Virgil
An app to simplify the school searching process for parents of kids and teens from ages K-12.
Role
Product Designer
Tools
Figma
Project Type
Concept/MVP Design
Timeline
Three weeks
The Challenge & Outcome
I was challenged with understanding how parents looking for K-12 schools select the school of their choice. The core issue was... the overwhelming, disorganized nature of the school searching process for parents.
To solve the problem, I created an MVP that offers organized comparison tools and filtering of schools, designed to cut a user’s school search time by 50%
Discovery & Research
To begin my research, I created a user persona, Anna. I also conducted a user interview to get real user feedback.
Additionally, I created a user journey map to track how another user, Diana, might be feeling throughout each step in the app.
I successfully matched users to schools by 50% faster than competitors
I achieved this goal by implementing features like quick search, interactive maps, a personalized list of schools, and more below
Design & Prototyping
To translate the UX goals I had for this app into a friendly and reliable experience, my style guide was established emphasizing trust and clarity
My color palette centers on deep blues, balanced by accessible teals and warm yellows, ensuring high contrast and legibility for data-heavy screens
For typography, I selected the Quicksand typeface. I valued the typeface for it’s rounded forms, to help provide a professional, appearance while maintaining an inviting and approachable tone.
After successfully establish my style guide, I moved into translating my sketches into low and high fidelity wireframes, as seen below
Reflecting on Virgil
Working on Virgil showed me the importance of translating complex, high-stakes data into a simple, actionable user experience.
From my design process, I proved that even small, intentional design choices-like the added educational articles-can significantly boost user engagement and confidence.
The measurable impact of the MVP was significant: 100% of testers successfully found schools matching their top three criteria, and 90% of users expressed confidence in making a selection after using the side-by-side comparison tool.
Furthermore, the design achieved a high usability score of 85/100 on the System Usability Scale (SUS).
