Mapping and Testing Student and Academic Digital Experiences with University

Background

I spearheaded the UX research for a notable Russell Group university project while serving as the UX lead at a contracted agency. Our assignment was to perform a comprehensive audit of the university's student-facing digital systems, with a keen focus on creating personas and experience maps for five distinct student groups. Another integral part of my role involved leading remote usability tests on the existing university website.

Methodology

To achieve our objectives, we kick-started the process with whiteboarding workshops involving both students and university administrative staff. Through this collaborative exercise, we drew up drafts for the identified personas and experience maps, which were instrumental in relaying personal encounters with administrative processes and uncovering existing pain points. After the workshops, we refined these drafts into medium fidelity maps for digital review, and after two iterations, we finalized the deliverables.

For user testing, we selected four distinct demographic groups: current students, prospective students, faculty members, and academics from other institutions. In my capacity as UX lead, I drafted the interview scripts and conducted the interviews using Lookback. Following the interviews, the transcripts were imported into Optimal Workshop Reframer for a thorough textual pattern analysis. Subsequently, we crafted a succinct video representation of the usability tests that encapsulated the overall sentiment from the tests.

Project Outcomes

We presented our outputs to the university's senior stakeholders as part of a broader presentation. The stakeholders found the video representation of the user tests particularly impactful, noting how it strongly and emotively conveyed the difficulties their students face while interacting with their current digital services. Our findings were incorporated into a larger internal project, concluding our involvement.

User testing targeted four groups; current students, prospective students, faculty members and academic from other institutions. I wrote the interview scripts and conducted the Interviews over Lookback. I imported the transcripts into Optimal Workshop Reframer in order to tag and analyse textual patterns. An edited  video was create of the usability tests that was representative of the overall testing sentiment.

Outcomes

Outputs we’re presented to senior stakeholders in person at the university as part of a wide presentation. Stakeholders commented on the edited presentation of user testing, stating that it conveyed strongly and emotionally the challenges their current students faced when using the current digital services. The project findings were integrated into a larger internal project and our participation concluded.