Navigate, Connect, Succeed: Advising Made Easy
Team Project: Olha Mykytka, Sean Frasure, Benjamin Todd, Bryce Knapp, Ashton Osazuwa, Ho Yin Wong
Client: UVU School of Education Advising
UVU SOE Redesign
Introduction
Problem / Need Statement
Students in the UVU School of Education struggle to navigate the advising website, which is cluttered and difficult to use. Many students feel frustrated and uncertain about how to contact their advisors. The website contains excessive, unstructured information, making it overwhelming. Key advising functions (appointment scheduling, program details, FAQs) are hard to find.
Impact: This confusion delays students’ ability to seek guidance, impacting their academic planning and progress.
Research & User Insights
To address these issues, we conducted:
User Surveys (80 responses)
Stakeholder Interviews (Advisors & students)
Eye-Tracking Usability Tests
Key Findings:
Advisor Contact Difficulty – Many students couldn’t easily locate their assigned advisor.
Overloaded Text Content – The existing site featured too much unstructured information, violating Miller’s Law.
Navigation Issues – Users reported confusing menu labels and unclear pathways.
Mobile Usability Problems – The site was not optimized for mobile browsing, an issue for students accessing it on-the-go.
Inconsistent Branding & UI – The existing design did not align with UVU’s brand identity.
Design Principles & Redesign Strategy
Using user research insights, we applied UX best practices to improve site usability:
Law of Proximity: Related information was grouped logically for easier scanning.
Hick’s Law: We reduced unnecessary menu options to simplify decision-making.
Chunking: Large text blocks were broken into digestible sections with clear headings.
Selective Attention: Important CTAs (advisor contact, appointment booking, FAQs) were made more prominent.
Information Architecture Redesign: A clear sitemap was developed to improve navigation.
Consistent UVU Branding: Fonts, colors, and UI elements were updated to match institutional guidelines.
Mobile Optimization: The new design focused on responsive layouts for better usability on all devices.
Final Design & Testing Results
After implementing the redesign, we conducted another round of usability tests.
Before vs. After Eye-Tracking Analysis:
Users found their advisor 50% faster.
Task completion rates improved, especially for scheduling appointments.
The FAQ section reduced advisor inquiries by addressing common questions.
Student Feedback:
“It’s much easier to find what I need now.”
“The new layout makes sense—it’s not overwhelming anymore.”
“Booking an appointment only takes a few clicks.”
Impact: The new advising page streamlined student interactions with advisors, improved usability and accessibility, and reinforced UVU’s brand identity.
Final Takeaways & Lessons Learned
What worked well?
User-centered research guided design decisions.
Eye-tracking tests helped validate improvements.
Simplifying navigation significantly improved UX.
Future Considerations:
Adding a chatbot feature for instant advising FAQs.
Continuous student feedback collection for iterative improvements.
Conclusion
The redesign of the UVU School of Education Advising Page transformed a cluttered, overwhelming experience into a streamlined, student-friendly interface. Through data-driven design, usability testing, and accessibility improvements, our team created a high-impact solution that directly benefits UVU students and advisors.