All Work
Project Showcase · StrongMind Hackathon

Vlogger

A 24-hour hackathon app that puts a human face on online teaching, helping students know their teacher is a real person, not just a name on a screen.

Role
UX / UI DesignerResearch · Visual Design
Company
StrongMindInternal Hackathon
Platform
Mobile · iOSIonic Framework
Duration
24 HoursCompany Hackathon
Vlogger App
Background

Humanizing the teacher

Teachers have a difficult job. Even more so when they never physically meet their students. Students log on and do their work, seeing words typed by a faceless "Mrs. Thompson." Wouldn't it be great to add a face to a name? To add emotions and reality behind knowing who your teacher is?

That was the core goal of Vlogger: help students know their teacher isn't just another person, but another human being. The result: higher student ownership, retention, and engagement.

Hypothesis: Students who feel a human connection to their teacher will demonstrate stronger ownership of their school work, raising retention rates and grades.

Ionic · Hybrid Framework Mobile UI · Interface Design Video Streaming · Core Feature Hackathon · Rapid Build

Process

Idea to screens in seven hours

The project kicked off with an hour-long session bringing together Product Development, Marketing, and the CEO to align on product vision and expectations. After whiteboard brainstorming, engineers started the Ionic framework foundation while I designed the screens, 7 hours from whiteboard sketches and market research to the UI you see here.

Vlogger dashboard

Vlogger's dashboard, where students find their teacher's latest videos

Vlogger teacher info

Easy-to-access teacher info and video content that facilitates learning and discussion


Features

What shipped in 24 hours

  • Dashboard with full menu functionality
  • Teacher video uploading and viewing
  • Dashboard updating dynamically on video upload
  • Live stream functionality
  • Mobile-first responsive layout
Vlogger flow Vlogger detail

Complete experience flow and nuanced power of the teacher profile in detail


Learnings

What I learned

  • 1Speed doesn't mean sloppy. Constraints forced sharp decisions about what mattered most; the result was a focused, coherent product rather than a bloated one.
  • 2A clear emotional problem makes design faster. When you know exactly what feeling you're designing for (connection, humanity), decisions snap into place.
  • 3Hackathons are one of the best forcing functions for cross-functional collaboration. Walls between roles dissolve when everyone is building something together under pressure.