MY SAIC (Mobile Application)

ROLE: UI/UX Designer
COLLABORATOR: Mahek Devra
TOOLS: Figma, Adobe XD, Miro, Coursera Ui/Ux Design course—by Google
DURATION: 3 months

In June 2022, I collaborated with Mahek Devra to redesign the MySAIC app. We wanted to push the users to utilize the resources at school to their utmost potential and build an even stronger community of artists (the primary users); by creating a student friendly experience that aligns with the SAIC brand.

Some prototyped pages

RESEARCH

Purpose of the research was to gather answers from our users :

  1. how many users does the current app have ?

  2. what are the reasons for those not using the app?

  3. what are the 3 essential features that would make it a daily resource?

  4. how many students are unaware of the events on campus?

CURRENT APPLICATION

USER STUDY:

Sanika Shah

BRIGHT SPOTS

  1. Different profiles for all stakeholders

  2. All the information is sorted into categories

  3. Consistent layout

  4. There is a link for everything–connected to the website

HOT SPOTS

  1. Information is scattered around in different applications

  2. Content should available within the app

  3. There is no difference between the website and the application

  4. No need of different user settings

“Every student should be capable to independently navigate their journey at school and also be competent to help other students in their senior years”

  1. Not enough clarity about my pathway and classes

  2. Less information on people to contact in emergencies

  3. Difficulty scheduling saferides

“Maximise all opportunities and resources available at SAIC to the fullest.”

  1. Didn’t know that SAIC had a mobile application for a while

  2. Less information about the different facilities and opportunities at SAIC

  3. Less awareness about the current events on-campus

“Creating an useful resource to help make students well-aware and make their time at SAIC more efficient.”

Nella

  1. ‘Bad UX design - demotivates me from using the application

  2. Students have less knowledge about the resources on-campus

  3. Freshman are scared about living in a new city because they are not well-aware

  • how might we aid to building a strong community of artists, students and learners?

  • how might we help the students stay up to date on their schedules, and avoid missing meetingS?

SIMPLIFYING THE EXPERIENCE :

From my experience what makes the user’s experience tough is the overload, by integrating a user-friendly navigation system with clear labels, intuitive icons, and a search function will help students easily locate the information they need, improving overall user satisfaction.

  • how might we build simpler navigation system that helps the user find the right information?

HOW MIGHT WE:

  • how might we prioritise resources valuable to the students both on and off campus?

IDEATION:

Hypothesis

DESIGNING THE SOLUTIONS:

Site map and task flow

WIREFRAME (12th–iteration)

FINAL PRODUCT

No more missed appointments or absences with everything at one place in the school calendar

REFLECTIONS

Click to view the complete Research

Troy Briggs

PAIN POINTS:

CUURENT APPLICATION

CHOOSING THE MOST IMPORTANT RESOURCES:

By providing comprehensive and easily accessible information on resources both on and off-campus, students will be better equipped to utilize the facilities and support services, leading to a more enriching educational experience.

STRONGER COMMUNITY OF ARTISTS:

Facilitating connections and interactions among students through community-building features within the app will foster a strong network of artists and learners, enhancing the sense of belonging and collaboration.

no need to carry your ID
card, when you have contactless payment handy

This is my first real UX/UI project. If we had more time, we would have had the product tested with students. There are some interactions that we need more time to tackle. Regardless, it’s needless to say that i have learned and grown exponentially throughout the process of collaborating and learning. Here are some of the important things that I noted for myself after this project.

The complete art school experience at your figertips

Build an even stronger network of artists around you, with chats for clubs and different classes.

  • Don’t be scared of collaborating.

  • DON’T STOP ASKING: Every time I faced a challenge I asked a question; that way i was able to improve the interface for what the users needed and not what i needed. Even though some questions remain unanswered.

  • KEEP GOING BACK TO YOUR RESEARCH: Every time i faced a challenge i tried to go back to my user research, to really dig deeper into what my users needed.