Overview
UniWe is a revolutionary application that brings together institutions of higher learning and students on a single platform. Developed with the goal of reducing communication barriers and simplifying the academic experience, UniWe is an all-in-one solution for universities looking to enhance their online presence and students looking for a one-stop-shop for all their academic needs.
Collaborators : 1 Designer
Timeline : July 1- July 25
Tools : Figma, Miro, Adobe Illustrator
Role : Ui/UX Designer
The Problem
The process of researching and shortlisting universities is time-consuming, confusing, and sometimes overwhelming, not only for students but also for their parents who are helping them in the decision-making process. The lack of proper guidance and resources to aid in this process further adds to the problem. As a result, many students end up applying to unsuitable universities and courses, leading to disappointment, wastage of resources, and delay in achieving their career goals. Many students face difficulties in finding and selecting the right universities for their higher education due to various reasons.
Reasons
Over 30 % of Gen-Z prefer social media and faces trouble judging the credibility of the information online.
61 % of Millennials prefer work over education.
First generation lack the knowledge and opportunities for international education.
User Interview Findings
Survey
I surveyed around 20 people with different age groups who wanted to pursue further education. I learned that people of all age groups find it difficult to communicate with the universities and due to time constraints it becomes difficult for them to tailor good results.
First, I decided to discover the potential problems that users like Rahina may encounter while searching for the university. I also kept Rafael’s pain points in mind as I wanted to cover the overall problem from all age groups. With the help of qualitative research I performed I got the answer of these main questions.
How the traditional way to search for the university is treating?
At which point of the experience are the users uncomfortable ?
After this research I mapped a user journey map for the general university search experience.
Improvement Opprtunities
Communication with the advisors or professors.
Information on the universities culture.
Information on courses and faculties
Limited university options
After keeping the improvement opportunities in mind I decided to conduct a market research to gain insights into the target audience's needs, behaviors, and preferences.
Market Research
From analyzing the competitors, there is an opportunity to create a platform with the university focused community which will serve as a differentiation point and a competitor advantage.
Which leades to the question…
How might we…?
Create a platform for people which focuses on creating a sense of university community and easy to follow information, so that people have the right tools to educate themselves.
Keeping UniWe’s goal and Rahina pain points in mind I ideated solutions to my problem statement. This was an essential step in developing features for the app.
I also tried to incorporate Rafael’s painpoints
Lastly, I determined the ideas that were feasible for the MVP from the user experience perspective and those that solved the Rahina’s pain points.
With those ideas in mind, I created a user flow to visualize the paths Rahina would take to access information about a university and become a community to find the perfect place for herself.
User Flow
I wireframe my initial concept, to create a basic layout of my design, allowing me to visualize and refine the structure before moving on to the finer details.
Wireframes
After wire-framing my initial concept as a part of the design concept I conducted a user testing with 3 people in order to obtain practical, real-time feedback to improve the design and provide a more optimal user experience.
Testing
Design Fixes
I added an efficient filtering mechanism to tailor search results seamlessly. And added a feature that shows which degree does it provide
Incorporated a microphone into the app for unprecedented accessibility, revolutionizing communication and fostering inclusivity.
HI Fidelity
Solution
With UniWe, students can search for universities which match their academic, extracurricular, and personal preferences. It also helps them to stay up-to-date with the latest news and events from their dream universities. For universities, UniWe provides excellent access to a large number of students, where they can showcase their programs, events, and scholarships.
A platform where GenZs’ can find the creditable information, millennials can find universities while multitasking and first generations can have an opportunity and unlimited knowledge to pursue education overseas.
Tailor the search results as per needs with the help of filter options.
All universities in one place. Search made easy. with the features of saving their favorites.
Created transparency and establish a strong relationship between universities and students.
Reflection
What I would do differently?
More Research: I would have liked to conduct 1:1 interviews to learn about people’s motivation to educate themselves. I would have liked to research more on the ongoing design trends to better display my ideas.