01 Work / Case Study
SAITMate: Bridging the Gap Between Students & Alumni
Project Overview
SAITMate is a platform designed to enhance communication and networking between students and alumni, addressing common challenges such as:
✶ Ineffective communication channels causing delays in student activities.
✶ Lack of mid-term mentorship, especially for specialized subjects.
✶ Mismatch between student expectations and career pathways within their programs.
By fostering collaboration across programs, SAITMate helps students build connections, share ideas, and prepare for their careers more effectively.
Identifying and Framing Problems
Origin of the Idea: SAIT students find it hard to connect across majors because current communication channels don’t work well. This reduces chances for networking and sharing ideas.
Key Problems Identified:
SAIT students seeking mentors.
IDD students struggling with current courses.
IDD students unsure about choosing the right major.
Rationale: These challenges impact many students, affecting communication, collaboration, mentorship, and information sharing. By addressing these core issues, we aim to enhance learning and create stronger connections at SAIT, driving meaningful change.
Generating Potential Solutions
Key Problems Identified:
1️⃣ Ineffective Communication – Poor communication channels create delays, limiting student activities and learning opportunities.
2️⃣ Lack of Mid-Term Mentorship – Students struggle to find guidance, especially when facing challenges in specialized subjects.
3️⃣ Career Path Uncertainty – A gap exists between student expectations and the available career paths in the program, making it difficult to make informed decisions.
✸ Solution Overview
To create a website application that provides immediate connectivity and information sharing among SAIT students.
Collecting Feedback
✸ Conclusion
The survey confirms that students lack cross-program collaboration opportunities but are willing to engage if given better tools. A dedicated communication platform with structured networking and collaboration features would significantly improve interdisciplinary interactions at SAIT.
Integrating Feedback
First Slideshow
Our initial idea was to have navigation bars at both the top and
bottom, with the top bar organizing posts into ASK, Mentor, and
All, and the bottom bar separating Partners and Community.
However, this setup has proven confusing and n e e d s
simplification.
After the survey, we simplified the interface for better usability.
Users found the three navigation bars confusing, so reducing the
design's complexity will improve navigation clarity.
Second Slideshow
After meeting with the industry mentor, we removed the top
navigation bars and organized content by tags and topics. Posts
are searchable, a community list with "favourites" is on the right,
and the top-right includes notifications and chat. An expandable
user list shows online users ranked by activity.
Final Results
✸ Delivering the Comprehensive Solution
Centralized Board Wall Provides an easy-to-use interface for resources, communication, and recommendations.
SAITMate connects students and alumni through real-time chat, mentorship matching, and an intuitive dashboard.
Post-launch, 73% of students plan to use it regularly, and 50% report better networking, proving its impact on career growth. Future updates will enhance engagement and opportunities.
© 2025 Chloe Sueun Choi