Hello Carolina
The Problem
How might we help international students feel more confident navigating a new environment?
Arriving in a new country can be overwhelming — from figuring out transportation to understanding social cues. Many international students at UNC face challenges adjusting to daily life on and off campus.
My Role
Course Development(Independent)
May 2025 - July 2025
Designed and developed the full course independently, covering curriculum structure, interactive media, animations, UI layout, and voiceover integration.
Prototype Design (Team-based)
Jan 2025 - April 2025
The platform prototype was designed in Figma, with leadership focused on user flow structure, interface interactions, and alignment with the real-world needs of international students. The work was carried out collaboratively with one additional team member.
Course Overview
Hello Carolina Course
A task-based, animated learning journey
Hello Carolina is an online course designed to help international students—especially those new to Chapel Hill, North Carolina—adapt to daily life in the U.S. through task-based, animated modules. Topics include using public transportation, opening a bank account, dining out, and other essential real-world skills.
The course emphasizes active participation and reflection. Learners engage with interactive content and complete real-world tasks to build confidence and cultural understanding.
Tools:
Storyline 360
Vyond
Adobe Premiere Pro
Google Cloud Text-to-Speech
GitHub
Designer
Fuqing Ye
Audience
International Students who are new in the U.S, especially in Chapell Hill.
Methods & Theoretical Framework
For the Hello Carolina project, I applied a hybrid ADDIE + SAM model. ADDIE provided a systematic framework for structuring needs analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation, while SAM (Successive Approximation Model) supported rapid prototyping and iterative feedback. This combination allowed me to balance rigor with flexibility—critical when designing for international students who required timely, practical support.
01
Analysis
To design this course, I began by identifying the needs of international students who had just arrived in the U.S., especially at UNC Chapel Hill. Through interviews (interview questions are listed in the left) and informal conversations, I gathered insights into their daily challenges and adjustment process. Many students shared that they struggled with real-world tasks such as taking public transportation, opening a bank account, or dining in local restaurants.
Based on this analysis, I defined the course goal: to help learners adapt confidently to daily life in the U.S. while gaining cultural awareness and practical skills.
I also aligned the project with Adult Learning Theory (authentic, problem-centered tasks), Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) (practical task focus), and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (multiple means of engagement and accessibility).
02
Design
During the design phase, I created modular learning objectives for each real-world task. I developed detailed storyboards for animated video story to outline the sequence of learning activities and multimedia elements, ensuring the flow of each module was clear, purposeful, and accessible. Design decisions were guided by Cognitive Load Theory (breaking tasks into manageable steps, integrating visuals with text) and Multimedia Principles (dual coding, signaling, segmenting).
A sample Module Design Map is shown on the right, and you can view a detailed storyboard example here: Sample Storyboard
03
Development & Iteration (SAM cycles)
Development followed an iterative SAM cycle, with rapid prototypes tested by peers and SMEs:
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Storyline 360 → interactive modules with branching scenarios.
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Vyond → story-based animations modeling task walkthroughs and introducing etiquette and cultural gaps.
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Ollie (AI Virtual Guide) → initially designed as a prototype character in Figma, then further developed in the course as both a narrative guide and an AI-powered chatbot integrated with Character.AI for just-in-time learner support.
Feel free to click on the screenshots below to view samples:
Each prototype was tested, refined, and re-released in short cycles, ensuring learner feedback directly shaped improvements. Accessibility checks (WCAG 2.1 compliance, alt-text, color contrast) were integrated into every iteration.
04
👉
Implementation
The final product was launched as an HTML-based website with 7 interactive modules. Learners could explore step-by-step guides, animations, and self-check interactions at their own pace. Ollie the chatbot provided conversational support, extending learning beyond the static modules.
05
Evaluation
Evaluation was embedded through formative feedback (pilot learner surveys, usability tests, peer reviews) and summative review (alignment with learning outcomes and accessibility standards). Insights gathered informed final refinements and provided direction for potential future scaling in Canvas LMS.
Reflection on the Hybrid Model
Using ADDIE + SAM together enabled me to:
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Maintain structure and clarity through systematic analysis and evaluation.
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Ensure agility by testing prototypes early and incorporating feedback quickly.
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Create a learner-centered solution that was both pedagogically sound and practically useful.
This hybrid approach not only produced a stronger course, but also modeled the kind of flexible, iterative design process I bring to future projects.
Prototype Overview
Hello Carolina Platform Prototype
A Task-Based Learning Platform for International Students
Project Overview
Hello Carolina is an interactive learning platform designed to support international students in in adapting to life in Chapel Hill.
The platform breaks down common challenges into clear, step-by-step task cards. It enables students to easily revisit procedures after completing a related course, solving the problem of forgetting key steps when facing these tasks in real life.
To support platform’s content, a transportation course is built to supports learners in understanding and using the bus system around Chapel Hill
Tools:
Figma
Rise 360
Miro
Veed.io
Team
Fuqing Ye
Yingqi Wu
Xiaoyu Han
Hui Yang
Audience
International Students who are new in the U.S.
Methods & Theoretical Framework
This prototype was developed in Design of Emerging Technologies for Education (EDUC761), using a full-cycle Design Thinking process. By empathizing with learners, defining challenges, prototyping, and testing iteratively, the approach ensured a learner-centered and usable solution grounded in creativity and empathy.
01
Understand & Empathize
To better understand the needs of my users, we talked with several international students who had just arrived in Chapel Hill. We wanted to learn what challenges they faced during their first month in the U.S.
From these interviews, I created a user persona and a jobs-to-be-done map based on their goals and actions.
Some key takeaways:
When facing problems, students often:
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Ask friends, alumni, or WeChat groups for help
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Search online and compare different sources
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Make their own to-do lists and set reminders to stay organized
Their goals include:
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Practical: Finish tasks like opening a bank account, setting up transportation, and handling visa paperwork
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Emotional: Feel less nervous or lost, and more in control
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Social: Adjust to daily life and local culture more smoothly
These insights helped me focus the design on giving clear, step-by-step support for real-life situations.
02
Define
After organizing my findings from the interviews, we started to define the key problems and user needs.
We created a critical item diagram to help me focus on what matters most for international students during their first month in the U.S.
Here’s what I found:
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Students need quick and reliable access to useful information, especially for daily tasks like housing, transportation, and banking.
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Many feel overwhelmed or anxious, so they prefer step-by-step guidance and simple language.
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They want chances to practice real-life scenarios (like how to visit a doctor or get a driver’s license) in a safe, low-stress way.
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Video-based support, visual layouts, and learning-by-doing experiences are more effective than long text.
These insights helped me shape the platform's direction — it should be clear, practical, and emotionally supportive.
03
Ideate
After defining the users’ main needs, we started to brainstorm possible solutions.
We brainstormed and created a large idea map to explore different formats, tools, and features that could support international students.
We focused on areas like:
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Mini video courses with animations and interactive tasks
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Real-life task checklists with step-by-step guidance
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Social features like mentor groups or student events
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Tools for organizing information, including uptating, reminders and notifications
Then, we used a dot voting activity to choose the most useful features based on our user goals. Ideas like “video guidance,” “task manager,” and “information updating” stood out. These became the key parts of prototype.
04
Prototype - Part 1
Wireframe
To visualize the user journey, We first created a low-fidelity wireframe showing the main layout and features of the platform.
The wireframe includes key pages such as:
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Home Page: Displays mini courses and upcoming tasks
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Tasks Page: Shows a checklist of real-life tasks for international students
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Task Detail Page: Offers step-by-step guidance on how to complete each task (e.g., how to take a bus or open a bank account)
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Courses Page: Allows users to explore all available self-paced courses
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Updates Page: Lets users submit updated information and receive announcements
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Course Page: Shows the course content in a simple, scrollable format
In this version, I focused on organizing the information in a clear and friendly way, so users can easily find what they need without feeling overwhelmed.
Homepage&Taskspage
Coursepage&Updates
Courecontentpage
Homepage&Taskspage
04
Prototype - Part 2
High-Fidelity Design & Avatar
👉
After building the wireframe, we developed a high-fidelity interactive prototype in Figma to bring the platform to life.
The interface was designed with clarity and calmness in mind, helping users complete important tasks without feeling overwhelmed. The layout highlights key actions like checking tasks, starting mini-courses, and submitting updated information.
To make the platform more engaging and supportive, I designed an original avatar named Ollie.
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Ollie is inspired by two symbols:
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The Old Well, a landmark of UNC
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An octopus, which represents intelligence, adaptability, and having many “arms” to gather information
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The color palette is based on the official UNC style guide, using friendly pinks and blues to make the visual identity soft, welcoming, and student-centered.
Ollie appears across the platform to guide users, offer encouragement, and explain tasks. By combining clear structure with emotional support, Ollie helps new students feel less alone when facing unfamiliar challenges.
05
Test & Reflection
We tested the core user flows of Hello Carolina, including course navigation, task management, and feedback features. The testing included both qualitative feedback and A/B testing to check overall usability and interface design.
Overall, users were able to complete key tasks smoothly and responded positively to the layout and structure. The test also helped us identify areas for small improvements, such as button placement and wording.
Based on these results, we made updates to improve clarity and plan to continue refining the design in future iterations.
