UX RESEARCH
EDUCATION
VIRTUAL COMMONS
Virtual Commons is a student-centered feature for DePaul's D2L platform that helps remote and hybrid students build meaningful peer connections in digital learning spaces.
2025
YEAR
Figma, Qualtrics, Zoom, Google Suite
TOOLS
ROLE
Researcher
SUMMARY
Virtual Commons is a student-centered feature designed for DePaul University's D2L platform. The project reimagines how digital learning environments can foster community and belonging for remote and hybrid students who often struggle to form meaningful peer connections.
Our team designed a privacy-first, purpose-driven space that integrates event discovery, collaboration tools, and structured student communities. Through iterative research and testing, we found that authentic connection in academic spaces emerges not from social novelty, but from trust, relevance, and student agency.
Links:
OVERVIEW
Goal: Design a student-centered feature for DePaul's D2L platform that helps remote and hybrid students form meaningful connections.
Team: Cicely Hong (Strategy & Design), Dylan Sharkey (Qualitative Research), Emilia Vu (Quantitative Research).
Duration: 10 Weeks
Role: UX Researcher
THE PROBLEM
Digital learning environments often prioritize course management over community building. While DePaul's D2L and DeHub platforms effectively deliver coursework and event listings, they fail to provide informal, student-led spaces where connection can naturally emerge.
Students expressed that:
University systems felt transactional, not relational.
Online learning amplified isolation and disengagement.
Informal networks (Discord and Reddit) offered connection, but lacked trust and privacy.
Design Challenge:
How might we design a platform that enables authentic, low-stakes student connection while maintaining privacy, trust, and academic relevance?
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
DePaul students currently rely on two main categories of platforms for communication and community:
Social platforms - Facebook, Reddit, Snapchat, and Discord
Institutional or work-oriented tools - Slack and DeHub
Across these platforms, shared features include group or channel-based organization, real-time or asynchronous messaging, interest-based communities, file sharing, and mobile accessibility. These tools make interaction familiar and accessible, providing students with casual, low-pressure ways to socialize or collaborate.
However, no single platform effectively bridges authenticity, sustainability, and academic integration. Institutional tools like DeHub or DePaul-specific Discord servers often experience low engagement and limited visibility, while broader social platforms raise concerns around privacy, moderation, and content management.
What's missing is a unified, student-centered space that combines the informal ease of social media with the intentionality and inclusivity of educational environments - a platform that supports both spontaneous and structured peer interactions within the university ecosystem.
DePaul students currently rely on two main categories of platforms for communication and community:
Social platforms - Facebook, Reddit, Snapchat, and Discord
Institutional or work-oriented tools - Slack and DeHub
Across these platforms, shared features include group or channel-based organization, real-time or asynchronous messaging, interest-based communities, file sharing, and mobile accessibility. These tools make interaction familiar and accessible, providing students with casual, low-pressure ways to socialize or collaborate.
However, no single platform effectively bridges authenticity, sustainability, and academic integration. Institutional tools like DeHub or DePaul-specific Discord servers often experience low engagement and limited visibility, while broader social platforms raise concerns around privacy, moderation, and content management.
What's missing is a unified, student-centered space that combines the informal ease of social media with the intentionality and inclusivity of educational environments - a platform that supports both spontaneous and structured peer interactions within the university ecosystem.
DePaul students currently rely on two main categories of platforms for communication and community:
Social platforms - Facebook, Reddit, Snapchat, and Discord
Institutional or work-oriented tools - Slack and DeHub
Across these platforms, shared features include group or channel-based organization, real-time or asynchronous messaging, interest-based communities, file sharing, and mobile accessibility. These tools make interaction familiar and accessible, providing students with casual, low-pressure ways to socialize or collaborate.
However, no single platform effectively bridges authenticity, sustainability, and academic integration. Institutional tools like DeHub or DePaul-specific Discord servers often experience low engagement and limited visibility, while broader social platforms raise concerns around privacy, moderation, and content management.
What's missing is a unified, student-centered space that combines the informal ease of social media with the intentionality and inclusivity of educational environments - a platform that supports both spontaneous and structured peer interactions within the university ecosystem.
RESEARCH METHODS
Survey (n=18)
We began with a survey to identify how students currently connect online and what barriers exist.
Participants: 18 DePaul graduate students
Focus: Connection habits, preferred platforms, and openness to engagement tools
Analysis: Descriptive statistics + open-ended thematic coding
Key Insights:
56% of students felt neutral or disconnected from peers. Yet, most wanted stronger academic or career-driven connections, suggesting a need for purposeful, structured social design within learning systems.
Semi-Structured Interviews (n=3)
Goal: Understand what motivates connection and how student perceive belonging in digital learning.
Method: Zoom interviews using flexible questions about motivation, power dynamics, and community experiences.
Analysis: Thematic coding with eight a priori categories (Goals, Motivations, Mental Models, Self-Image, Agency, Coping, Norm Significance, Power Dynamics).
Findings:
Students saw the university as a transactional space, centered on coursework and credentials.
They identified as Pragmatic Navigators- engaging only when connection served academic or professional goals.
Informal, student-led spaces (Discord & Reddit) felt more authentic than institutional tools.
From these insights, we developed three initial MVP concepts:
Student Map- enabling proximity-based interactions
Peer-to-Peer Hub - offering candid, anonymous peer spaces
Utility Hub - supporting academic collaboration and career networking
Through semi-structured interviews, we discovered a consistent persona: the Pragmatic Navigator. These students connected primarily for academic support and professional growth, with social interactions often emerging as a byproduct.
Survey (n=18)
We began with a survey to identify how students currently connect online and what barriers exist.
Participants: 18 DePaul graduate students
Focus: Connection habits, preferred platforms, and openness to engagement tools
Analysis: Descriptive statistics + open-ended thematic coding
Key Insights:
56% of students felt neutral or disconnected from peers. Yet, most wanted stronger academic or career-driven connections, suggesting a need for purposeful, structured social design within learning systems.
Semi-Structured Interviews (n=3)
Goal: Understand what motivates connection and how student perceive belonging in digital learning.
Method: Zoom interviews using flexible questions about motivation, power dynamics, and community experiences.
Analysis: Thematic coding with eight a priori categories (Goals, Motivations, Mental Models, Self-Image, Agency, Coping, Norm Significance, Power Dynamics).
Findings:
Students saw the university as a transactional space, centered on coursework and credentials.
They identified as Pragmatic Navigators- engaging only when connection served academic or professional goals.
Informal, student-led spaces (Discord & Reddit) felt more authentic than institutional tools.
From these insights, we developed three initial MVP concepts:
Student Map- enabling proximity-based interactions
Peer-to-Peer Hub - offering candid, anonymous peer spaces
Utility Hub - supporting academic collaboration and career networking
Through semi-structured interviews, we discovered a consistent persona: the Pragmatic Navigator. These students connected primarily for academic support and professional growth, with social interactions often emerging as a byproduct.
Survey (n=18)
We began with a survey to identify how students currently connect online and what barriers exist.
Participants: 18 DePaul graduate students
Focus: Connection habits, preferred platforms, and openness to engagement tools
Analysis: Descriptive statistics + open-ended thematic coding
Key Insights:
56% of students felt neutral or disconnected from peers. Yet, most wanted stronger academic or career-driven connections, suggesting a need for purposeful, structured social design within learning systems.
Semi-Structured Interviews (n=3)
Goal: Understand what motivates connection and how student perceive belonging in digital learning.
Method: Zoom interviews using flexible questions about motivation, power dynamics, and community experiences.
Analysis: Thematic coding with eight a priori categories (Goals, Motivations, Mental Models, Self-Image, Agency, Coping, Norm Significance, Power Dynamics).
Findings:
Students saw the university as a transactional space, centered on coursework and credentials.
They identified as Pragmatic Navigators- engaging only when connection served academic or professional goals.
Informal, student-led spaces (Discord & Reddit) felt more authentic than institutional tools.
From these insights, we developed three initial MVP concepts:
Student Map- enabling proximity-based interactions
Peer-to-Peer Hub - offering candid, anonymous peer spaces
Utility Hub - supporting academic collaboration and career networking
Through semi-structured interviews, we discovered a consistent persona: the Pragmatic Navigator. These students connected primarily for academic support and professional growth, with social interactions often emerging as a byproduct.
PERSONA
LOW-FIDELITY PROTOTYPE & FIRST USABILITY TESTING (UT1)
We translated research insights into low-fidelity wireframes to explore usability, alignment with student needs, and early feature validation.
UT1 Goals:
Validate early designs and MVP features
Capture task flow usability and participant perceptions
Identify refinements for higher-fidelity prototypes
Participants:
3 students (graduate or recent graduates)
Tasks:
Explore the Student Map to locate collaborators or events
Navigate the Peer-to-Peer Hub for peer advice
Use the Utility Hub for scheduling or academic collaboration
Key Findings:
Student Map:
Privacy concerns emerged; participants resisted sharing exact locations.
Proximity alone did not guarantee meaningful connections.
Pivoted to a "purpose-driven locator": focus on finding events or collaborators rather than general student locations.
Peer-to-Peer Hub:
Distrust in university-managed anonymous spaces.
Preference for structured, moderated communities tied to organizations or academic groups.
Emphasis on optional, low-stakes participation.
Utility Hub:
Strong alignment with students' academic and professional priorities.
Usability issues included unclear scheduling flows and navigation.
Themes Across MVPs:
Privacy and control are essential.
Students engage when features are relevant and purposeful.
Social interaction should be optional and structured.
Navigation, labeling, and filtering must be clear.
UT1 Outcomes:
Student Map -> Events Map: focused on events and collaborators with strong privacy controls.
Peer-to-Peer Hub: shifted toward structured communities rather than unmonitored anonymous forums.
Utility Hub: improved task flows, scheduling, and profile context.
UT1 Goals:
Validate early designs and MVP features
Capture task flow usability and participant perceptions
Identify refinements for higher-fidelity prototypes
Participants:
3 students (graduate or recent graduates)
Tasks:
Explore the Student Map to locate collaborators or events
Navigate the Peer-to-Peer Hub for peer advice
Use the Utility Hub for scheduling or academic collaboration
Key Findings:
Student Map:
Privacy concerns emerged; participants resisted sharing exact locations.
Proximity alone did not guarantee meaningful connections.
Pivoted to a "purpose-driven locator": focus on finding events or collaborators rather than general student locations.
Peer-to-Peer Hub:
Distrust in university-managed anonymous spaces.
Preference for structured, moderated communities tied to organizations or academic groups.
Emphasis on optional, low-stakes participation.
Utility Hub:
Strong alignment with students' academic and professional priorities.
Usability issues included unclear scheduling flows and navigation.
Themes Across MVPs:
Privacy and control are essential.
Students engage when features are relevant and purposeful.
Social interaction should be optional and structured.
Navigation, labeling, and filtering must be clear.
UT1 Outcomes:
Student Map -> Events Map: focused on events and collaborators with strong privacy controls.
Peer-to-Peer Hub: shifted toward structured communities rather than unmonitored anonymous forums.
Utility Hub: improved task flows, scheduling, and profile context.
UT1 Goals:
Validate early designs and MVP features
Capture task flow usability and participant perceptions
Identify refinements for higher-fidelity prototypes
Participants:
3 students (graduate or recent graduates)
Tasks:
Explore the Student Map to locate collaborators or events
Navigate the Peer-to-Peer Hub for peer advice
Use the Utility Hub for scheduling or academic collaboration
Key Findings:
Student Map:
Privacy concerns emerged; participants resisted sharing exact locations.
Proximity alone did not guarantee meaningful connections.
Pivoted to a "purpose-driven locator": focus on finding events or collaborators rather than general student locations.
Peer-to-Peer Hub:
Distrust in university-managed anonymous spaces.
Preference for structured, moderated communities tied to organizations or academic groups.
Emphasis on optional, low-stakes participation.
Utility Hub:
Strong alignment with students' academic and professional priorities.
Usability issues included unclear scheduling flows and navigation.
Themes Across MVPs:
Privacy and control are essential.
Students engage when features are relevant and purposeful.
Social interaction should be optional and structured.
Navigation, labeling, and filtering must be clear.
UT1 Outcomes:
Student Map -> Events Map: focused on events and collaborators with strong privacy controls.
Peer-to-Peer Hub: shifted toward structured communities rather than unmonitored anonymous forums.
Utility Hub: improved task flows, scheduling, and profile context.
JOURNEY MAPS
SECOND USABILITY TESTING (UT2)
Building on UT1 feedback, the high-fidelity prototype incorporated visual design, refined interactions, and improved task flows.
UT2 Goals:
Validate refinements from UT1
Assess clarity, efficiency, and alignment with student goals
Participants:
3 students (graduate or recent graduates)
Tasks:
Browse and interact with Events Map
Explore Peer-to-Peer Hub communities
Use Utility Hub for scheduling, profiles, and collaboration
Key Findings:
Events Map:
Most used feature
Participants preferred list view with explicit in-person vs. virtual labels, calendar integration, and improved filters
Peer-to-Peer Hub:
Secondary
Used for networking through clubs and organizations
Utility Hub:
Streamlined scheduling, richer profile context, and clearer availability indicators
UT2 reinforced that students prioritize utility over novelty, while social feature remain valuable when optional and structured.
Building on UT1 feedback, the high-fidelity prototype incorporated visual design, refined interactions, and improved task flows.
UT2 Goals:
Validate refinements from UT1
Assess clarity, efficiency, and alignment with student goals
Participants:
3 students (graduate or recent graduates)
Tasks:
Browse and interact with Events Map
Explore Peer-to-Peer Hub communities
Use Utility Hub for scheduling, profiles, and collaboration
Key Findings:
Events Map:
Most used feature
Participants preferred list view with explicit in-person vs. virtual labels, calendar integration, and improved filters
Peer-to-Peer Hub:
Secondary
Used for networking through clubs and organizations
Utility Hub:
Streamlined scheduling, richer profile context, and clearer availability indicators
UT2 reinforced that students prioritize utility over novelty, while social feature remain valuable when optional and structured.
Building on UT1 feedback, the high-fidelity prototype incorporated visual design, refined interactions, and improved task flows.
UT2 Goals:
Validate refinements from UT1
Assess clarity, efficiency, and alignment with student goals
Participants:
3 students (graduate or recent graduates)
Tasks:
Browse and interact with Events Map
Explore Peer-to-Peer Hub communities
Use Utility Hub for scheduling, profiles, and collaboration
Key Findings:
Events Map:
Most used feature
Participants preferred list view with explicit in-person vs. virtual labels, calendar integration, and improved filters
Peer-to-Peer Hub:
Secondary
Used for networking through clubs and organizations
Utility Hub:
Streamlined scheduling, richer profile context, and clearer availability indicators
UT2 reinforced that students prioritize utility over novelty, while social feature remain valuable when optional and structured.
PROTOTYPE
Prototype Instructions: Please click the link above to open the prototype in your browser. This is an interactive mockup. Some areas will be clickable, while others are static.
The project revealed several key insights:
Pragmatic Engagement: Students are motivated by academic and professional goals. Social features succeed when optional and tied to these outcomes.
Privacy-First Design: Granular privacy controls, opt-in participation, and transparency are essential.
Utility-Centered Features: Tools for scheduling, collaboration, and event discovery are the most consistently used and valued.
Structured Community: While casual, anonymous spaces appeal to some, structured communities provide safer and more trustworthy engagement.
These findings align with prior research: the Community of Inquiry framework highlights the importance of social presence (Garrison et al., 1999), Self-Determination Theory emphasizes autonomy and competence (Turk et al., 2022) and studies show that identity-based belonging supports retention (Stevenson et al., 2021; Wilcox et al., 2022).
By prioritizing privacy, purpose, and flexibility, the Virtual Commons platform demonstrates the feasibility of a DePaul-specific digital environment that supports belonging, engagement, and persistence.
The project revealed several key insights:
Pragmatic Engagement: Students are motivated by academic and professional goals. Social features succeed when optional and tied to these outcomes.
Privacy-First Design: Granular privacy controls, opt-in participation, and transparency are essential.
Utility-Centered Features: Tools for scheduling, collaboration, and event discovery are the most consistently used and valued.
Structured Community: While casual, anonymous spaces appeal to some, structured communities provide safer and more trustworthy engagement.
These findings align with prior research: the Community of Inquiry framework highlights the importance of social presence (Garrison et al., 1999), Self-Determination Theory emphasizes autonomy and competence (Turk et al., 2022) and studies show that identity-based belonging supports retention (Stevenson et al., 2021; Wilcox et al., 2022).
By prioritizing privacy, purpose, and flexibility, the Virtual Commons platform demonstrates the feasibility of a DePaul-specific digital environment that supports belonging, engagement, and persistence.
DISCUSSION & IMPLICATIONS
My primary focus during this capstone was understanding how DePaul students build connections and belonging in digital learning spaces. I was responsible for the research process, from developing surveys and interview guides to synthesizing findings into actionable design opportunities.
Using a mixed-methods approach, our team combined quantitative and qualitative insights:
Surveys (n=18) revealed that while most students rely on informal tools like Discord or group chats, these interactions are short-lived and rarely bridge academic and personal connection.
Interviews (n=3) uncovered that students value connection most when it supports academic or career goals, not purely socializing.
Design interviews and usability sessions (n=6): Tools for scheduling, collaboration, and event discovery are the most consistently used and valued.
A recurring theme was the importance of trust and agency. Many students expressed hesitation toward university-managed platforms due to privacy concerns or fear of being monitored. As a result, privacy and opt-in visibility became core design principles.
Another key insight was identifying the "Pragmatic Navigator" - a persona representing students who seek purposeful, low-pressure ways to connect. This shifted the design away from open-ended social feeds toward structured, goal-oriented spaces for events, collaboration, and networking.
By grounding design choices in research evidence, I was able to translate student needs into a concept that balances authenticity, inclusion, and privacy.
My primary focus during this capstone was understanding how DePaul students build connections and belonging in digital learning spaces. I was responsible for the research process, from developing surveys and interview guides to synthesizing findings into actionable design opportunities.
Using a mixed-methods approach, our team combined quantitative and qualitative insights:
Surveys (n=18) revealed that while most students rely on informal tools like Discord or group chats, these interactions are short-lived and rarely bridge academic and personal connection.
Interviews (n=3) uncovered that students value connection most when it supports academic or career goals, not purely socializing.
Design interviews and usability sessions (n=6): Tools for scheduling, collaboration, and event discovery are the most consistently used and valued.
A recurring theme was the importance of trust and agency. Many students expressed hesitation toward university-managed platforms due to privacy concerns or fear of being monitored. As a result, privacy and opt-in visibility became core design principles.
Another key insight was identifying the "Pragmatic Navigator" - a persona representing students who seek purposeful, low-pressure ways to connect. This shifted the design away from open-ended social feeds toward structured, goal-oriented spaces for events, collaboration, and networking.
By grounding design choices in research evidence, I was able to translate student needs into a concept that balances authenticity, inclusion, and privacy.
REFLECTION & FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Completing this project in HCI 594: Capstone Studio gave me the opportunity to apply end-to-end UX research and design methods to a real institutional change. It deepened my understanding of how community, technology, and belonging intersect within digital learning environments.
However, the project also had limitations. The sample size was small (n=18 survey, n=3 interviews), limiting generalizability of findings. Additionally, the 10-week duration constrained the ability to conduct longitudinal testing or deploy prototypes in real academic settings. With more time, I would expand the participant pool to faculty and administrative perspectives, conduct A/B testing on engagement patterns, and explore integration feasibility within DePaul's D2L system.
Future directions include:
Testing Virtual Commons in a live course environment to measure engagement and retention.
Exploring cross-campus adaptation for hybrid and commuter populations.
Refining accessibility and moderation features to ensure inclusive community growth.
This project reinforced that designing for belonging isn't about visibility- it's about giving users the agency to participate on their own terms.
Completing this project in HCI 594: Capstone Studio gave me the opportunity to apply end-to-end UX research and design methods to a real institutional change. It deepened my understanding of how community, technology, and belonging intersect within digital learning environments.
However, the project also had limitations. The sample size was small (n=18 survey, n=3 interviews), limiting generalizability of findings. Additionally, the 10-week duration constrained the ability to conduct longitudinal testing or deploy prototypes in real academic settings. With more time, I would expand the participant pool to faculty and administrative perspectives, conduct A/B testing on engagement patterns, and explore integration feasibility within DePaul's D2L system.
Future directions include:
Testing Virtual Commons in a live course environment to measure engagement and retention.
Exploring cross-campus adaptation for hybrid and commuter populations.
Refining accessibility and moderation features to ensure inclusive community growth.
This project reinforced that designing for belonging isn't about visibility- it's about giving users the agency to participate on their own terms.
GREAT DESIGN IS ITERATION
OF GOOD DESIGN
M. COBANLI