Creating a self-paced college application experience
Overview
Client:
Wiley Educational Services
Role:
UX Designer
Design a mobile-friendly self-paced college application experience the client can use to present to their investment board.
Objective:
Problem
Wiley Education Services provides end-to-end solutions for higher education organizations, including application processes. The client’s current application solution is rigid and antiquated, taking students nearly a month to complete. Prospective students are forced to sign up to receive a call from an admissions counselor and then are slowly guided through the application one step at a time. This equals a 30-day process. How can we take this long-standing process and turn it into a mobile experience students complete on their own terms?
Solution
Fifty-seven percent of US online adults make their purchase decisions before making a phone call and 59% percent of adults would rather go through digital channels instead of talking to someone. So, we wanted to meet the students where they are and on their own terms. We gave students the ability to take charge of their application process. We did this by providing prospective students with resources to contact an admissions counselor on the student’s terms, manage and complete every aspect of their application, and support them in their decision-making process digitally.
Design
We worked with the client’s design system to create the mobile screens. The goal of the design was to guide prospective students through the application process and provide a flexible application structure the students can complete at their own pace.
Our first iteration of the design focused on providing students with a self-paced non-linear application. Students can complete the application in any order. They are also able to manage their transcripts, reference requests, and be kept up to date with their progress through a progress tracker.
The second iteration introduced a Student Advisor feature. This feature guides the student through the decision-making process by answering their questions and concerns.
Validation
We conducted user testing to get feedback on the new application process. We were looking to uncover flaws and things that are not straightforward in the designs.
The participants included:
A prospective student
Wiley Client Services Team
Partner Institution Admissions Personnel
Here’s what they said.
“It’s definitely something I would use for applying to a graduate program. It’s user-friendly and if I had questions about anything, there are multiple support channels.”
“This feels like what a high-end user experience should look like.”
“It gives me control over the application process.”
Outcomes
By overhauling the application process, we delivered a digital experience the Wiley Education Service team could use to raise conversion rates. The design also created an efficient user experience. The students could get answers to their questions in real-time and complete the application at their own pace. We effectively met the students where they are and on their time.