Ui/Ux Engineer

Derrick Rea

Case Study #2


Website Audit and Redesign

Design an Admissions page that clearly defines the message and history of the University. In addition to that, a work flow that simplifies the users task in enrolling as a prospective student or a returning student. The old page is due for a much needed update and refresh. The objective of the refresh is a holistic strategy to increase enrollment for the University.

  • Team Project | Lead on UI/UX

  • Tools: Adobe XD, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
  • Car


Empathize

EMPATHIZE (Objective)

Design an interactive website that allows students to easily apply for enrollment and programs. Clearly defines the role of the programs and department. Highlight program achievements accolades and historical data.

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Landing Page





The Problem

After learning more about the application process I began to see the many pain points students were having in completing just simple task. I began to review other institutions of learning and studying how they approach the application process. How they organized there information and the journey students took to accomplish task.

  • 1st Observation

  • Getting to the actual application page was very difficult and confusing
  • No clear CTA's. No clear task flow for the users to follow to accomplish any of their application needs
  • The user had to "click through at least 3 pages before anything meaningful was accomplished.The user had to spend entirely to much time "thinking" about what they needed to accomplish.
  • 2nd Observation

  • The UI was not visually helpful
  • Information was not where the user would expect it to be
  • The opportunity to communicate the University message to future students was not clear
  • 3rd Observation

  • Historical data about the University itself not communicated
  • An opportunity to leverage past achievemnets and accolades about the University to prospective students was not communicated as well
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Define

DEFINE

This project will require very detailed research. In my initial meeting/Needs assesment I will ensure i gather the business requirements from the client. Specifically, what would they like the user to accomplish. Secondly, user interviews will be critical to capture the "pain points" of the users.

This information will assist me in creating wireframes and task flows. The navigational structure will be robust and large. Site map and content audit will be critical as well..

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Ideate

IDEATE


Design/Plan Research

In this case, the problem was getting users to complete the application process. Defining the obstacles users are combatting is the key to meeting the clients business needs. The solution, creating a task flow with clear "CTA's" that guide the users through the process. I’ll build an inspirational mood board, sketch out ideas and build wireframe task flows that solves for user requirements.

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Mood Boards

To help establish the basics and a baseline I made a mood board. Mood boards are very fluid and allow for colloboration. In my research I need to find examples of landing pages that organized large amounts of information effectivly.

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Low-Fidelity

Wireframing will be used to explore the user experience.The wireframing will help identify a more efficient user flow for the user. In this project I want to ensure users know exactly what they need to do.Implememting strong CTA's and a visual design that will guide them through a familiar application process.

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Prototype

PROTOTYPE


Solution

Understanding that the user is very task oriented my goal is to ensure that information is readily available. I also want to make the process memorable and learnable. From my researsch and interviews I learned that the users will be returning to the page frequently. If the user is not satisfied and can efficiently accomplish their goals, the new site will not be successful.

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Test

TEST


Validate and Implement

  • The stakeholders remained active during the process and offered consistent feeback to all solutions during development

  • A few call outs included:
  • Capturing SEO data
  • Some of the CTA's getting lost in the imagery

TAKE AWAYS / WHAT I LEARNED


Take Aways.

  • I was able to use my skills to meet my clients needs

  • Time constraints kept us from:
  • More focus groups and interviews
  • Working closely with other departments that overlap in the process

What I learned.

This project begin to take on a life of its own as we began our researsch and audit of pages. Gathering information and business requirements from the client I found to be a good opportunity to ensure I was asking the right questions. I learned as a UX Designer, I need to ensure that in my initial meeting and and needs assesment conversations. I am listening and understanding. New issues did come up through research and testing. However, we were able to manage expectations with our client because we kept the lines of communication open.