InduCo.
UX/UI Design | Student Concept Project
What is InduCo?
InduCo. (Industry Connect) is a mobile networking app concept designed to connect students and professionals through mentorship opportunities.
Inspired by the simplicity of dating apps, InduCo. uses a questionnaire-based matching system to help users discover potential mentors. Users can review their matches, express interest, and schedule an initial meeting, making professional connections more approachable.
About the Project
InduCo. began as a research assignment exploring how people connect professionally online. Initial findings highlighted a need for alternatives to traditional networking platforms, particularly among students seeking mentorship and internship opportunities.
I developed the concept with a focus on the student experience, exploring features such as mentor matching, professional groups, messaging, and networking.
The project allowed me to apply the UX design process from initial research through to interactive, high-fidelity prototypes.
Research
The Research Process
I began by distributing a survey through social media to better understand how students and professionals approached networking, mentorship, and career development.
I explored whether a single platform could support both audiences while offering different experiences based on their goals.
The findings helped shape the app's initial functionality and establish the direction for the design.
The survey revealed several recurring needs:
Access to opportunities: Students wanted a dedicated place to discover internships and mentorship opportunities.
Easier connections: Potential mentees were interested in finding mentors within specific industries but weren't always sure how to approach them.
Professional networking: Professionals wanted opportunities to connect with others in their field and related industries.
Virtual accessibility: Participants saw value in building professional relationships remotely.
These findings informed the initial feature set, including mentor matching, professional groups, messaging, networking tools, and virtual events.
As the project progressed, I prioritized the core experience to keep the scope manageable.
Research Results
User Flows & Sketches
User Flows
I created five user flows to map the app's primary interactions: account creation, joining and posting in groups, finding a mentor, exploring professional networks, and attending virtual events.
These flows helped establish the app's structure and identify the screens and interactions needed to support each task.
They also provided a foundation for the wireframing process.
Sketches/ Low-Fidelity Wireframes
During the initial sketching phase, I recognized that the proposed feature set was too ambitious for the project's timeline.
I refined the scope by removing virtual events and focusing on the core networking and mentorship experience.
I then sketched the primary screens and interactions before moving into digital wireframes, allowing me to explore layouts and navigation without committing to detailed visual design.
Mid-fidelity Wireframes & Testing
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
I developed mid-fidelity wireframes for the app's main features, beginning with account creation and login before moving into networking and mentor matching.
This stage helped me evaluate the overall structure and identify potential usability issues, particularly within the account activation process.
Rather than immediately changing those interactions, I carried them into usability testing to gather feedback before making further refinements.
User Testing
Usability testing highlighted several opportunities to make the experience clearer and more intuitive.
Key findings included:
Users wanted a clearer introduction to InduCo. and how mentor matching worked.
Text message verification was preferred over email confirmation.
Users wanted to complete their profiles before entering the main app.
Some icons were unclear, including a pin icon that users expected to represent location.
Participants wanted more detailed matching questions and a clear distinction between mentors and mentees.
I used this feedback to guide subsequent design refinements, focusing on clearer onboarding, more recognizable interactions, and a more comprehensive matching experience.
A/B Testing
I explored two visual directions for the interface: a light monochromatic palette and a darker complementary palette.
The darker option was selected after testing. It offered stronger visual distinction between interface elements and performed better in the accessibility contrast checks conducted during the project.
I refined the selected colours further before applying them to the final designs.
High-fidelity Wireframes
The final design phase focused on refining the interface, improving consistency, and incorporating feedback from earlier testing.
I revisited the account creation process to simplify the experience and expanded the mentor matching questionnaire to support more detailed connections between mentors and mentees.
I also established consistent button styles to distinguish actions, navigation, and menu options throughout the app.
One of my biggest takeaways was the value of establishing a design system early. Creating reusable components and defining styles before building high-fidelity screens would have made the process more efficient and helped maintain consistency across the interface.
To click around the Figma prototype, click the arrows in the top right corner of the thumbnail & change the view to “fit screen”
Key Takeaways
1.InduCo. gave me hands-on experience taking a mobile app concept from research through to an interactive prototype.
2.The project reinforced three important lessons: prioritize the features that matter most, validate assumptions through user feedback, and establish consistent design patterns early.
3.Most importantly, it demonstrated how research and iterative testing can turn an ambitious concept into a more focused, user-centered experience.