Personalizing the Student Hub Experience for Northeastern University Students
UX/UI Design • Interaction Design • Website Design
Role
UX Designer
Timeline
Feb - Apr 2024
Tools
Figma
Microsoft Forms
Teams
01
Background & Overview
The Student Hub at Northeastern University is the primary resource for students to access information and connect with the campus community. As part of the Northeastern Digital Experience team, we were responsible for managing the Student Hub and continuously improving it to enhance the user experience. For this specific project, I was the primary designer tasked with personalizing the Hub using data from student interest surveys. While I initiated and led the design process, I leveraged and incorporated valuable feedback from my teammates.
PROJECT GOAL
To develop an effective solution that tailors the Student Hub's content to each student based on their survey data.
CONSTRAINTS
To develop an effective solution that tailors the Student Hub's content to each student based on their survey data.
SUMMARY OF APPROACH
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Conducted user research to gather insights from students about their needs and preferences
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Developed and refined prototypes through multiple iterations, and continuous feedback.
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Ensured the design was feasible within the current technical infrastructure and implementable without extensive overhauls or budget overruns.
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Conducted user testing and walkthroughs to validate the design.
THE OUTCOME
A personalized tagging system that allows students to select interests, leading to personalized recommendations of connections, clubs, and events. The design received positive feedback from preliminary user testing and internal reviews.
Initial Concept
Converting student's survey responses into tags, group students based on their interests and tailor content accordingly.
I.
Preliminary Research and Validation
To validate the survey tagging concept, I conducted preliminary research that included researching and compiling a list of interest areas, conducting a survey with 25 students, and presenting the concept to management. The goal was to identify potential interest areas, gather feedback on feasibility, and pinpoint potential pain points.
>> Key Insights from Preliminary Research
Survey Fatigue
Students expressed general reluctance to participate in surveys. This indicated that relying on surveys as a primary means of collecting user data could result in low engagement.
Technical Feasibility
The complexity of converting survey responses into tags and using those tags to personalize content exceeded the capabilities of our current technical infrastructure
Strategic Pivot
Recognizing these constraints, we refined our approach. We pivoted to allowing students to select their interests directly - a valuable input from a teammate during a walkthrough session. This approach simplifies the process and reduces technical overhead.
Refined Concept
Allow students to directly select their interests, bypassing the need for cumbersome surveys. This method enables students to have more control over their personalized experience on the Hub.
II.
Concept Development
KEY DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
User Empowerment: An intuitive interface that gives students control over their personalization.
Simplicity and Usability: Simplified and engaging interest selection process to encourage participation.
Flexibility and Customization: Easy addition, modification, and removal of interests for a better user experience .
Integration: Compatibility with existing university systems for seamless implementation
KEY ACTIVITIES
'Me Page' Redesign
Interest Selection Interface
'Network and Learning Page' Redesign
'Me Page' Redesign
To support the new tagging system, I redesigned the 'Me' page which serves as a personalized profile page for students. The primary goal of the redesign was to enhance the overall aesthetic and user experience, aiming to create a more interactive environment for students.
Previous 'Me Page" Design
Redesigned 'Me Page"
The new page layout features three distinct sections:
1.
Connections & Interests section:
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'My Top Tags' feature which provides a snapshot of the student's primary interests, for driving personalized recommendations across the hub.
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Incorporates quick links like 'Manage Connections' and 'Discover People to Follow,' enabling students to effortlessly navigate and manage their social networks within the hub.
2.
Recommendations section: Features personalized recommendations, prompting students to explore and establish connections with peers who have similar interests.
3.
Menu Section: The page menu has been overhauled to reveal sub-menu items immediately, eliminating the need for additional clicks, streamlining user's navigation experience
Interest Selection Interface
INITIAL DESIGN ATTEMPT
The initial design featured a visual layout with icons for categories. Clicking on a category opened a new sub-page with interest tags. Students could select and save their interests before returning to the main menu.
1. Open 'My Interest Tags' & select category
2. Select interest tags
>> Design Drawbacks
While visually appealing, and seemingly direct, this design had the following drawbacks:
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Cumbersome navigation making the process tedious.
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Lacks a clear overview of selected categories and interests.
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Editing selections required navigating into each category.
FINAL ITERATION
The refined design is more intuitive and user-friendly, featuring a single-page selection process that provides clear visibility of selected categories and interests, and streamlines the addition and removal of categories and interests.
1. Open 'My Interest Tags'
2. Select interest category
3. Interest category added
4. Select interest tags
5. Selected interests displayed as tags
6. Add top tags to profile
Network and Learning Page Redesign
The Network and Learning page enables students to discover people, clubs, and organizations. To incorporate the tagging system, I redesigned the page to filter and display content based on students' selected interests, thereby personalizing their experience with tailored recommendations for connections, clubs, and events.
Personalized Recommendations: The page now filters and displays content based on students' top tags, providing tailored suggestions for people, clubs, organizations, and events.
Dynamic Updates: As students update their tags, the recommendations dynamically adjust to reflect their current interests.
Maintained Familiarity: The layout retains the familiar design with tabs for people, clubs, organizations, events, and LinkedIn, ensuring an easy transition for users.
III.
User Testing & Feedback
01
Continuous Student Engagement
Students were continuously engaged throughout the project to gather feedback and validate the design. Regular feedback and testing sessions were conducted during the design process, helping shape features of the Hub.
02
Management Presentations
Regular presentations to management provided critical feedback that helped align the project with broader goals and technical feasibility. Management's insights were essential in ensuring the design met institutional objectives.
03
Integrated Feedback Loop
The feedback from both students and management was continuously fed back into the design process. This approach allowed for rapid iterations and ensured that the final product was user-centered and aligned with stakeholder expectations.
03
Learnings & Takeaways
Iterative design is crucial
Continuous feedback loops are essential for refining designs and meeting user needs.
User-centered approach enhances product relevance
Engaging users throughout the process results in intuitive and relevant products.
Stakeholder collaboration ensures alignment
Regular check-ins and input from stakeholders align the project with broader goals and technical feasibility.
Understanding project constraints early is valuable
Identifying limitations and constraints early helps tailor solutions effectively and prevents rework.