Revamping course discovery
This project was like diving into the deep end of a pool. From navigating UX challenges to mastering project and product management, I certainly bit off more than I could chew. While I stumbled and made my fair share of mistakes, each misstep became a stepping stone towards invaluable learning and growth.
40% increase in user satisfaction score*
80% increase in task completion*
Design mentioned in ABC news article
*Based on moderated A/B test results of final prototype.
| When | 2020/21 |
| My role | Project lead and designer |
| Deliverable |
|
| Duration | 1 year |
Final design and features
Users struggled to evaluate how well University courses aligned with their life and career goals.
No visual hierarchy or content structure creating cognitive overload
Information irrelevant to user needs.
Content inconsistency
X% bounce rate
The problem
No clear ownership or governance
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
All or nothing
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the differenc
Challenges beyond ‘bad design’
Methodology
Discovery
Reviewed user personas and journeys
Fortunately, I had already conducted user interviews and developed user journey and persona documentation to understand user needs and pain points.
Key learnings:
Initial visits focus on learning outcomes, career prospects, entry requirements, costs, and application dates.
Later visits explore application processes and scholarships.
Users open multiple tabs from search results and close complex ones.
Courses are shortlisted via bookmarking or saved for comparison.
Competitor analysis
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Most competitors used
on-page navigation
personalised content based on international/domestic status of user
Out of industry analysis
I also analysed websites where product pages are templates filled out by a community of authors (e.g.) Airbnb, Car Sales and Gumtree. These sites present design challenges for achieving consistency, and I wanted to understand how other organisations tackle them.
Stakeholder engagement & alignment
I organised several consults with stakeholders across the university. This was integral to ensuring project maintained it’s momentum and avoided scope creep:
Established stakeholder matrix
Clear communication of scope and timeline
Established approval process/hiearchy
Project hygeine
Design, test and iterate
Iterations
Early design concepts prioritised establishing the page's foundational elements, tackling navigation and layout challenges. These initial design choices laid the groundwork for the entire project.
Tested features
On page tab navigation with horiztonal scroll
Navigation labels
Content structure with clear visual hierarchy
Personalisation prompt
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Guerilla usability testing
Tested early designs with students available on campus to work through early iterations (focusing on navigation and personalisation).
Remote usability tests
10 test participants
30mins
Task based A/B testing
Key success metric was task completion
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Reduce navigation to 4 tabs which sticks to the top of the viewport. This ensures navigation is not missed by the user. It also fits within a mobile viewport and reduces the need to keep switching between several tabs
Personalisation prompt for first time visits. While this causes initial frustration, the benefit of providing more accurate and relevant information outweighs the initial interaction cost.
Challenges and complications
Learnings
Carve out something launchable
In hindsight, prioritising a launchable subset of the project would have been beneficial. Focusing on key features early on could have enabled me to deliver a better UX faster and gain valuable user insights sooner. Launching a 'minimal viable product' (MVP) could have allowed for validating assumptions and iterating more efficiently based on user feedback, accelerating development while enhancing user experience.
Addressing technical uncertainties head-on could have been invaluable. Encouraging a culture of openness about what we're unsure of might have helped us identify and address potential challenges upfront. This proactive approach could have reduced risks and fostered collaboration across teams, ensuring everyone was aligned and prepared to tackle any hurdles. By addressing these uncertainties earlier, we could have refined our strategies, streamlined development, and maintained project momentum with greater confidence.
Weed out technical uncertainties early
Reflecting on the project, being more strategic in navigating stakeholder feedback would have been beneficial. In the face of conflicting opinions, prioritising changes that directly impacted user experience and project objectives could have been key. By focusing on core issues and being selective with battles, I could have maintained project momentum and avoided unnecessary delays. This strategy could have ensured that my design decisions aligned more closely with both stakeholder expectations and user needs, leading to more effective outcomes without compromising the project's integrity.
