Redesigned UVU’s School of Education site to make it easier for students to find resources and schedule appointments with advisors. Focused on simplifying navigation, highlighting key actions, and supporting both traditional and non-traditional students.
The existing site buried important information under unclear navigation and overly complex FAQs. As a result, students avoided scheduling appointments—often delaying essential guidance.
Emily
21, Sophomore in Early Childhood Education. Full-time student, part-time employee. Feels unsure about her course path. Doesn’t know where to find advising resources. Lacks confidence to initiate an appointment.
Carlos
28, Non-traditional student in Elementary Education. Full-time job, part-time student. Feels disconnected from younger peers. Finds resources unhelpful for working students. Has limited time and needs direct access to help
Initial research included 5 user interviews, 200+ survey responses, and usability testing with Tobii eye-tracking. Eye-tracking revealed slow navigation, scattered focus, and confusion around where to begin—especially for new students. Users often missed key actions like scheduling appointments or finding program info. Survey data reinforced this: 36% reported issues scheduling an appointment, and 24% cited the website’s unclear structure. These findings shaped our focus on simplifying content, clarifying pathways, and reducing visual noise.
We simplified the site with a clean, minimal layout to reduce cognitive load and guide users more effectively. While reworking the structure, we followed the university’s strict branding guidelines—using bold colors, high-contrast elements, and background patterns to maintain visual consistency.
The new design helped students navigate the site faster and with more confidence. Appointment scheduling became more visible and intuitive, and key actions were easier to complete. Students described the site as “sleek” and “easy to understand,” with improved clarity for both traditional and non-traditional users. The redesign addressed core usability issues uncovered in our research and testing.
