Project Completion
Website design and proposal for a website that helps adult, Canadian students quickly and easily navigate a return to university for degree completion.
The Problem
Create a proposal for a website using WordPress that effectively shows a framework for information delivery that is intuitive to navigate. In addition, the website/web app must be designed for a niche audience.
Overview
Project Type
Information Architecture, UX Design, Web Design
Duration
January - April 2022
Team Members
This was a solo project.
The Solution
I identified my niche audience as Canadian adults returning to university to complete a previously started undergraduate degree. This website was designed to serve this audience as no existing services were available to meet their needs
Process
Competitive Research & Analysis
I researched competitors and existing sites that served both this group of people and the needs they had. This was done to confirm a need for this site in addition to better understanding the strengths and weaknesses of existing sites. My analysis concluded that no sites exist that cater to adult Canadians returning for degree completion, and the only competitor was a US site specifically targeted to US students.
User Research
Following the competitive research, I defined my user groups and conducted interviews. User interviews were conducted to gather information on user needs that may not have been found during the research and analysis phases of the project. The interviews helped shape the development of personas and user scenarios, which were then developed to further define and better understand the user groups for the site. The identified personas were: potential students and returned students.
Site Planning
Site design began with wireframes, site maps, and task flows to test the site structure and organization prior to prototype development. Site maps were used to structure content and ensure ease of navigation and organization. Page sketches were used to begin the visualization of graphic and content elements. The sketches were done to ensure that the design direction was working prior to building the prototype. Wireframes were developed based on the evaluated page sketches. This step further helps to flesh out the prototype prior to the major investment of time in building it.
Prototype Development
Based on iterations from the planning stage, a prototype site was made using WordPress. Once completed, the prototype was launched and post-launch analysis was conducted to further evaluate the site's functionality and usability.
User Testing
Testing objectives and task lists were outlined, and user testing of the prototype was conducted. Testing was done to better accommodate user needs and ensure that everything is meeting usability expectations.
Outcome & Results
User testing provided good insight into the overall functionality of the site. Feedback from initial testing will be implemented to clarify user task phrasing and improve the prototype. After implementation, further user testing should be conducted on more users. In the future, additional features that were suggested during user interviews and testing should be researched, planned, and prototyped to increase the amount of dynamic functionality to encourage return users.
