Project Overview

Journey North was an initiative aimed at empowering high school students in Northern Adelaide by creating an online tool that mapped the South Australian entrepreneurship ecosystem. The project, part of the Northern Economic Plan, sought to provide students with access to local resources, job creation opportunities, and up-skilling initiatives to foster entrepreneurship in the region. Despite its promising start, the project was discontinued due to the defunding of the Northern Economic Plan.

My Work

• UX/UI Design: Led the design of the online platform, which guided students through the entrepreneurial ecosystem based on their needs and development stage. I designed user-friendly wireframes, mockups, and prototypes for the platform.

• Research & Outreach: Collaborated with local schools, businesses, and students to gather insights, feedback, and identify relevant opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs. Mapped out available resources such as workspaces, training programs, and scholarships, categorizing them to match different stages of entrepreneurial growth.

• Gamification: Designed a gamified structure for the platform, categorizing entrepreneurs into five stages (Cub, Apprentice, Grunt, Boss, Chief) and assigning avatars to make the entrepreneurial journey engaging and interactive.

• Prototyping & Testing: Developed low- and high-fidelity prototypes based on feedback from the working group and students. Conducted concept testing to ensure ease of use and relevance to the target audience.

• MVP Development: Worked closely with developers to bring the MVP to life, ensuring the platform catered to student needs and provided an accessible entry point to entrepreneurship.

Outcome

• The platform's wireframes and process maps were approved by the working group, and the high-fidelity prototypes tested successfully with students. Despite the project’s discontinuation, the groundwork laid out a clear vision for how entrepreneurship could be nurtured in the region.

• The project highlighted the importance of gamification and user-centric design in educational tools, providing valuable insights for future initiatives in entrepreneurship education.

Learnings

• Designing for education and entrepreneurship requires balancing functionality with engagement—gamification proved crucial in making the journey relatable and fun for young students.

• Extensive collaboration with local communities and stakeholders is essential to developing a product that meets the specific needs of its users.

• Although the project was halted, the experience reinforced the value of iterative design and the need for adaptability in response to external challenges, such as changes in funding.