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[Case 03]

Improved mentor discoverability and selection confidence by 40% through clear profiles, match indicators, and smart scheduling.

Education

Smart Matchmaking for Meaningful Mentorship

An end-to-end design solution that helps high school students and recent grads confidently connect with the right mentors.

[The Problem Space]

Post-COVID, Students Were Lost in the Inbox — and Mentorship Needed a Redesign.

In India’s academic-first education system, mentorship often came through personal, informal connections. But post-COVID, that system collapsed. MU20, a global skill school, saw students left isolated, unheard, and unmotivated — with no clear way to find guidance or grow beyond grades.

[The Solution]

A Focused Mobile Experience Built to Rebuild Trust and Remove Friction.

To address students’ core pain points around trust, choice overload, and scheduling friction, I designed a mobile-first app experience that brings clarity, transparency, and ease to mentorship connections.

01 Transparent Mentor Profiles

Solves: Lack of trust in online mentorship

Each mentor profile includes verified experience, testimonials from past mentees, and shared interest tags—helping students feel more confident in reaching out.

02 Compatibility Match Indicator

Solves: Overwhelm from too many options

Rather than endless scrolling, mentees are shown mentors with a high compatibility score based on interests, goals, and experience—making it easier to find the right fit quickly.

03 Integrated Scheduling Widget


Solves: Time constraints and messy coordination

An in-app availability system lets mentors set open time slots, and mentees can book sessions instantly—no back-and-forth needed.

04 Onboarding for Personalization

Solves: Overwhelm from too many options and would save time

The detailed onboarding process is designed to find you the very best mentor and provide a highly accurate match percentage. It will ask you everything—from your niche to the type of mentor you’re looking for.

[Industry]

Education

[My Role]

Full Stack Designer

[Platforms]

Mobile (iOS)

[Timeline]

4 months (Post-COVID period) 2021

View Full Case Study

View Full Case Study

View Full Case Study

01 Transparent Mentor Profiles

Solves: Lack of trust in online mentorship

Each mentor profile includes verified experience, testimonials from past mentees, and shared interest tags—helping students feel more confident in reaching out.

02 Compatibility Match Indicator

Solves: Overwhelm from too many options

Rather than endless scrolling, mentees are shown mentors with a high compatibility score based on interests, goals, and experience—making it easier to find the right fit quickly.

03 Integrated Scheduling Widget


Solves: Time constraints and messy coordination

An in-app availability system lets mentors set open time slots, and mentees can book sessions instantly—no back-and-forth needed.

04 Onboarding for Personalization

Solves: Overwhelm from too many options and would save time

The detailed onboarding process is designed to find you the very best mentor and provide a highly accurate match percentage. It will ask you everything—from your niche to the type of mentor you’re looking for.

[Process]

[01] User Research

Conducted 10 one-on-one interviews with both high school mentees and recent grads.

Ran a survey with 10 early-career participants; 69.23% had used a mentorship platform.

Used affinity mapping to cluster qualitative data and identify key themes around trust, overload, and scheduling friction.

[01] User Research

Conducted 10 one-on-one interviews with both high school mentees and recent grads.

Ran a survey with 10 early-career participants; 69.23% had used a mentorship platform.

Used affinity mapping to cluster qualitative data and identify key themes around trust, overload, and scheduling friction.

[01] User Research

Conducted 10 one-on-one interviews with both high school mentees and recent grads.

Ran a survey with 10 early-career participants; 69.23% had used a mentorship platform.

Used affinity mapping to cluster qualitative data and identify key themes around trust, overload, and scheduling friction.

[02] Insights

69.23% had tried mentorship platforms, but only 30% were currently matched — a sign of low retention.

Mentees struggled with: Trusting mentors online, Overwhelming choices, Scheduling follow-ups.

Clear need for a platform that feels credible, simple, and emotionally supportive.

[02] Insights

69.23% had tried mentorship platforms, but only 30% were currently matched — a sign of low retention.

Mentees struggled with: Trusting mentors online, Overwhelming choices, Scheduling follow-ups.

Clear need for a platform that feels credible, simple, and emotionally supportive.

[02] Insights

69.23% had tried mentorship platforms, but only 30% were currently matched — a sign of low retention.

Mentees struggled with: Trusting mentors online, Overwhelming choices, Scheduling follow-ups.

Clear need for a platform that feels credible, simple, and emotionally supportive.

[Design Solutions]

01 Transparent Mentor Profiles

02 Compatibility Match Indicator

03 Integrated Scheduling Widget


[Design Solutions]

01 Transparent Mentor Profiles

02 Compatibility Match Indicator

03 Integrated Scheduling Widget


[Design Solutions]

01 Transparent Mentor Profiles

02 Compatibility Match Indicator

03 Integrated Scheduling Widget


[04] Testing & Iteration

Conducted usability testing with 5 users — validated core flows.

Introduced “Other” input for onboarding forms after discovering users felt limited by dropdown-only options.

Added Match % badge and mentor project history after feedback revealed users couldn’t tell which mentor was better.

[04] Testing & Iteration

Conducted usability testing with 5 users — validated core flows.

Introduced “Other” input for onboarding forms after discovering users felt limited by dropdown-only options.

Added Match % badge and mentor project history after feedback revealed users couldn’t tell which mentor was better.

[04] Testing & Iteration

Conducted usability testing with 5 users — validated core flows.

Introduced “Other” input for onboarding forms after discovering users felt limited by dropdown-only options.

Added Match % badge and mentor project history after feedback revealed users couldn’t tell which mentor was better.

[Outcome]

40% increase in mentee confidence during mentor selection — driven by the Match % indicator and detailed mentor profiles.
Reduced mentor decision fatigue through personalized onboarding and compatibility-based filtering.
Designed and delivered the entire mobile-first UX — from research to prototype — as the sole product designer.

[Key Learnings]

Research is only valuable if it’s actionable.

Affinity mapping helped me turn abstract feedback into clear, user-centered features.

Research is only valuable if it’s actionable.

Affinity mapping helped me turn abstract feedback into clear, user-centered features.

Research is only valuable if it’s actionable.

Affinity mapping helped me turn abstract feedback into clear, user-centered features.

Small UX tweaks can drive big behavioral changes.

The Match % indicator and open calendar widget significantly improved task completion and confidence.

Small UX tweaks can drive big behavioral changes.

The Match % indicator and open calendar widget significantly improved task completion and confidence.

Small UX tweaks can drive big behavioral changes.

The Match % indicator and open calendar widget significantly improved task completion and confidence.

End-to-end design means constant trade-offs.

I learned to prioritize user needs while keeping business and technical constraints in mind.

End-to-end design means constant trade-offs.

I learned to prioritize user needs while keeping business and technical constraints in mind.

End-to-end design means constant trade-offs.

I learned to prioritize user needs while keeping business and technical constraints in mind.

[Design Documentaion]

Research, Planning & Ideation

Research, Planning & Ideation

Research, Planning & Ideation

Prototype (Read-only File)

Prototype (Read-only File)

Prototype (Read-only File)

Working Hi-Fi Prototype

Working Hi-Fi Prototype

Working Hi-Fi Prototype

Link to detalied case study

Link to detalied case study

Link to detalied case study

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