UX Project
UX Project
Navigate - A Complete Redesign
Navigate - A Complete Redesign
Students at my university were frustrated with the Navigate app. It was meant to help with scheduling, academic progress, and advisor connections, but it was cluttered, confusing, and, ironically, hard to navigate. For a class project, I took on the challenge of redesigning it. I independently, conducted research with 18 to 22 year old college students to better understand their needs and create a more intuitive experience.
Students at my university were frustrated with the Navigate app. It was meant to help with scheduling, academic progress, and advisor connections, but it was cluttered, confusing, and, ironically, hard to navigate. For a class project, I took on the challenge of redesigning it. I independently, conducted research with 18 to 22 year old college students to better understand their needs and create a more intuitive experience.
Timeline - 2 Weeks
Timeline - 2 Weeks
Year - 2024
Year - 2024
My Role - UX/UI Designer
My Role - UX/UI Designer
Goals & Objectives
Goals & Objectives
Goals:
Create a more intuitive and user-friendly app for college students.
Help students efficiently manage their schedules, academic progress, and advisor connections.
Provide a clean, focused interface that reduces cognitive load and frustration.
Goals:
Create a more intuitive and user-friendly app for college students.
Help students efficiently manage their schedules, academic progress, and advisor connections.
Provide a clean, focused interface that reduces cognitive load and frustration.
Objectives:
Enhance usability and accessibility to make core features intuitive for all students.
Simplify navigation so key tasks like scheduling and academic tracking are easy to find.
Implement a consistent visual design system to improve clarity and readability throughout the app.
Objectives:
Enhance usability and accessibility to make core features intuitive for all students.
Simplify navigation so key tasks like scheduling and academic tracking are easy to find.
Implement a consistent visual design system to improve clarity and readability throughout the app.
Research
Research
Overview
I conducted extensive research on the client’s app to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. To gain deeper insight, I interviewed members of the target audience, college students aged 18 to 22, to understand their pain points, preferences, and real-world usage patterns. This research helped inform design decisions and prioritize the features that would have the most impact.
Overview
I conducted extensive research on the client’s app to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. To gain deeper insight, I interviewed members of the target audience, college students aged 18 to 22, to understand their pain points, preferences, and real-world usage patterns. This research helped inform design decisions and prioritize the features that would have the most impact.
Interviews
After evaluating the app’s strengths and weaknesses, I interviewed ten college students aged 18 to 22 to better understand their experiences. All ten said the navigation was frustrating and unintuitive, while half also described the app as uninviting and anxiety-inducing. These insights showed that the redesign needed to improve both usability and the overall emotional experience.
Key Insights:
Navigation felt confusing and hard to use.
The app’s design caused stress and anxiety.
Students wanted a cleaner, more approachable experience.
Interviews
After evaluating the app’s strengths and weaknesses, I interviewed ten college students aged 18 to 22 to better understand their experiences. All ten said the navigation was frustrating and unintuitive, while half also described the app as uninviting and anxiety-inducing. These insights showed that the redesign needed to improve both usability and the overall
emotional experience.
Key Insights:
Navigation felt confusing and hard to use
The app’s design caused stress and anxiety
Students wanted a cleaner, more approachable experience
Interviews
After evaluating the app’s strengths and weaknesses, I interviewed ten college students aged 18 to 22 to better understand their experiences. All ten said the navigation was frustrating and unintuitive, while half also described the app as uninviting and anxiety-inducing. These insights showed that the redesign needed to improve both usability and the overall emotional experience.
Key Insights:
Navigation felt confusing and hard to use
The app’s design caused stress and anxiety
Students wanted a cleaner, more approachable experience
Current Homepage
Current Homepage
Current My Docs Page
Current My Docs Page
Current Courses Page
Current Courses Page
Design Process
Design Process
Overview
I started by defining core personas and outlining key user needs to guide the design direction. To capture the overall look and feel, I created a moodboard that reflected the aesthetic and vibe I wanted the app to convey. From there, I created quick sketches to map out structure and functionality before moving on to a polished high-fidelity prototype that showcased the full design. Finally, I tested the app with members of the target audience to gather feedback, validate design decisions, and identify areas for refinement.
Overview
I started by defining core personas and outlining key user needs to guide the design direction. To capture the overall look and feel, I created a moodboard that reflected the aesthetic and vibe I wanted the app to convey. From there, I created quick sketches to map out structure and functionality before moving on to a polished high-fidelity prototype that showcased the full design. Finally, I tested the app with members of the target audience to gather feedback, validate design decisions, and identify areas for refinement.
Sketches
The goal of these sketches was to explore layout and general hierarchy before developing the low-fidelity prototype. When working independently, I enjoy creating very low-fidelity sketches because they allow me to experiment with ideas and iterate quickly without being constrained by visual details. This approach helps establish a strong foundation for the structure and flow of the design before moving on to more polished prototypes.
Sketches
The goal of these sketches was to explore layout and general hierarchy before developing the low-fidelity prototype. When working independently, I enjoy creating very low-fidelity sketches because they allow me to experiment with ideas and iterate quickly without being constrained by visual details. This approach helps establish a strong foundation for the structure and flow of the design before moving on to more polished prototypes.
One of my pages for homepage sketches.
One of my pages for homepage sketches.
One of my pages for Navigation sketches.
One of my pages for Navigation sketches.
One of my pages for My Docs sketches.
One of my pages for My Docs sketches.
Final Design
After completing the sketches, I moved directly into creating a high-fidelity prototype of the app. Typically, I would create a low-fidelity prototype first and test it, but since I was still learning during this project, I chose to skip straight to the high-fidelity version. This final design represents the culmination of everything I had explored and iterated on throughout the project, combining layout, flow, and visual design into a polished, interactive experience.
Final Design
After creating sketches I immediately moved to making a Hi-fi Prototype of the app. Normally, before starting this I’d create a Low-Fi prototype and test it, but I was still learning while creating this project, so I skipped straight to Hi-Fi. This final design is a culmination of f everything I’ve done
Reflection
This project helped me gain a deeper understanding of many core UX principles that are essential for success. Up to this point in my M.S., most of my projects had been largely theoretical with limited hands-on experience. This was the first project where I could directly apply what I had learned, experimenting with design, prototyping, and user testing in a real-world context.
Reflection
This project helped me gain a deeper understanding of many core UX principles that are essential for success. Up to this point in my M.S., most of my projects had been largely theoretical with limited hands-on experience. This was the first project where I could directly apply what I had learned, experimenting with design, prototyping, and user testing in a
real-world context.