Registration Process
My Role
Designer &
Lead Researcher
Timeline
Two Months
Product Type
Desktop & mobile
Company
EXPLO
.png)
The Problem
The current application process is confusing, resulting in users signing up for conflicting programs and requiring refunds.
EXPLO came to us looking for a solution to several issues they'd been experiencing with their existing online application. The program selection page did not clearly communicate all options and scheduling information to users, which led many users to sign up for conflicting programs, programs in the wrong location, or get confused and decide not to sign up online at all. The client came to our team to address these concerns through a redesign of the application process.
Process
Discover
-
User Interviews & Contextual Inquiries: We kicked the project off with research to better understand where users were running into problems. I set up interviews with several repeat customers to ask them about the sign-up process and watch them attempt to complete it. This helped us to identify the main pain points we needed to address.
-
Comparative Analysis: Each member of our team selected a competitor and did a deep analysis of that company's application process. This allowed us to familiarize ourselves with what users might be used to when signing up for similar programs, and informed our design decisions going forward.
-
Affinity Mapping: Because there were three of us separately gathering information, we needed to compile what we had learned. We brought all our information together and sorted it into groups to hone in on what was working and what wasn't.
Define
-
User Flows: I charted out a plan for how our application process would flow and what screens would be required for the prototype.
-
Design Studio: Once I had the flow defined, the three of us came together for an activity where we quickly generated ideas for each required screen, gave each other feedback, then separated again to detail out each individual part.
-
Interaction Design: We had decided early on to design cards for the different program offerings to provide users with a more visual, less text-heavy design that would still show all the necessary information. Now we needed to figure out how exactly the user would interact with these cards, and what would happen when they did. Working together, we brainstormed ideas around how the cards would respond when selected.
Design
-
Outlining the Process: One of the biggest complaints I took away from our initial research was that users didn't have a clear idea what the application would entail when they first started the process. Our solution was to design a playful and informative steps page that users would encounter at the very beginning so they would know what was coming next.
-
Card Design: Our cards went through many iterations as we worked to dial in the overall look and feel. EXPLO had previously used photographs throughout this part of the site, which is where we started, but as we worked through the design it became clear that these photos weren't providing any value to our users and actually distracted from the information we were presenting. We also had to play around with the visual hierarchy of all the text on each card- every bit of information was important, but we needed to determine a priority.
-
"Shopping" Cart: One major change we implemented was to add a shopping cart to the screen. This way, users would have confirmation that they had successfully added a program, and they could reference what they had already selected while browsing other options, or while they moved on to the rest of the application.
.png)
Validation
Research & Collaboration
-
Collaborating with Development: I met with the lead developer to ensure all our designs would be feasible from a technological standpoint. Our designs were approved, but we were guided towards considering how things would work on mobile- this had not been part of our initial assignment, but the desire was expressed a couple weeks in, which required some tweaking on our side.
-
Usability Testing: I once again reached out to EXPLO's customers to schedule research. We heard from more experienced users that they wanted to be able to skip more informational steps because they were already familiar with the process. We also received feedback that the program selection page was overwhelming visually. After meeting with stakeholders from EXPLO, we were met with enthusiasm about the informational steps page we had designed and were requested to incorporate that iconography elsewhere, which we decided to use to replace the photos on the program cards.
Outcomes
Presentation Day
-
This project started out as our final bootcamp project, so we presented not only to EXPLO stakeholders, but our classmates and instructors as well.
-
After presenting an overview of our work and our progress, we met with the EXPLO team to go over the final prototype in detail and receive feedback.
Extending the Contract
-
The clients were thrilled with the design, and asked if we could come on as short-term contractors to make some slight updates and provide a mobile prototype as well. We agreed to work for an additional month.
-
Our team went from seeing each other in person every day to being spread out across the country- we adjusted quickly to remote work and continued to collaborate with one another.
-
We made the requested redesigns, and after some back and forth with our client the web and mobile designs were accepted and our job was finished.
Personal Reflection
-
I was thrilled to work with EXPLO for my final at General Assembly's UX Design Immersive program, and very proud that our free school project became paid professional work. This was an extremely valuable learning experience for me. I developed my skills in collaborating with other designers, leading research, and working closely with developers to adjust designs based on technical constraints. I also got to experience the difference between working on a spec project vs making designs for actual clients. I'm grateful to EXPLO for offering this opportunity to junior designers right as we were entering the world of UX, and to my team for being so wonderful to work with.
.png)