Dorm Dot
Dorm Dot is a light that you put outside of your dorm room door to indicate the vibe you’re feeling. If you are studying and want a focused environment, turn on blue. If you want some privacy, turn on red. Dorm Dot allows for a new, unspoken way to communicate and connect with the people in your dorm through just a light and an app on your phone.
My Role
Founder
Project
Individual Project
Timeline
Spring 2023
Tools Used
Figma
Overview
Background
The goal of this project was to identify and solve one of our everyday "pet peeves." We began by brainstorming a list of 50 personal pet peeves and then selected one that we could come up with solutions for. After choosing a specific issue, we developed a product designed to solve the problem and presented it to the class in a final video.
Design Process
Project Planning
Need Finding + Idea Generation
Challenge
Problem Statement
How might we create a platform that increases interaction, encourages social engagement, and respects the communal living spaces while maintaining a sense a privacy and security among your community?
Wire-framing to Prototype
Need Finding + Idea Generation
I began my design process with wire-framing. I created a grayscale view of the home page, marking out sections and general layouts for my components. I wanted this page to present the user with all of the information they needed to experience the main functionalities of the app. Once satisfied with the design, I translated it into a high-fidelity prototype.
Search by…
Dot Selection
Light Color | Choose your vibe
There are six colors to represent six different vibes: green (home), red (private), blue (study), orange (calm), dark blue (quiet), purple (party). Depending on what you are feeling, each user can select which dot color best represents their room, adjust the brightness of the light, choose private or public, set a timer and persons limit, and add an activity comment to give more context to your selection.
Profile Page | Current & Past Cards
Below are the screens that show current and past light cards. Here, users can see their live card - displaying light color and vibe, dorm location, room number, description, group members, and time stamp. If a user would like to view previous cards, either to reference or reactivate, they can clicked on the past tab to view all.
Activity | Social Engagement & Activity
The app allows users to add room activity descriptions and manage friend requests by accepting or declining them within the notification center. This feature gives users greater control over their privacy, ensuring that their light color and dorm room information are visible only to a selected group.
Dorm Dot | Video Prototype
▶︎ CLICK on the screen to play
This video goes through the main experiences of the app:
Dorm (home page)
Activity (activity page)
Dorm Dot (light color)
Doorbell (notifications)
Profile (Profile)
Light Colors
Six Colors : Your room your choice
Reflection
Takeaways
Dorm Dot is a project that I am both excited and proud of - one that I would love to see come to life some day. It is the first project that I poured my design skills into, constantly iterating, testing, and expanding ideas for my vision. I have had first-hand experience with the awkwardness of living in dorms, especially as a freshman where you are placed with a random roommate, and having an unspoken way to connect with others and low the barrier-to-entry to make a new friend seemed like a valuable need to address. I hope to find time in the future to continue this project and see where it may go.
