>> Key Findings and #Recommendations from Research of Prospective Students for Improving Overall Usability/UX on the SJSU #iSchool Website...
“Design is really an act of communication, which means having a deep understanding of the person with whom the designer is communicating.” ― Don Norman
Conclusion and Next Steps
Based on the collective research from Prospective Students for the Usability/UX Study, these are the key recommendations for the website moving forward:
Consider delineating more clear #trajectories for prospective vs. current students on the website as unique online experiences.
Establish more universal consistency in online #navigation with overall branding and clarity of various menu options.
Address “text-laden” perception of massive information presented on the website by breaking down major sections to include additional #multimodal offerings with more interactive imagery, charts, graphs, and videos.
Provide complementary options for growing a sense of online community with a customizable mobile #app – acting as a powerful vehicle for addressing perceived “pain points” to increase overall user engagement throughout the student lifecycle.
Clarify unfamiliar terms, acronyms and/or insider industry #jargon to be more understandable to prospective students and general audiences.
Investigate alternative methods for additional recruitment of prospective students by increasing growth of internal #databases and word-of-mouth referrals in order to better inform iterative testing and ongoing evaluation.
Incoming interns should reflect on continuing with the iterative Usability/UX Study to address the dynamic nature of evolving user needs. In addition, proceed with building appropriate user/task matrices, personas, and in-depth card sorting activities to determine potential improvements for the Information Architecture along with proposed wireframe outlines for increasing ease of navigation at the SJSU #iSchool website. >> See: Case Study of Drexel University for more information. *
Student Experiences and Reflections
This independent learning experience has been very rewarding in investigating the undeniable importance of Usability and User Experience (#UX) for increasing overall user satisfaction. Our pilot internship project will hopefully open doors in the future for continuing UX research and design initiatives, as well as establishing a Student Association, Learning Lab, and Certification Program at the SJSU #iSchool over time… Best wishes for the future!
>> For more information about this Usability/UX Study, please see the following: