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Year
2024
Client
The University of Law, UK
Project type
UX Research + Redesign
Role
UX/UI Consultant
Let's Build
Something Awesome!
anurag.tx@outlook.com
+91 73886 27774
01 INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT
The University of Law, UK, conducted numerous surveys and found that many prospective candidates were having difficulty in finding information on the website.
I was contracted to conduct user research and provide recommendations for improving the website to attract more applications. With a focus on enhancing the user experience and addressing usability issues.
Outcomes
Below are some excerpts from the analysis of the redesigned website
01 STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS
I conducted preliminary interviews with stakeholders from the university to understand the users, competitors and business intent
User segments
1. Aspiring national candidates
2. Aspiring international candidates
3. Parents and guardians of candidates
Focus on 'Aspiring international Candidates'
Critical Success Factor
Understanding user expectations
Key Competitors
Northrumbria University, Newcastle
University College, London
University of Glasgow
Key Metrics
Increase in applications
06 STRATEGY
1
Conduct stakeholder interviews and gather business requirements
2
Conduct a basic audit of the website and create Task profiles
3
Conduct user research, analyse the insights and provide recommendations
4
Create a report to present findings, analysis and recommendations
01 EXISTING WEBSITE AUDIT
From the stakeholder interviews, I narrowed down the scope of the project to the Navigation and Content design and conducted an audit of the existing website
research protocol
I created a research protocol and scheduled interviews with the participants
SCENARIOS
The user research protocol began with an opening talk track to set expectations and obtain consent for recording. Participants were then shown the Law.ac.uk website and asked about their initial impressions and expectations.
Three scenarios were presented sequentially, each involving tasks and post-task evaluations:
1
Scenario 1:
Participant is conducting research on international universities for higher education opportunities.
Goal:
To find specific information on undergraduate law courses offered by the Law University.
2
Scenario 2:
Participant has decided to apply for an undergraduate law course at the Law University and needs to understand the application process.
Goal:
To gather information about the application process and begin filling out the online application form.
3
Scenario 3:
Participant, having completed research on law courses and the application process, now wants to explore student support services offered by the Law University.
Goal:
To locate information about student resources such as the library, academic calendar, and contact details for academic support.
excerpts from the NDA & protocol
PARTICIPANT OUTREACH AND SCREENING
3 participants were screened from amongst 14 applicants
SCREENING CRITERIA
People of age group 18-14 currently looking for an education in UK
Education in any domain - not specifically law
recruitment channel
Ads were placed in the freelancing platform upwork.com, requesting participants for 'User Research of a University Website' citing the screening criteria
PARTIcipants
3 Participants were screened from 14 applicants based on their communication skills and relevancy for the research
INTERVIEW AND ANALYSIS
transcripTS and tagging
I used Notably, an AI user research tool, to transcribe and tag the interviews
affinity maps
Affinity maps were used to organize the tagged data from the transcripts
synthesis
The research was then synthesized into a user persona, empathy map and a user journey map
PERSONA AND EMPATHY MAP
I condensed all the interview data into a practical framework that synthesizes our target audience into a single persona. This persona distilled essential demographic information, goals, behaviours, and pain points of the prospective students.
I also created empathy map which detailed their emotions, influences, and frustrations throughout their journey.
USEr journey
Next, I created a user journey map to visualize the steps and touchpoints that prospective students encounter throughout their interaction.
By mapping out the journey, I identified key moments of engagement, potential pain points, and opportunities for improvement.
summary of findings
1
Uncertainty about studying abroad, the overwhelming number of university options
2
Difficulty finding suitable University, information overload
3
Difficulty in finding reputation of the University
Unnecessary scrolling which hides important information
4
Distraction having to switch between the website and Google Docs
5
Uncertain about application procedure
Potential confusion regarding application status and communication
6
Lack of detailed course information, difficulty finding admission criteria
Uncertain about financial aid and scholarships
recommendations
I developed wireframes for the various recommendations, each of which were justified by the user pain points and opportunities identified during the research
wireframe examples
HI FIDELITY MOCKUPS
The recommendations were prioritized in collaboration with the stakeholders, and I created high-fidelity mockups for the designs
TESTING
Due to time constraints, I was unable to validate the designs with real users. However, I used an AI tool called Attention Insight to test the designs
management report
To conclude this project, I created and handed over the designs along with a Report which included the Objectives, Methods, an Executive Summary as well as detailed Test Findings and Recommendations
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