KobeCityJets is a centralized web platform designed to simplify how Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) and Coordinators for International Relations (CIRs) access essential resources, forms, and city information in Kobe. This project aimed to streamline communication and reduce confusion caused by fragmented information systems.
Client:
Kobe JETs Community (in collaboration with CIRs)
My Role:
UI/UX Design, Research, Visual Design, Prototyping
Year:
2025
Tools:
Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects
With essential city resources scattered across multiple sites, PDFs, and outdated channels, new and current ALTs often struggled to find accurate information about their contracts, leave processes, and daily life in Kobe. CIRs, in turn, faced repetitive inquiries and time lost on administrative support.
KobeCityJETs introduces a centralized web platform designed to unify essential resources, streamline communication, and support both new and veteran ALTs in Kobe.
The interface prioritizes clarity, accessibility, and real-time support, bringing fragmented information into one cohesive dashboard.
The homepage gives a clear snapshot of upcoming events, key forms, and quick-access resources. Everything important is surfaced in one glance, removing the need to dig through chats, emails, or old folders.
Forms, templates, and handbooks are now categorized and searchable, reducing confusion over which version or file to use. Clear tags and visual hierarchy simplify navigation across dozens of frequently referenced documents.
New ALTs can follow a structured checklist that covers contract setup, school introductions, and emergency preparation. Progress indicators and direct links ensure no step is missed during the hectic first weeks.
Critical emergency information is now centralized. Bilingual contact lists, nearby hospital maps, and translated resources are available in just two taps, helping ALTs respond quickly in urgent situations.
The digital guidebook consolidates contract rules, leave procedures, and cultural orientation resources into one accessible format. Designed primarily for desktop reading, it ensures that long-form content remains clear and scannable.
CIRs gain a secure management panel to upload documents, post updates, and manage access permissions. This reduces repetitive email tasks and maintains a single source of truth across all wards.
To understand how Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) and Coordinators for International Relations (CIRs) in Kobe currently access and share information, I conducted qualitative interviews, content mapping, and workflow analysis. The goal was to uncover patterns of inefficiency and identify opportunities to centralize information in a way that fits existing habits.
To better understand the challenges ALTs face when accessing important work information, I conducted a short survey focused on how they currently find, share, and manage official documents and updates.
I specifically targeted Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) working in Kobe City, as they represent the main user group for this project.
Type: ALTs (Public Schools)
Responses: 42 participants
City: Kobe, Japan
Demographic: 24 females | 18 males | Ages 22–38
Interviews with current ALTs and CIRs revealed recurring pain points: difficulty finding official forms, uncertainty about outdated procedures, and heavy reliance on informal LINE chats. Most participants mentioned frustration with inconsistent access and unclear document versions.
“
I usually know what form I need, but actually finding it is the hard part. Sometimes it’s in the Teams drive, but that’s only accessible on the school computer. Other times, someone sends it in LINE, but the file is outdated. I end up double-checking with the CIR just to make sure I’m using the right version. It wastes a lot of time for something that should be simple.
"
— Erika Low
2nd Year ALT (Kita Ward)
“
When I started, I didn’t even know there was a Teams server for ALTs. Most of the things I learned were from other ALTs in LINE group chats. There’s so much information spread between different places—LINE, email, printed sheets—that it’s hard to know what’s official or current. It makes the first few months really overwhelming.
"
— Kevin Basilio
1st Year ALT (Nada Ward)
The current communication flow between the Board of Education (BOE), CIRs, and ALTs is a fragmented, multi-step process involving emails, LINE groups, Teams files, and PDFs with no central ownership. across multiple disconnected tools. Each platform functions in isolation, forcing ALTs to check multiple channels for updates.
This mapping visualizes how the same message must travel through multiple unlinked channels before reaching its recipient. The result is duplicated effort, delays, and inconsistent access to crucial information.
To highlight inefficiencies, I mapped a common scenario: an ALT requesting and submitting a leave form. The process exposed redundant steps, lack of status visibility, and reliance on outdated communication tools like fax and email.
These findings informed four opportunity areas, guiding the design of a unified dashboard and communication hub.
Through mapping and interviews, recurring patterns revealed the need for a unified, transparent, and easily searchable system. These became the foundation for the redesign strategy.
The wireframes organize each section around the information ALTs search for most often. The goal was to create a predictable structure where resources, tasks and support pages can be accessed quickly without unnecessary steps.
To validate the usability and clarity of the experience, I walked through the prototype with CIRs Daniel Lee Chen and Elina So. Their feedback helped highlight what worked well and what needed refinement, especially around navigation flow, onboarding clarity, and content structure.
Working with CIRs revealed how fragmented communication between the Board of Education, schools, and ALTs shaped the sites structure. The design needed to reflect real-world information flow rather than the previous idealized hierarchy.
Feedback from ALTs showed that dense resources like the ALT Guidebook risked overwhelming users. I learned to segment content for quick scanning and retrieval instead of focusing on visual variety.
In emergencies or bureaucratic tasks, users prioritize clarity over aesthetics. Simplifying navigation and minimizing decision points became central to reducing stress and error.
The feedback and testing process didn’t just shape the interface—it revealed deeper questions about accessibility, long-term upkeep, and how digital tools can better support real people working across cultural and bureaucratic systems.
Working with CIRs reminded me that institutional systems evolve slowly. While I envisioned a unified ecosystem, the real success lay in creating a framework flexible enough for gradual adoption.
Translating UI solutions into something sustainable for government-affiliated users required empathy and constraint. I learned that good design in this context means designing for longevity, not perfection.
Design feedback often reflected cultural expectations around hierarchy and clarity. This experience deepened my understanding of how localized communication norms shape user perception and trust.
With feedback from both CIRs and ALTs, the next phase shifts toward refining how the platform works in real classrooms and offices—making sure it feels intuitive, sustainable, and ready for everyday use.
Prepare a live demo version for CIRs to present at the next national conference, gathering wider feedback from other municipalities.
Integrate child hospital listings and additional local services, refining search and tagging for faster filtering.
Develop a content migration strategy to ensure the site can move seamlessly to an official BOE or JET-managed domain without losing functionality.
