UIUX Projects by Koushiki

Case Study

2.5 months

Tested and realised

Key Challenges

Desk Research

Reviewed existing articles and forums on newcomer challenges
Mapped common pain points in bureaucracy, housing, and finance
Identified gaps existing resources didn't cover

Real Conversations

Curated question sets for students and working professionals
Conducted in-depth 1:1 interviews to hear real experiences
Surfaced emotional and practical pain points firsthand

Numbers Behind the Stories

Distributed a structured survey to a wider group
Measured how often each challenge occurred
Validated the severity and impact of each issue

Connecting the Dots

Combined qualitative and quantitative findings
Identified recurring patterns and behaviours
Clustered insights into core user needs

Naming the Problem

Framed the core problem around stress and lost time
Highlighted fragmented administrative systems
Set clear criteria for what the solution must solve

The First Idea:

Student Buddy

Built the first version, Student Buddy, from the problem statement
Tested it with real users for feedback
Used the results to guide the next iteration

1.Student Buddy

Started as a solution for international students

2.Tested & Learned

User feedback revealed needs beyond university life

3.Expanded to German BUDDY

Evolved to support job seekers, Opportunity Card holders, and other newcomers

Reserch

4.Retaining Users Throughout Their Journey

Staying relevant by supporting newcomers as their needs evolve across life in Germany

EMPLOYEE JOURNEY

ONBOARDING

STUDENT JOURNEY

ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEWS -6 PEOPLE

GOOGLE SURVEY - 20+ RESPONSES

100% grounded in real people: every insight came from human interviews, field observation, and firsthand survey data

The key journeys that help expats navigate everyday life and essential services in a new city

Design System

Arrive. Connect. Belong

Amanda

Sam

Persona 1

Persona 2

Amanda is an MA student in Visual and Experience Design who has been living in Berlin for 18 months. She is building a new life in Germany while balancing studies, everyday responsibilities, and adapting to a new culture.

Sam moved to Berlin with an Opportunity Card and has been living in the city for 4 months. He is focused on building a career in Germany while adapting to a new environment. Alongside exploring the city and expanding his professional network, he is actively looking for work and improving his German for everyday life.

Major user flows

For the student profile

German BUDDY

Building Trust. Connecting Cultures. 🔵 Blue represents trust, security, reliability, and connection, making the brand feel both professional and welcoming.

Your digital companion for life in Germany

Visas, housing, work, and everyday admin - turned into clear, simple steps. No noise, just what you need, when you need it

Day 1

Key personas that German BUDDY serves

Making It Work

Market opportunity, the model, and how to measure whether German BUDDY is actually working for users and for the business

The free tier drives adoption and trust from day one; premium targets the moments of highest stress - the 79.2% who say they can't solve admin issues alone, where people are most willing to pay for certainty

Unlike generic expat forums or static checklists, German BUDDY's guidance is built directly from validated research with real newcomers. Tested first as Student Buddy, then expanded. That's the differentiation: not more content, but the right content, personalised, at the moment it's needed

Business Model : Freemium

Success Metrics

GROWTH & RETENTION

Are people coming back?

Week-1 retention, checklist completion rate, and % of users who complete their first admin task inside the app

REVENUE

Is the model working?

Free-to-premium conversion rate, average revenue per user, and premium retention past month one

DIFFERENTIATION

Why German Buddy, not a forum?

Time to first task completed vs. self-guided research, and trust score from the post-onboarding survey