Building an All-in-One Tool for Cultural Gaps
Research Insights
Uncovered 3 pain points and root causes
01
Cultural Misunderstandings
Often struggled with unintentional miscommunication due to unfamiliar cultural expressions and etiquette.
02
Awkward Silences
Participants reported difficulty keeping conversations flowing, especially when meeting new partners without shared context.
03
Lack of Post-Interaction Value
After the meetup, users felt unsure how to reflect or track their learning progress, leading to low engagement and retention.
User Interview
10 International Students / 5 American
Interview Data
Revealed key barriers.
87%
International Students
Struggled with conversation and cultural barriers.
80%
American
Prioritized language proficiency for meaningful connection.
Competitor Analysis & SWOT Analysis
Revealed shortcomings in existing products.
User journey
Pain points of international students
Zooming in on conversation discomfort, cultural and language barriers that hinder meaningful local connections.
Research methods
Research methods that led to the problem
50+ Web Articles & Academic Papers
Explored the benefits and challenges of meetups
15 In-Depth Interviews
With 10 international students and 5 American
Competitor Analysis
To identify strengths, gaps, and missed opportunities
Fly-on-the-Wall Observation
To observe cross-cultural behaviors and social dynamics
ideation
Rapid sketching led me to an “aha” moment
I realized that integrating a mobile app, extension, and AI would best support users meetups journey.
I designed an integrated platform to help international students overcome cultural and communication barriers for meetups, resulting in a +100 NPS score and a CSAT of 83%.
MY ROLE
Product Designer
TOOL
Figma
ProtoPie
TIMELINE
Sep 2023 - May 2024
Contribution
Market & User Research
Product Strategy
Product Design
User Testing
Research methods
50+ Papers
Explored the benefits and challenges of in-person meetups between locals and international students.
15 Interviews
Spoke with 10 international students and 5 locals to uncover motivations and challenges.
Competitor Analysis
Identified strengths, gaps, and missed opportunities by comparing with existing products.
Research methods
50+ Papers
Explored the benefits and challenges of in-person meetups between locals and international students.
15 Interviews
Spoke with 10 international students and 5 locals to uncover motivations and challenges.
Competitor Analysis
Identified strengths, gaps, and missed opportunities by comparing with existing products.
Initial prototypes & user flow
How each feature supports users throughout the meetup?
Testing insights
What 10+ user tests revealed and how it shaped iteration?
Final Iteration #1
Technical limit → Clipboard-driven solution
Before
Technical constraint:
No way to process others’ messages.
After
Solution: Custom Keyboard IME + Clipboard Access.
Step 1: Copy incoming message and open AI Assist
Step 2: Select a tool to interpret or get help replying
Final Iteration #2
Passive transcription → Proactive conversation support
Before
Basic speech-to-text transcript function
After
NLP-powered silence detection + context-aware response suggestions.
Step 1: Detect silence lasting over 3 seconds
Step 2: Trigger contextual suggestions to support the user
Introducing
An integrated extension, app, and AI to bridge cultural and communication gaps
Impacts in Numbers
How 6 testers rated the CrossCue experience?
79
SUS
Indicated strong usability and positive overall feedback.
+100
NPS
All 6 testers gave a top score of 10 in their likelihood to recommend.
83%
CSAT
5 out of 6 participants rated 9 or 10 in satisfaction, showing strong user approval.
Probelm statement
International students struggle to connect with American due to communication and cultural barriers, missing chances for meaningful interaction.
Final design Highlight #1
Cross-Platform Integration: Extension + App
Seamlessly bridges fragmented user experiences to support users before, during, and after meetups.
Final design Highlight #2
Before Meetup: Cultural + Contextual Translation
Goes beyond basic translation, AI Assist explains cultural expressions to reduce misunderstandings in chats.
Final design Highlight #3
During Meetup: Silence Detection + Smart Follow-Up Prompts
Leverages NLP to detect pauses and confusion, offering timely follow-up prompts to prevent silences and sustain the flow.
Final design Highlight #4
After Meetup: Conversation Reflection Tool
Merges saved insights and progress tracking to support reflection, review, and continuous learning.
Learnings
Key takeaways from this project
01
Tackling Complexity
As my first time tackling such a comprehensive and multi-layered design challenge, it felt daunting at first, but it taught me how to break down big goals into manageable steps.
02
Seeking Guidance
I realized the importance of actively seeking feedback and support from instructors to move my work forward when feeling stuck.
03
Personal Growth
I learned to stop comparing myself to others and instead focus on making decisions that align with my own goals and aspirations.
