The product
The university app was designed for students on the go, who perhaps have a part-time job, in order to make the collage experience as seamless as possible. On this platform, students can create a profile, join classes and manage everything related to courses, homework and exams.
Duration:
2 Months
My role:
UX UI
Responsibilities:
User research, define, wireframing, prototyping
Project overview
The Problem
After the pandemic period, some universities decided to continue the courses in a hybrid model, both physical and online attendance was accepted. However, the online option presented some difficulties in that the student had to check multiple different software services such as Webex, Google Classroom, E-mail, etc. Staying on top of all these apps begins to be cumbersome combined with 5-6 different classes and teachers.
Project goals
We wanted the students to be able to manage their courses on their mobile devices no matter where they are
Students need to be able to access their course information in a quick and easy way
Students need a way to quickly check and submit homework, directly from their mobile devices
Design Process
Understanding the user
User research
The research was performed using a combination of methods. Primary, secondary research and also individual interviews. We discovered that the students had no dedicated app/platform were they could find information about their course schedule or course history. They had to submit their homework via multiple different options: website upload, manual delivery or email submission.
After the research was done, we managed to fit all these options in a single easy to use application.
Competitive Analysis
Competitive analysis is an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and potential competitors. We performed a market research looking for similar products and websites of which 2 of them are more relevant. Unfortunately, Romanian universities have not created their own platform for online studies. They rely on multiple programs such as Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, Webex, Gmail etc.
User journey map
Starting the design
Paper wireframes
Digital wireframes
User flow
Refining the design
Users tried to enter today’s course
Supporting evidence from the usability study.
4 participants would have liked to be able to join the course that is live now faster from the main menu.
3 participants failed to find live courses before this process became frustrating.
“It becomes very frustrating, I am never able to quickly find out what the next course is on the schedule.”
Timetable flow
Supporting evidence from the usability study.
3 out of 5 participants considered that they would like to get to the homework assignment directly from the calendar.
2 out of 5 participants found it quite difficult to identify which filter is active.
“It is quite complicated to find the homework.”
Mockups
High-fidelity prototype
Accessibility considerations
Takeaways
Impact: This application helps students to keep track of their college life/activities: courses, homework assignments, student-teacher communication and grading.
What I learned: As is the case with college, this application is only the beginning and more improvements and functionalities can and should be implemented with time.