SCHS Alumni App

Designed for a monumental alumni event, drawing nearly 30 years' worth of students and staff, this app became a crucial tool for connection. The event itself achieved a remarkable feat, earning a place in the Limca Book of World Records as the largest alumni gathering ever recorded.

  • Project Type:Native Mobile App.
  • Role: UX Designer (Sole Designer & Initiator)
  • Duration: Mar 2024 – May 2024
  • Tools Used:Adobe XD, Figma,Photoshop, Google Forms, Zoom

Problem Statement

The school had no digital presence. Alumni were disconnected, and there was no platform for interaction, support, or celebration of legacy.

Solution

Design a native mobile app to connect former students, teachers, and well-wishers – enabling networking, storytelling, volunteering, and fundraising in one place.

Project Goals

  • Create a mobile-first experience accessible across generations.
  • Celebrate and preserve the school’s legacy through visuals and stories.
  • Enable alumni to connect, contribute, and collaborate.
  • Support the school through a transparent donation and volunteering system.

UX Research & Insights

  • User Interviews: Interviewed
    • 10 alumni from different decades
    • 3 teachers (retired and current)
    • 2 current students.
  • Key Insights:
    • Emotional attachment to teachers and batchmates
    • Desire to contribute (donate/mentor/volunteer)
    • Older users prefer very simple navigation
    • High interest in uploading and viewing old photos
  • Competitive Audit: Reviewed alumni apps, school portals, and crowd-funding platforms
    • Most lacked emotional connection
    • Few supported volunteer or career networking
    • Limited mobile-first design
Participants

UX Strategy

  1. Personas: Created detailed personas:
    • Ramesh (Doctor, 90s batch) – wants to donate and find classmates.
    • Shanthi (Teacher) – wants to see her students' stories.
    • Kiran (Entrepreneur) – wants to network & post business jobs.
    • Priya (Student) – wants mentorship and inspiration.

Ramesh logs in → sees tribute to a beloved teacher → browses photos → finds classmates → donates to library fund

Personas

Design Process

  1. Heuristics
    • Minimized actions per screen.
    • Large touch targets and readable fonts.
    • Clear back-navigation and breadcrumb cues.
  2. Visual Design
    • Design system inspired by school uniform colors.
    • Nostalgia-driven visuals.
    • Custom icons, subtle animations, and storytelling moments.
  3. Wireframes
    • Created low-fidelity sketches.
    • Finalized high-fidelity UI in Figma.
  4. Usability Testing
    • Conducted 2 rounds of testing.
    • Resolved confusion with tab navigation.
    • Improved form clarity for photo upload & donation.
Wireframes

Final Features

  • Login/Profile Setup
  • Teacher Tribute Wall
  • Search Alumni by Role (e.g., Doctor, Engineer)
  • Upload & View Photos
  • Volunteer / Donate / Help for a Cause
  • Business Opportunities & Job Listings
  • Public & Private Views with Admin Control
  • Payment Gateway Integration
Final Features

Results & Impact

  • Successfully launched during the alumni event
  • Hundreds of users engaged in sharing photos and donating
  • Reconnected decades of memories and people through mobile technology
  • Sparked interest in creating a long-term alumni association

Next Steps

  • Push notifications for events
  • In-app messaging for alumni.
  • Role-based admin access.
  • Digital yearbook archive.