AI-powered tool that supports students navigating housing and college relocation
EASE: Capstone project 2025
Team: Dave Remedios, & Arunima Sinha
Capstone Project
A digital platform designed to support students in the U.S. as they navigate housing and adjust to moving to a new state or city for college.
The Motivation
I took a trip to visit a friend still in university, living with a group of Indian students in New Jersey. Their living conditions were far worse than I had imagined and the experience truly impacted me, motivating my decision to work in this space.
The Need
United States hosts more than 1.1 million international students at higher education institutions, reaching an all-time high
The Guiding Question
How might we help students in navigating life in a new city by offering tailored guidance and community driven support systems that makes transitions and living, less overwhelming?
We designed a digital platform that provides these students with personalized guidance and smarter decision-making support.
Concept Testing
Single Page Brochure
Concept Testing Workshops
To assess the potential of the platform, we first distributed a one-page flyer to a diverse group of stakeholders, including American and international students, teaching faculty, university administrators, and real estate agencies, to gather initial feedback on the concept. We then conducted a participatory workshop with students from eight different countries to identify the most essential and impactful features the tool should offer.
“By having somebody who is already in the city. A kind of mentor who has traveled this path before, understands your situation, and is willing to help could be a real game changer”
International Student in NY – Design Strategist
Secondary Research
Landscape Analysis
Potential Collaborators
As part of our desk research, we conducted an extensive landscape analysis to understand the competitive landscape and identify areas where we could strengthen our unique selling proposition (USP). In addition to a detailed competitor analysis, we also identified potential collaborators who could support EASE at various stages and provide a competitive edge in the market.
Project Planning
Functional breakdown plotted over time Developmental Matrix
Each function of the tool was broken down into specific deliverables, which were then mapped against timelines, milestones, potential risks, assessment points, and possible exit strategies in case things didn’t go as planned. For each function, we planned for five different scenarios, ranging from very positive to very negative, resulting in a development matrix that effectively served as a rapid response system during the project’s development and execution phases.
Data Curation
We sent out a carefully crafted set of questions to a select group of students from over eight different countries to collect their preference data. This data was then fed into an AI model, which we trained to extract relevant information based on user inputs. Finally, we tested the accuracy of the AI-curated data.
Customised Roadmap
The data generated by the AI model is then further curated into a personalized roadmap, broken down into eight distinct steps to help students acclimate to a new environment.
“I really wish I had access to a platform like this, that would have helped me prepare for my move.
It would have saved me so much time, effort, and most of all, money!”
Muskan G.
International Student in NY
Design Strategist and Graphic Designer
Lo-fidelity Prototype
Usability Testing Workshop
Once the basic user flow was wireframed and designed, we conducted a workshop to test both the user experience and, more importantly, the overall effectiveness of the tool.
Refined Prototype
Based on feedback from the workshop participants, we made modifications to the user journey and the design of the tool.
Next Steps
PARTNERSHIPS
Secure technical and academic partner to support development and deployment
USER ONBOARDING
Start outreach to student communities for early adoption and feedback
MENTORSHIP
Guidance from AI experts, ed- tech, international student services, and startup development
REFINE MVP
Finalize and test our minimum viable product based on feedback from advisors and early users
PILOT LAUNCH
Begin beta testing with a partner university to validate features and gather usage data