Andrei Vidaicu

Due to substantial changes in the higher education landscape caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a pressing demand to enhance the user experience of the Course Finder search tool.

Feedback from previous surveys on agent satisfaction show dissatisfaction with the Course Finder tool. As one remarks:

“Course finder needs to enhance its user-friendliness and visual appeal, presenting relevant information at first glance.”

A request for Minimum Valuable Product (MVP) that should be implemented to provide a better user experience and increase agent satisfaction was put forward in Q2 of 2022.

Throughout this period, I collaborated with a team consisting of a marketing manager, a business analyst, a project manager, six engineers, the head of IT solutions, and representatives from other marketing departments.

My role was to oversee the entire product design process which included foundational research - gathering insights and opportunities, generating initial concepts, exporing design solutions, regularly updating the progress to cross functional teams, and ultimately delivering finalized assets for the build phase.

Requirements

In scope

Meet the needs of the project as a minimal viable product (MVP).

Scalability

The ability to easily add new features in future releases.

Responsive

Support both desktop and mobile (for agents at fairs and events).

Business objective

Increase agent satisfaction and boarding new students through the conversion of application forms being submitted.

User needs

An intuitive user interface for easy access to course information during counselling sessions with students and parents (in the office or at fairs/ events), with the end goal of converting an application.

A fresh encounter

Finding the most optimal entry point to initiate an initial search.

Agents indicated that the primary criterion for students when searching for courses is their preferred region of study. This aligns well with the information provided in the application form. Thus, we utilized this detail to guide the agents in selecting a specific region. This approach effectively refines the list of course options displayed to the students when they visit the website.

Agents used muscle memory when it came to shortlisting courses.

One of the key findings revealed during the usability testing was that agents anticipated the shortlisting process to resemble a shopping cart/checkout interaction. Additionally, participants who hadn't received any prior training were initially uncertain about the precise meaning of terms such as 'My shortlist' or 'Add to shortlist'.