User Research

To gain insights into the pain points experienced by students, we embarked on a thorough exploration by developing our own personas and mapping out user journeys as students.

Problems

Through extensive user research, we have identified six primary problems that applicants commonly encounter during the college application process:

1. Confusion: Applicants often face confusion regarding the requirements, deadlines, and overall application process, leading to a lack of clarity and uncertainty.

2. Lack of Progress Monitoring: Many applicants struggle to track their progress throughout the application journey, resulting in a sense of disorganization and difficulty in staying on top of their tasks.

3. Multiple Sources to Check: The need to consult multiple sources, such as websites like Uniassist, emails, and documents, for vital information adds complexity and makes it challenging for applicants to gather all the necessary details in one place.

4. Inefficient Communication: Applicants frequently experience difficulties in receiving timely and clear communication from universities, resulting in misunderstandings, missed opportunities, and frustration.

5. Unreliable Sources: The presence of unreliable or outdated information from various sources can mislead applicants, leading to incorrect decisions and wasted efforts.

6. Increased Stress: The cumulative effect of the aforementioned problems often leads to heightened stress levels among applicants, affecting their overall well-being and ability to navigate the application process effectively.

Solution

Dashboard

After conducting extensive research, our team concluded that incorporating a dashboard into our application would be a valuable addition. The decision was based on the following findings:

1.  Real-time updates and notifications: Keeping students informed of any changes in their application status.
2. Improved usability: Dashboards offer an at-a-glance view of important data, making it easier for students to navigate and understand their application progress.
3. Easy progress tracking: Streamlining the application process by providing quick access to necessary functions such as document submission and fee payment.
4. Centralized information: Having all essential information in one place reduces the need to check multiple sources and ensures applicants have everything they need readily available.
5. Enhanced efficiency: The dashboard simplifies and streamlines the application journey, reducing complexity and saving applicants time and effort.

Wireframes

Visual Identity/Branding

The development of the visual identity started with research of the branding for other services for international students in Germany, then a moodboard was created:

Design System

Prototype