Immigrant Buddies connects new immigrants with Buddies (mentors and friends) who help them adjust to life in America
Project Overview
Company
Immigrant Buddies is my social impact startup organization. Our mission is to help immigrants integrate into America, which ultimately creates a diverse, inclusive, and prosperous society. I came up with our concept idea from a th.0 Hackathon, where I created our predecessor Refugee Buddies. I decided to tailor the concept to American immigrants, drawing on my experiences as a childhood immigrant.
My Role
As the Founder, I manage all aspects of the organization. I recruited volunteer team members, immigrants, and Buddies. My most relevant role is as a Head of Design managing a team of 4 UX Designers. I create and project manage our design process, holding weekly meetings and delegating tasks. I also do hands-on UX work and support the team by giving guidance and feedback.
Market Opportunity
At the time of project inception, there were 1.6 million immigrants in the diverse city of Houston, where I aim to first launch, and 45 million in America, where we will expand. The immigrant population is rapidly increasing, with 2 million new entrants per year from 2021-2023, and is projected to grow by 9-16% each decade from 2015-2065. Thus, there was projected to be an influx of people to serve.
Timeline
October 2023- Present
Problem
Once new immigrants arrive in America, they are faced with the challenge of starting a new life. Our problem to solve is immigrant integration, which means “the process by which immigrants come to feel and become participants in life in America, and in its schools, workplaces, and communities” (Migration Policy Institute). We asked, “How might we make this transition smoother and faster?”
Skills & Tools
User Interviews, Competitive Analysis, Comparative Analysis, Synthesis, Information Architecture, User Flows, Site Maps, Personas, Ideation, Sketching, Wireframing, Interaction Design, Design Systems, Visual Design, Prototyping, Usability Testing, Figma, Figjam, Jira, Google Suite
Solution
Our solution is a peer-to-peer web support platform to connect new immigrants with Buddies. Buddies will be local Americans who contribute their time, friendship, and mentorship to help immigrants integrate. Anyone can sign up to be a Buddy, including native-born Americans and immigrants who have been in America for a while and underwent the transition process.
Goal & Outcome
Once launched, the goal of our product is for immigrant users to make supportive connections with Buddies who help them adjust to life in America and fulfill their goals of why they came here. On the other end, Buddies will also gain cultural awareness and empathy for the immigrant experience. We will measure this with surveys of the mentorships that are formed from the platform.
Watch these final prototype videos for an overview of our upcoming web platform.
These silent video walkthroughs show a quick overview of our final product’s user flow and features from an immigrant’s perspective. After viewing the videos, you can scroll through the details of our design process.
Desktop
Mobile Web
Process Overview
1. Discover
Idea conception- Refugee Buddies
Internet research for background knowledge of immigrant needs, paths to citizenship, and immigrant types/ VISAs
Market Research of immigrant and buddy populations (TAM/SAM/SOM)
32 immigrant surveys
6 immigrant user interviews
Competitive Analysis: Immigrant Services
Comparative Analysis: UX filter/sorting capabilities design
Usability tests of the previous Refugee Buddies mobile app, to inform our new responsive website design
2. Define
Affinity Mapping
Immigrant personas (of each type)
Buddy persona
Determination of common “areas of help” for immigrants and their order of importance
Definition of new features in addition to original prototype (request/accept system, My Buddies, Connecting with Buddies, Contact Us)
User Journey Mapping
Problem Statement
3. Design
Solution statement
Preliminary website for “Concierge MVP” concept test
User flows
Sitemaps
Sketches
Low-fi prototype
Usability tests
Design system
High-Fi prototype version 1
Usability tests
High-Fi prototype version 2
4. Deliver
Handoff to development
Ongoing design adjustments
Additional Feature definition from MVP program (multi-language, verification/ review process, resources section)
Current Development
Launch in late 2025