The University of Texas at Austin
MyUT Student Portal Evaluation & Redesign
Summary
Conducted comprehensive UX research and user testing to identify and resolve critical usability issues in the MyUT Portal.
Delivered data-driven recommendations, which were implemented in the latest version, enhancing the experience for 40,000+ users.
Role
Team Leader, UX Designer
UX
Tools
Figma
Time
6 weeks
Introduction
Background
MyUT is a personalized student portal system designed for all UT Austin students to access academic information, Canvas integration, university resources, and other administrative and financial details.
Problem Statement
"How might we transform MyUT into a user-friendly hub that provides accessible and streamlined online information?"
Process Overview
Heuristic Evaluation
Our Heuristic Evaluation revealed key usability issues in both web and mobile platforms, highlighting areas for improvement.
One of the most serious problems is the poor flexibility and efficiency of use:
Over 160 links are scattered across 5 formats, forcing users to scroll extensively, even for emergency information.
(This is a partial screenshot. Feel free to check out the full report here.)
Competitive Analysis
Through employing Competitive Analysis, we analyzed web-based educational and dashboard portals to identify key areas for improvement.
(This is a partial screenshot. Feel free to check out the full report here.)
Potential opportunities for MyUT we learned from Competitive Analysis:
Enhance user interface customizability and module design
Implement customizable UI options, ensure consistency, and improve hierarchy in module design, drawing inspiration from Texas State, Oracle, and Adobe interfaces.
Centralize support resources
Provide easily accessible, centralized support resources with options for real-time assistance, such as a chatbot, modeled after Oracle and Adobe.
Improve navigation and user guidance
Optimize search and navigation bars for better organization and clarity, and introduce clear call-to-action buttons and tooltips, similar to Workday and Adobe.
Display recent activity and detailed calendar information
Incorporate features to display user activity and enhance the calendar with class and instructor details, inspired by Adobe and My Illini.
Usability Test
To further examine the functionality of the website, we pinpointed the 6 most frequently used functions and designed a comprehensive Usability Test with 6 tasks to assess these features.
Before the Test
Sent out Screeners and recruited 6 participants from our key demographics.
Conducted 3 Pilot Tests to ensure the correctness and accuracy of the usability test.
After the Test
Evaluated the results utilizing both qualitative metrics and quantitative metrics, such as user verbal comments, success rate, and System Usability Scale (SUS).
Recommendations Delivery
At the end of the project, we developed 4 practical recommendations for the official MyUT team:
Navigation and Search
Problem:
MyUT is cluttered with poorly categorized links and lacks a centralized search system.
Recommendations:
Add a search function that works across all MyUT links and category buttons for easy navigation within the page.
Limit the number of links on the home navigation page, grouping them into more logical categories.
Consistent Design
Problem:
The inconsistent design styles in MyUT cause misunderstandings and reduce the clarity of the information hierarchy.
Recommendations:
Ensure consistent design styles for sections and contents at the same hierarchy level.
Redesign icons and logos to reduce cognitive load and ensure that functional elements like buttons follow typical design standards.
Integration
Problem:
Users experience a disjointed and inefficient journey on MyUT due to frequent redirections to external websites or other UT portals.
Recommendations:
Embed key resources and links as modules within MyUT, ensuring it's a comprehensive one-stop student hub.
Provide clear guidance and notifications to users before redirection, explaining the purpose and what to expect.
Personalized Experience
Problem:
The MyUT homepage lacks personalization, preventing users from customizing the content or links they see.
Recommendations:
Allow students to customize the MyUT homepage with favorites, bookmarks, and personalized college links
