RuReg
A redesign of the Registrar System used at Rutgers University, incorporating contextual inquiry.
RuReg Prototype Preview
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Product
RuReg is a comprehensive online hub for course registration, providing a centralized mobile application and website that offer streamlined access to class planning, curriculums, and virtual assistance.
The Goal
Its aim is to simplify and enhance the registration experience for students, integrating a user-friendly design with convenient mobile access to accommodate the needs of a busy student life.
The Problem
The existing registration portal is not intuitive enough and can be difficult to use for both first-year students and those with extensive experience.
Project Duration
01/2024 - 05/2024
My Role
User Experience (UX) Researcher
User Experience/User Interface (UX/UI) Designer
User Experience/User Interface (UX/UI) Designer
My Responsibilities
User Research (Planning, Interviewing, Affinity Diagram, Day-in-the-Life & Identity Models); Ideation (Visioning), Designing (Wireframing and Prototyping); Usability Study (Planning, Interviewing & Analysis)
UNDERSTANDING THE USER
Target Audience
IT Department and Registrar's Office
The app should integrate seamlessly with the existing registration system, ensuring data accuracy and facilitating efficient enrollment processing.
Faculty and Staff
Professors should be able to manage waitlists, communicate course updates, and track student enrollment. Staff need to utilize it for data analysis, identifying trends, and informing course offerings.
Graduate and Undergraduate Students
Students should be able to easily navigate the app to add/drop courses, read course descriptions and requirements, and plan coursework efficiently.
Research Methodology
We used qualitative research as a primary methodology for the User Research.
For the primary framework, we utilized a phenomenological research study that aimed to understand participants’ perspectives and views on the Rutgers registration system.
Several research methods can be employed in phenomenological research. We implemented participant observations and in-depth interviews.
We selected participants who met statistical requirements and who were willing to talk about their experience.
User Research
Affinity Diagram
To analyze the interviews we used an affinity diagram which helped us analyzed the main themes of the user research.
Observations
According to the analysis, the most common themes are confusion and complexity, lack of information availability, bugs, and glitches, design and interface, registration process, device preference, lack of peer and advisor support, and need for accessibility and customization.
Day-in-the-Life & Identity Models
Identity model
The Identity model shows how each interviewee feels about the current registration portal and explains what each thinks the application should contain to make the registration process more seamless.
Day-in-the-Life
The Day in the Life Model represents our participants' average day. They contain a detailed breakdown of their daily tasks from the moment they wake up to the end of the day.
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As a part of the User Research, we worked on a Sensation Board and a Sequence model as well. Contact me to see the full Case Study.
IDEATION
Product Concepts from the Visioning Session
We conducted a group visioning session during which every team member created a vision of the Registration portal. Our visioning session was based on the prioritized needs collected from the Affinity diagrams. All the ideas were analyzed using the following criteria:
- Does it fit the users’ practice?
- Is it technically doable?
- Does it align with the business mission and organizational skills?
- Is it technically doable?
- Does it align with the business mission and organizational skills?
Cool Drilldown Workshop
The Cool Drilldown Workshop marked the final phase of our ideation process, focusing on crafting a superior user experience for our registration portal.
During this session, every team member explored various "Cool Concepts" to refine and enhance the initial product concept, ensuring each idea supported the user’s needs effectively and feasibly aligned with our technical capabilities and business mission.
Throughout the Cool Drillddown Workshop, we:
- Evaluated each design proposal against specific criteria, such as anytime, anywhere access.
- The ability to fit small tasks or fun into brief moments.
- Seamless continuity across devices.
- The ability to fit small tasks or fun into brief moments.
- Seamless continuity across devices.
The solutions suggested ranged from mobile notifications for key academic dates to features allowing users to start a task on one device and finish on another without loss of progress.
STARTING TO DESIGN
Wireframing
The initial design for the desktop intended to feature multiple cards similar to the MyRutgers Portal, where each card could be collapsed/extended, sorted, or rearranged according to the needs of the students. The platform would be responsive and retain the preferred arrangement.
The course navigator, with a course planner, course details, search card, saved courses card, and detailed course description (on the right), is shown in the image.
Low- to Mid-Fidelity prototyping
Low- to mid-fidelity prototypes were developed based on the wireframes we created earlier.
The second iteration of the mid-fidelity prototype featured a seamless login process and a detailed Course Planner outlining courses the student has taken or plans to take. It enables students to register for new courses using a search function.
Users can effortlessly save courses they are interested in to the Bookmarked list, drop or register for new courses, explore degree requirements, and view the Bookmarked courses they have saved for consideration.
REFINING THE DESIGN
Prototype testing
During the prototype testing interviews, our team conducted a Moderated Usability Study with 4 participants to evaluate the effectiveness of our product. The remote sessions, carried out in the participants' homes across the United States, lasted between 15-25 minutes.
We measured success based on the Task Success Rate and Average Likert Scale for Usability, focusing on user navigation, feature discoverability, interaction with the course registration process, identification of pain points, and overall layout effectiveness.
Participants completed 5 tasks using the prototype, followed by questions to gauge the prototype's strengths and usability.
This feedback provided insights into potential improvements and user satisfaction with the Course Planner system.
Please test the mid-fidelity prototype using the iFrame below:
Usability study findings
Likert Scale
The Likert Scale measured the user-friendliness and visual appeal of the Course Navigator by analyzing the level of agreement with each statement on a scale from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree).
Nine out of 16 statements (56.25%) received an average rating of 5 (Strongly Agree), while only one out of 16 statements received negative feedback.
Task Success Rate
The Task Success Rate measures the difficulty users experience in completing tasks during usability testing.
Nine out of 14 tasks were easy to complete.
The most difficult task, locating the MBS Degree Requirements, was challenging for only half of the participants.
Prioritized Insights
Priority 0
- Course Planner Usability: address the Course Planner’s layout alignment issues to enhance the overall user experience.
- Bookmarked Courses: consider iconography changes in the bookmark feature to align with broader user preferences. Consider changing the name Bookmarked Coursed to “Saved Courses” or “Liked Courses”.
- Degree Requirement: Enhance visual cues/ navigational aids to make finding the MBS Degree Requirements more intuitive.
- Virtual Assistant Accessibility: Consider making the virtual assistant accessible only after login.
Priority 1
- Course Registration: Review and possibly simplify the process of Course Registration when the course requires an SPN#.
- Search Functionality: consider adding a capability to find courses by codes.
- SPN# Application: Add tooltips to the SPN# explaining the feature's meaning and the process of applying for an SPN#. Implement distinct color coding when the course requires the SPN#.
- PFX#: reevaluate the necessity of having a Credit Prefix Number (PFX#).
Priority 2
- Course Planner: add a sorting feature to the Course Planner.
- Bookmarked Courses: add a capability to create lists or categories where participants can bookmark courses by categories. (need to follow-up for details.)
- Degree Requirements: include categories like "Enrolled Courses," "Available This/Next Semester," "Unavailable This/Next Semester," and "Completed."
GOING FORWARD
Next Steps
Enhance Course Management Tools
Add a capability to create lists/ categories to the Bookmarked Courses and Degree Requirements.
Enhance Website Accessibility
Ensure that the website is fully responsive, providing an optimal viewing and interaction experience across a wide range of devices.
Launch a Mobile Application
Develop a mobile application to provide students with convenient access to course materials, planning tools, and academic records on-the-go.
Accessibility considerations
Keyboard Navigation
- Add the possibility of navigating using only a keyboard. This includes being able to access all interactive elements, such as links, buttons, and forms, with the tab key.
- Make sure that the tab order is logical and follows the flow.
- Use anchor tags or skip links to help users navigate quickly to different sections of the platform.
Adjustable Font Sizes
- Incorporate settings allowing users to adjust the font size according to their visual preferences.
Screen Reader Compatibility
- Use tags and proper formatting to enhance screen reader usability.
- Test that all pages are compatible with common screen readers, the reading order is logical and consistent.
Takeaways
Impact
The Course Registration portal redesign can significantly improve student experience by streamlining the process of planning and registering to courses, and improving user experience.
Most of the improvements introduced by the redesign were unanimously considered by the participants to be helpful and intuitive.
USER FEEDBACK
The Course Navigator looks intuitive and easy to understand. The information is well-organized, making it a practical tool for planning. It’s clear what courses I’ve completed, what I still need to take, and what’s available.
I can also add or drop courses directly from this interface.
Everything feels very straightforward and user-friendly!
I can also add or drop courses directly from this interface.
Everything feels very straightforward and user-friendly!
- Participant 1
I like how the information is listed—it's clear and easy to read. I also like that all the details about the courses are accessible directly from this page, eliminating the need to search for requirements elsewhere on the internet.
It is very convenient!
It is very convenient!
- Participant 2
The Course Navigator looks intuitive and easy to use. I wish Rutgers had a similar Course Navigator—it would have made our lives so much easier!
- Participant 3
What We Learned
During the course of the project, we mastered the phenomenological research study, learned how to integrate research insights to make data-driven decisions, and incorporated Day-in-the-Life Models, Sensation Boards, Identity Models, and Sequence Models to understand the needs of our users.
We also learned how to analyze the results of usability studies using Tableau to measure the Task Success Rate and use the Likert Scale to evaluate the user-friendliness and visual appeal of the Course Navigator.
LET'S CONNECT
Thank you for taking the time to review the RuReg project!
If you would like to learn more about it or get in touch, feel free to contact me using the Contact Me form.
