StudyMateUW

StudyMate was designed to make finding study partners and forming study groups easier, more intentional, and more inclusive for students at the University of Washington. The goal was to create more meaningful academic focused matches by matching students based on shared classes, schedules, and study preferences.

Students struggle to meet classmates and form study groups in large or online settings. Existing tools (Canvas, Discord) lack dedicated matching systems for academic collaboration.

Problem

Research and Pain Points

  • Many of UW’s lectures are large, upwards of 150 people. In these situations it can be hard to connect with people organically. Additionally with the increased amount of hybrid options, it can be even harder to find a study partner that matches your preferences.

  • When in a lecture setting it can be hard to find someone that shares your preferences, availability, and interests. 30% of respondents felt that this was the main reason for not being able to for a good study or project group.

  • We have all been there, we sit there looking at the room full of people unable to even start connecting due to how overwhelming it can be. 55% of respondents said that this was the main reason for not reaching out to create study groups.

  • Through our research as much as 40% of students responded that they did not feel fully comfortable in a group due to lack of feeling accepted.

Solutions

  • StudyMate matches students automatically based on shared courses and compatible study styles.

  • Students can set study preferences, availability, and class tags to find well-aligned partners.

  • The swipe/match system lowers social barriers and lets students connect naturally with a system they are likely to be familiar with.

  • Tag-based profiles and flexible matching ensure inclusivity, letting users find peers by study habits or identity-based interests. We wanted to create a system where people could more easily find people with similar identity groups.

  • Homescreen

    Homepage with Suggested Matches

  • Homepage with groups

    Homepage with Suggested Groups

  • Match Page

    Initial Match Page

  • Match Page more detail

    Match Page With More Detail

Impact

  • Simplified academic networking for 40+ UW students in testing

  • Encouraged consistent study habits

  • Increased accessibility and inclusion in academic spaces

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