Embedded Files
Project Overview
Project Overview
Client
Illinois Institute of Technology - Institute of Design Alumni Association
Client Description
The Institute of Design (ID) at Illinois Institute of Technology is a graduate school of design, located in Chicago, founded in 1937 by László Moholy-Nagy as the New Bauhaus. ID is widely regarded as one of the most intellectually rigorous and research-driven design programs in the world. Unlike many design schools focused primarily on craft or aesthetics, ID is rooted in the idea that design is a mode of thinking and problem-solving - not just making.
Team
Mo Goltz worked in collaboration and co-created with two UX Designers
My Role
Lead Learning Experience Designer
Timeline
2 Weeks
Deliverable
This document serves as the primary means of self-directed asynchronous onboarding training for the Alumni Network of IIT ID.
The Ask and Context
The Ask and Context
The Institute of Design (ID) at Illinois Institute of Technology set out to transform its alumni network - previously scattered across fragmented, underutilized groups - into a single, unified community. To do so, the Alumni Networking team turned to Discord, a powerful platform for communication and community building. However, Discord occupies an unconventional corner of the networking software landscape: its interface and logic differ significantly from the business-oriented tools most professionals already know. For new users, that unfamiliarity has a real cost - onboarding tends to involve significant roadblocks to user access, the ability to navigate the site and user error notifications prior to successfully onboarding and access onboarding tends to involve significant roadblocks to user access, the ability to navigate the site and user errors prior to successfully onboarding.
Problems
Problems
Discord's power comes with a usability tradeoff: its unconventional interface rewards persistence but punishes impatience. New alumni users who couldn't find their footing quickly were more likely to drop out/off the site prior to being able to engage with the platform.
Goals
Goals
The core objective was to drive immediate engagement among new alumni while building the habits and hooks that would retain them over time - turning early adopters into a growing, self-sustaining community.
Process and Approach
Process and Approach
1 - Learn all I can about Discord
Read and watch official documentation
Read and watch 3rd party community generated content
2 - Write document outline, get feedback, iterate
3 - Write full documentation, get feedback, iterate
Solution
Solution
Summary: Discord is a communication platform organized into communities called servers. These servers use a hierarchy of categories and channels (including text, voice, stage, and announcement types) to manage information flow. The interface is visualized in four blocks—Servers (far left), Channels (left sidebar), Conversation Feed (center), and Members/Roles (far right. Users can organize their server collection with folders and manage private interactions via the Home Space for Direct Messages and private calls, which feature the noise-cancellation tool, Krisp. The document outlined paid features like Discord Nitro and Server Boosting, explains how Roles manage permissions, and stresses essential etiquette such as managing notification pings, avoiding "asking to ask," and refraining from pinging staff except in emergencies.
Reduced the learning curve and time to first value (TFV)
Increased adoption
Increase user satisfaction (self-reported)
Increase user base size
Final Deliverable
Final Deliverable
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