Mo’ Money, No Problems: streamlining scholarship searches with Scholist 🎓

Mo’ Money, No Problems: streamlining scholarship searches with Scholist 🎓

DURATION

2 weeks

MY ROLE

UI Design

UX Research

TEAM MEMBERS

Estella Yu

Katrina Manukian

Funding college without losing your marbles

For this client project, my team and I were tasked with expanding Scholist’s design system and completing a flow to help them get closer to launching a minimum viable product by the end of the year.

CHALLENGE

Scholist is a start-up aiming to simplify the scholarship application process with its all-in-one platform; however, it only completed its onboarding process. They came to us wanting to complete the entire app within a 2-week time frame.

OBJECTIVE

Prioritize 1 flow to work on to help Scholist get closer to launching a minimum viable product by the end of the year.

View Prototype

Background

Landing page with no product

When Scholist founder, Abidemi, approached us, Scholist was an idea with a landing page and an onboarding flow. They had previously worked with another General Assembly team to build their design system, revised homepage, and onboarding flow. with a request to develop a complete web and mobile app within a two-week timeframe.

During our initial meeting, my team and I noted all of Abidemi’s priorities, uncovered fears of

“I try to prioritize scholarships, but it still feels like I'm sending apps into the void”

— User

Our User Insights

Students need help!

Our user interviews uncovered a deep need for confidence, connection, and accountability.

I find scholarships daunting and tedious when I have other things to worry about

I need transparency about expectations, requirements, and qualifications to feel confident in my application

I find the process unrewarding because of how disorganized and unsuccessful I’ve been

I feel unprepared and uncertain without any guidance

Our Problem

How might we simplify the scholarship process for students while also instilling confidence?

Our Solution

Students need a way to access scholarships that align with their backgrounds and interests. Recommendations from trusted individuals and institutions can guide them in the right direction.

Additionally, they need guidance and support to stay motivated and feel confident, even in the face of challenges.

Scholist is a centralized platform that simplifies the scholarship search and application process.

With the help of Scholist, students can discover high-quality scholarships that align with their background and interests, which have been reviewed by certified individuals and institutions. Scholist also assists students throughout the application process by providing valuable guidance on writing essays, preparing for scholarships, and even offering a tracking system to keep them organized.