UX Case Study
UNI-PATH
Designed to Make Campus Life Effortless
UX/UI Casestudy
2024 Summer (16 weeks)
Group Project (2)
My Role
Researcher
Designer
Overview
One app, all your campus needs.
Our case study services an educational and organizational services. Our solution aims to how students interact with academic resources, improving convenience, accessibility, and user engagement and ensuring users feel at ease with its usability. The app eliminates the need for multiple tools or platforms, allowing students to efficiently manage information about their academic life from a central hub.
Problem
Navigating the maze of fragmented university information
Information related to college life is spread across various platforms, requiring students to navigate multiple sources to find what they need. This process often leads to frustration, wasted time, and a less efficient student experience.
Background
31% of students said a lack of information is a barrier to participating in college life
Many college students have difficulty accessing information about school events, making attendance difficult. Current information communication is a barrier to student participation and should be improved, as it negatively impacts students’ college lives.
Barriers to college students' campus engagement graph
Interivew
Students' difficulties in accessing current information
We conducted 20-minute semi-structured interviews with four University of Washington students to explore their experiences navigating multiple platforms for campus information. This format allowed for flexible responses while ensuring consistent insights across all interviews.
Information Overload from Multiple Services
College students often face information overload as they navigate multiple platforms. Each service provides different information, making it difficult to gather a clear picture.
If I want to know about campus events, I might check the their Instagram page. Then, for course reviews, I have to go to Rate My Professor.
Interviewee 2
Each platform offers different pieces of the puzzle,
Interviewee 3
Lack of Reliability/Credibility
College students often face information overload as they navigate multiple platforms. Each service provides different information, making it difficult to gather a clear picture.
Sometimes the information I find on different platforms doesn’t match, and it’s hard to know which one to trust.
Interviewee 1
It’s frustrating when one site says one thing and another platform says something completely different. I don’t know which one is accurate.
Interviewee 2
I followed information from one app, only to find out later it was outdated or wrong compared to another source.
Interviewee 4
Competitive Analysis
No Platform Exists for Students to Safely and Anonymously Access Trustworthy Information
College info is scattered across platforms, leading to frustration, wasted time, and inefficiency, showing the need for better solutions in a competitive environment.
Analysis table of other school information services
Persona
Personas experiencing various problems
We created personas to understand student needs better. Amanda, Ricky, and Jackson represent common challenges in campus life and academics.
Amanda
Freshmen
“I want to learn more about the campus life and make efficient schedule.”
Adaption
Learning
Ricky
Sophomore
“I want to learn more about the campus life and make efficient schedule.”
Studious
Dilligent
Jackson
Freshman
“I want to find events and activities that will help me create memorable experiences during my campus life.”
Outgoing
Energietic
Goal
Based on students' discomfort, we established 3 key goals
Through our interviews, research, and competitor analysis, we identified three key design goals aimed at addressing students' challenges and improving their overall experience.
Centralized Info
Gather essential college-related information
Efficient Navigation
Create an intuitive interface for easy access to information
Reliable Content
Ensure information is accurate and trustworthy
IA
Designed to Make Campus Life Effortless
This information architecture is designed to make the app easy to use for students. Every feature is organized to maximize user experience.
User Flow
This user flow organizes essential college resources—Courses, Events, Safety, and Sports—into one intuitive app. Features like intuitive class and event organization simplify the user journey by presenting information in a structured and accessible way. This organization reduces confusion and guides users naturally through their tasks, whether they’re exploring course details, registering for events, or keeping track of important dates.
Wireframe
Ui Elements
Onboarding
Create Your Account
The onboarding process includes a school verification step, allowing only verified students to write course or instructor reviews. To improve accessibility, a Continue as Guest option lets non-verified users browse content.
Since the onboarding is longer than other services, we added a progress bar to reduce drop-off.
COURSE
Find Your Courses for University Life
The Course screen is designed to allow students to view necessary information before starting class.
Find Your Courses
This page offers a interface where students can easily search for and view courses. Each course is neatly listed with key details such as course name, times, locations, and instructor information.
Filter Your Courses
The filter page allows students to customize their search for courses based on specific criteria.
With this filtering option, users can quickly narrow down options to find courses that best fit their schedules, academic needs, and preferences.
Course Information
This page provides details about each course including general information, prerequisites, and course description.
This organized course information section provides students with comprehensive details at a glance.
Check the Reviews
This section features user-generated reviews and ratings for courses and instructors. Students can share their experiences, offering valuable feedback that helps future students make informed decisions when selecting classes.
Event
Discover Campus Events
This section provides users with a list of campus events, allowing them to easily discover activities happening around them. By clicking on an event, users can access detailed information, including the location, time, description, and promotional images or posters.
Sports
Campus Sports Hub
This section offers users a customized view of upcoming game schedules as well as past game results based on the sports they selected during onboarding setup.
This feature enhances engagement and makes it simple for students to stay updated on their athletic interests.
Map
Campus Safety Guide
This section provides a detailed map highlighting recent incidents on campus, including burglaries, robberies, and other safety concerns. Users can navigate pinned locations to view event details and receive real-time alerts about ongoing safety issues.
This safety map empowers students to make informed decisions and navigate the campus with greater awareness and confidence.
FURTHERMORE
Create more detailed interactions.
Reflect feedback after conducting usability testing with real users.
Since diversity and accessibility should be more respected within the school, functions to embrace diversity such as improving accessibility are provided.
REFLECTION
This project was a side project I pursued outside of class. Through it, I learned how to manage my time effectively and define problems clearly. Because there was no set deadline, I had to make all the decisions on my own and communicate them with others. Completing the project taught me the importance of self-direction, and I believe the experience of seeing it through will be a valuable asset for future endeavors.