Redesigning the fragmented UNT student portal into a unified experience — reducing cognitive load for 40,000+ students through research, IA restructuring, and high-fidelity UI.
Timeline: 15 weeks
My UNT
Portal redesign — unifying the fragmented student experience at UNT
Intro
Problem & statement
Students hopeful about their UNT journeys encounter inefficient digital processes that impact their lives. They’re overwhelmed with multiple platforms, inundated with countless emails and experience the fear of missing out as it is hard to keep track of all to-dos while they try to have a prosperous UNT experience.
UNT students struggle with fragmented digital platforms, leading to information overload, missed tasks, and unnecessary stress.
My roles & responsibilities
Product Designer | Strategic Thinker | Design system | Visual Designer
Team members: Abdullah Wali | Nadia Fereidoon | Nirvik Thapa | Sudit Maharjan
Design process
Double diamond design
Our process involved consistent brainstorming to frame our problem, identify user needs, wireframing, conducting usability tests and prototyping. Our team, consisting of researchers and designers with diverse skill sets, was able to engage in a recursive process that helped refine our work to the final prototype presented. We believe that this process has closely resembled the Double Diamond research process popular in the field of design.
Research
Participant Observation 12 Interviews | 18 Questions
Our team members had experienced significant problems using the platforms during and after enrollment into our respective programs. Following a few rounds of initial brainstorming we interviewed users across programs and competencies to account for varied use cases. This also helped us overcome any biases our team was propagating in the process since our solution focuses also on the very experiences we share with our target users.
Journey map
Sam Edge | 28 | Graduate Student & RA.
Sam is an international computer science graduate student at UNT, working as a research assistant. While he is motivated to succeed, he feels anxious about adapting life in the U.S. alongside handling the complex administrative tasks required for enrollment. Navigating the U.S. academic system for the first time has been overwhelming for him, especially compared to his home country's process.
Ideation
Brainstorming
After understanding our users’ pain points and gathering our findings, we reimagined the experiences of using these different platforms and keeping track of everything as a student to identify the opportunities. We came up with different ideas, even very outlandish ones. After which we prioritized our big ideas based on them being no brainers, performance payoffs and unwise ones etc. so that we can show their impact and feasibility.
Solution
Design a unified UNT portal
Design a portal that unites UNT platforms enabling students to seamlessly: - Fulfill administrative obligations. - Curate experiences for themselves. - Access empowering information.
Design
Sketches/Paper prototype
Exploring Initial Concepts: Paper Prototypes and Sketches for Document Management Features
Design
Design System
Building a Cohesive Foundation: A Design System for Interface Consistency
Design
Hi-Fidelity Wireframes
High-fidelity wireframes visualize the MyUNT portal with clear layouts, intuitive navigation, and consistent interactions, demonstrating how students can efficiently complete tasks and access information in one unified experience.
Next step 1
University of North Texas
The UNT Administration would be our primary client. Admitted and potential students, administrators and faculty/staff make up some of the primary user groups with several other sub-user groups.
Next step 2
Scope for UNT
The team is prepared to offer research and interaction design services as potential and enrolled students’ needs evolve with fast changing technological landscape. These can be usertesting in iterations as newer tools are adopted to help UNT stay competitive in the higher education landscape and potentially become a leader in digital student services.
Next step 3
Scaling beyond UNT
The unified portal model has clear potential beyond UNT. Any institution with fragmented digital platforms — multiple login systems, siloed information, poor task visibility — faces the same core problem. The research, IA approach, and design system developed here could be adapted for other universities, providing a proven framework for consolidating student-facing digital services.
Next step 4
Scope for other institutions
Inclusive and efficient user design has become a primary necessity. User experience research can help successfully translate product efficacy to brand prestige. Systems analysis and user research help address existing bottlenecks, strategize against future problems and consolidate overall operational efficiency. Hence, our project has significant potential for scalability.
Potential features
Life in US: This would have been a great feature to utilize especially for international students since coming to a different country and getting to know how things work can be overwhelming. Through this feature, we can assist them with setting up their bank account, where to look for grocery, getting a phone line etc. Semester Fee Payment Guide: Within the ‘Finances’ tab, users could be guided on how to pay their fees each semester and made aware about important considerations. Medical: This feature would provide students timely updates regarding mandatory tests and optional beneficial supplements such as free walk in flu shots etc. Scholarships/Grants/Loans: While these options currently exist, we aim to simplify it and make it more informative and accessible for students, enabling them to consider and apply for all possible options.
