, I balanced creativity with practicality to develop solutions that resonated with our users. Through iterative feedback and data-driven decisions, I learned how to refine designs to align with both user needs and business goals.
This experience also reinforced the value of empathy in UX design. By immersing myself in the challenges faced by international students, I was able to craft features that truly addressed their pain points. The success of YouTalk further highlighted the power of simplicity and community-driven solutions, which continue to shape how I approach design challenges.