Overview
The UCSD Makerspace check-in system was broken. Glitchy, confusing, and slow enough to create lines at the door. Students were skipping sign-in entirely—a problem when check-ins validate safety compliance and track funding metrics. I redesigned the system from the ground up and worked with the dev team to ship it.
Goals
Early on, people were skipping check-in. The system was confusing and slow, so they'd bypass it entirely. Problem is, check-in validates safety compliance and tracks monthly users—metrics the school uses to determine funding. No check-ins meant we couldn't prove people were actually using the space. I needed to redesign the system before we lost both users and dollars.
User Research
As a maintenance intern, I ran the front desk for six months. I watched students, faculty, and industry partners all struggle with the same thing: a system that didn't make sense.
The Makerspace serves three user groups: UCSD students, academic staff, and third-party companies partnering with the university.
How it works
Walk in, face a monitor. Tap your ID on the black box. If you have an account, you're in. If not, make one. Then scan a QR code for the safety waiver.
That was the theory. In practice, the interface was a mess.
User Flow
I mapped the flow with the dev team. User taps ID. Four paths from there:
Path 1: Account + waiver signed → welcome screen
Path 2: Neither → create account → sign waiver → welcome screen
Path 3: Account but no waiver → sign waiver → welcome screen
Path 4: Waiver but no account → create account → welcome screen
Lofi Prototype & User Testing
I wireframed it. Kept screens minimal, status visible throughout.
Tested with staff and users. Watched where they got stuck. Iterated. Tested again. Repeat.
The home and welcome screens stayed simple—clean entry and exit points. The account and waiver screens got split into two sections: Status (left side, tells you where you are and what's missing) and Process (right side, what you need to do now). Process got most of the screen real estate since that's where users interact.
Design System
Before going high-fidelity, I built a design system. The Makerspace is part of UCSD, so I pulled from their official colors—wanted that Triton spirit without just copying the university's look. Used Montserrat for type since it was already on the main website.
Hifi Prototype and More User Testing
First hifi pass: applied the design system to the wireframes. Color, typography, hierarchy.
Tested again. Feedback: too dry, colors felt off-brand. So I adjusted the palette and added features to make the flow feel smoother.
Key changes:
Added a colorful gradient pattern with a white frame around the screen
Built in a status indicator showing what's missing from their account
Ditched white backgrounds—the new pattern made everything easier on the eyes
Final Prototype
Showed my manager. He walked through the flow and spotted the problem immediately: users would look at the bigger right section first and miss the instructions on the left.
Fixed it. Expanded instructions to 2/3 of the screen, moved the progress checkmarks to the top. Clearer hierarchy, faster flow.
For account creation, we added ID swipe—pulls all user info automatically. Made manual entry the backup option.
Small polish: added transparent white backing to frames for better text legibility.
Hand-off
Handed off to the dev team. They were building in Tkinter (Python GUI framework), which has constraints. I named components specifically so they'd convert cleanly to code. Stayed close throughout development to solve any graphical issues that came up.
Implementation and Product Testing
Devs built it. We shipped it and tested with real users. Learned where the copy needed tweaking, where status indicators weren't clear enough. Adjusted.
Reflection
First time leading a full redesign from concept to deployment. Two things stuck:
Don't get trapped by the original design. Fresh problems need fresh solutions.
Small details matter. Seconds add up when you're processing hundreds of users.