MSU SIS Redesign
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Role: UX Researcher, Content Strategiest
Tools: Figma, Google Drive
Timeline: 2 months
UX Design
UI Design
Content Strategy
UX Research & Methodologies
Overview
Task: Redesign MSU’s Student Information System (SIS) with a focus on accessibility standards while representing the student body’s concerns. The goal is to identify pain points and propose solutions to improve the system’s usability and overall experience.
Main Objective: Our primary goal for this project is as MSU students who are studying user experience design: how could we better enhance student management software with our current knowledge and skills? Additionally, we wanted to produce concrete solutions on how to improve SIS's functions and overall user flow for students and faculty
Challenge
What is the MSU Student Information System?
SIS is "the gateway to academic records, resources, and tools at Michigan State University. The Student Information System supports students throughout their academic journey at MSU as well as the staff who assist them."
SIS is used mainly by students and academic advisors across the university. Students can enroll in classes, check academic progress, sign up for an appointment to meet with an advisor, and access their student billing account.
Advisors use the system daily while students use it intermittently throughout the semester. Academic advisors use the platform to keep track of and access specific information for an individual student like tracking the course progress.
What are the challenges?
Our team conducted a survey that interviewed students across campus to gather multiple perspectives on how they use SIS and the issues they have experienced.
From this feedback, our group compiled the data and testimonials and came to this conclusion about the system's problems:
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Understanding class overlaps when registering is difficult.
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Prerequisite requirements are hard to find.
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It's tough to schedule advisor meetings on the system.
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The user experience lacks appeal and isn't engaging.
Process
Step #1: Research & Collection of Data
To better understand the usability of the system, our team conducted a survey to gather student feedback. The responses helped us identify the primary users of the SIS website and pinpoint their key concerns. The pie chart below illustrates our findings.
“Searching for classes is always a little confusing though and I think the system could be modified to make finding classes more efficient.”
“For the love of god please make it look NICE. It’s outdated with everything you actually need hidden behind weird categories…”
We received feedback from 24 students across various majors and class standings, allowing us to create a detailed report. Below are some of the questions we asked in the survey:
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What does SIS look like for you?
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What is most frustrating for you about SIS? Why?
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What improvements would benefit you personally?
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What are the steps to enroll in classes?
Step #2: Analyze Research & Build Wireframes
We developed wireframes to address the primary student concerns and enhance the overall user experience of the Student Information System (SIS). Our main focus was improving the class enrollment process, which emerged as the most significant issue, affecting 70% of surveyed students.
Step #3: Final Product
In our final SIS redesign, we prioritized the student experience at MSU based on survey insights. Our main deliverable is a student-centered wireframe that features a visible schedule during enrollment, addressing key usability challenges and enhancing the overall user experience.
Final Takeaways
The team project redesigning the Student Information System has shown me, as a current designer, the profound impact of user-centered design. By empathizing with students and actively listening to their feedback, we understood how to improve the system by making it more intuitive and emphasizing the user's goals and needs in the new design.
Moving forward in future design endeavors, I want to incorporate all aspects of user-centered design in my processes; so the future of this industry focuses on crafting experiences that truly resonate with people on a personal level and improve their lives.