ROLE
UX Research, Design
Development
STAKEHOLDERS
Program Coordinator
Program Director
ASU Communications
& Technology Departments
DURATION
3 Weeks
TOOLS
Adobe Xd, HTML, CSS,
Content Management System (Drupal)
Using the website myself
In the Fall 2022 semester, I started working as the Ambassador for the ASU Chinese Flagship program. My major responsibilities were to help enrich students experience in the program by planning and facilitating language and cultural learning events.
As I was browsing the program's website while getting myself familiar with every aspect about the place I work at, I realized that it does not have a good online presence that provides its main visitors -- current and potential Flagship students -- a clear navigation and sufficient information about the program. Through discussing this issue with my supervisor, we decided to redesign the ASU Chinese Flagship website.
About the Program
Student achieve Professional Level of Proficiency in Chinese Language
1-on-1 tutoring sessions, weekly activities to practice speaking, cultural events and workshops
2 degree and 1 certificate options + individualized curriculum based on current skills
All students go abroad to study and complete an internship for an academic year
Communicating with stakeholders
First, I learned about expectations for the redesign from the Program Coordinator (my supervisor) to learn about what content she wants to add/modify from a program promotional perspective.
Then, I (along with my supervisor) communicated our ideas with the program director to get their inputs from the management prospective. It was not an easy process to get the director's approval on all the changes we wanted to make, so we got the initial approval to start on the project and decided to communicate with the director again after I gather more students' input and come up with a high-fidelity design.
After obtaining initial approval from the director, we met with ASU Communication and Technology specialists in order to understand the ASU standards and constraints.
Testing sessions with users
Through testing with one current Flagship student and one prospective student, I discovered the following issues and frustrations that users have:
It took the prospective students 60 seconds to find the page about degree requirements for Flagship major.
Students were unable to find information about the other two curriculum options.
The current Flagship student has major misconceptions about the differences among three curriculums.
Both students were confused and kept hovering their mouse on the navigation tabs that don't seem to be related to the program.
Both students got frustrated when they clicked on "Home" but was navigated to the School of Language and Culture's homepage. Students expressed that they were expecting to see an ASU Flagship homepage.
"All these extra topics I'm seeing are not related to what I'm looking for... I want to learn about just the Flagship program, not the entire language department."
The prospective student was frustrated that there aren't images that showcases program events and alumni's study abroad experiences.
The current student wants to see more content related to previous students' abroad experiences:
"I want to learn more about how other students' capstone year is like. I wish there is an easier way for me to connect with those students that went to Taiwan the past few years."
Jason
Junior, current Flagship student
Acquiring a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a Certificate in Chinese Flagship. Jason is going to study abroad (for capstone year) in Taiwan next year.
As a graduating Flagship student, I want to
- read about other student’s study abroad experience so that I can get a general idea of how my year abroad might be like.
- connect with Flagship alums so that I can gain more insights like how to communicate with locals, and good spots and restaurants to visit in this foreign city I'm not familiar with.
Mia
Freshman, prospective Flagship student
Intends to double-major in Business and Chinese Flagship. Mia has a deep passion in Chinese culture and language, and the food of course. She just heard about the ASU Flagship in her 100-level Chinese class.
As a elementary-level Chinese learner, I want to
- learn about the requirements of each Flagship curriculum so that I can select a path that suits me the best.
- what language-learning opportunities the program provides outside of class so that I can come participate and practice my Chinese.
Site Map and Sketches
Sketches & Wireframes
Iterations During Development & Reflections
After finishing up the design, I took on the role of developing the site, teaching myself Drupal, HTML, and CSS along the way. During the development process, I ran into several unexpected challenges that led me to make two rounds of iterations on the navigation design.
Reflecting on this, I realized that involving the school's Technology department more during the design phase might have helped me avoid these issues. This was when I truly understood the importance of maintaining close communication with engineers/developers.
