APPLY TO STUDY

PROJECT

Apply to Study is Auckland University’s primary online application process.

The goal for this project was to make the switch from physical applications to digital. In order to move away from physical applications and to reduce the load of work on the Universities support center, the online experience needs to house all aspects of the application process including features such as: linking an existing account, storing data, and allowing for digital file upload etc.

In order to make the experience as seamless as possible, the project relies heavily on an intuitive interface and a concise user experience.

Deliverables:

• Seamless User Experience
• Clear and concise User Interface
• Digital strategy
• Website/App development

WIREFRAMING

Wireframes help to establish the content structure for each page. With a focus on a seamless user experience we can plan where we want to display certain prompts and actions in order to guide users towards a specific outcome.

SYSTEM

A prototype design system has been set up in order to keep styles and components consistent throughout prototyping. An atomic methodology is followed in which elements such as text blocks and simple buttons represent the smallest atoms, they are then grouped with other atoms to form components or ‘molecules’. Doing this removes manual work when creating custom page layouts.

The video showcases the responsive layout features of the prototype. Not only does this give a more accurate representation on how the design would work as a live product, but it also prevents us from having to design multiple layouts from scratch to account for different device widths.

USER TESTING

Pictured is an example spreadsheet that we used to conduct user testing sessions.

We interview students and ask the questions seen along the top row, noted their answers and observed their behaviour when interacting with the wireframes.

These user testing sessions proved to be critical to the success of the project. Pain points started to reveal themselves after even 3 or 4 participants. We used these findings to inform our design decisions throughout the project.

For example, we discovered that participants wanted to use the upper progress bar as a way of navigating through the application as opposed to using the ‘back’ and ‘next’ buttons exclusively. We enabled this function for the production website and saw a reduced bounce rate as a result.

SOLUTION

My role within the project was focused heavily on  designing the user interface and ensuring that the styles are kept consistent throughout the interface.

I also worked very closely with developers to ensure that the interface meets accessibility standards. A lot of work was done to ensure that a clear semantic markup is applied. This allows the interface to be ‘tabbed’ through using a keyboard and also ensures that screen readers will have clear headings to read aloud to visually impaired users.

The final solution is the product of years of work likely touched by hundreds of hands. It showcases a simplified and pain-free experience and allows users to go through the entire application process on a single platform.