Student app
A one-stop hub to support every step of student life
Project type: End-to-end app and branding
Role: UX Lead, Tester
Industry: Education
Tools: Figma, Miro, Notion, Liveweave
The assignment
When our university's previous student app contract was coming to an ended, we took the opportunity to rethink how we support students digitally.
We didn’t want to simply recreate the student intranet in app form. Our goal was to design a one-stop hub that would serve as the central point of access to the information, services, and systems students rely on throughout their studies.
Our aim was to deliver an app that not only provided essential information and services but also improved usability, supported personalisation, and enhanced the overall student experience.
I worked closely with a third-party provider, actively involving students throughout the process, and collectively we co-create a digital tool that truly met students' needs.
Research
To get a good understanding of both student and institutional needs, my discovery phase comprised content review, app analysis and a card sort.
These activities informed the structure of the app and gave insight into the mental models of the university's diverse student audience.
Content review and app analysis
To ensure we weren't simply transferring old problems into a new platform, I carried out a content review of the existing (previous) app content, including usage analysis, to:
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Identify what content to keep: usage statistics showed which features students used most and regularly engaged with
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Identify outdated, redundant or low-value content that added clutter
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Support evidence-based decisions by providing data to back up content changes rather than relying on assumptions
Survey
To understand the broader app landscape and facilitate decision-making for the new app, I conducted an app survey to gather insights on the student view of the student university app and apps in general.
Key findings
Expectations for digital experience are being set outside of the sector (Meta, Apple, Google, etc.)
Students expect personalisation
Limited and inconsistent functionality and frequent crashes on the old app caused frustration
Engagement and attendance monitoring was the number one request from students on a new app
Students want push notifications about events, tasks, timetable changes, etc.
Students would appreciate direct access to search for library resources
Old app's homepage: cluttered with no visual hierarchy
Card sort
The completion of the content review prepared me for the next step in my research phase: an online card sort exercise.
Card sorting gave me direct insight into how students naturally group and label information. By letting them organise content and name categories in their own words, I was able to uncover their mental models - how they expect information to be structured and described.
Students weren't privileged with an information architecture on the old app: instead the homepage comprised an overwhelming 22 tiles which led users to content.
The card sort exercise was critical for shaping the information architecture of the new app, ensuring that navigation felt intuitive, language was student-friendly, and content was easy to find without guesswork.
Design
Information architecture
Using the outcomes of the content review and card sort, I was able to create the first draft of the information architecture.
While I added cross-links where they genuinely supported the journey, I avoided overlinking content so as not to send users round in circles. Because the app was designed as a central hub of information with direct access to key systems and services, I prioritised getting students to what they needed quickly without cognitive overload and kept the navigation simple, predictable, and easy to follow.
Information architecture for new app
Homepage simplification
Grid tiles
Grid tiles
The old app’s homepage had 22 tiles, with no visual hierarchy or structure, forcing students to scan every option to find what they needed.
The solution
Based on student feedback from card sorting, app usage analysis and survey, I reduced the number of tiles to focus on the key apps and resources students use, and information and resources students need whilst on-the-go around campus.
The validation
To validate the proposed information architecture, including the reduced homepage tiles, I ran a treejack exercise with students to test how easily they could find key content. The results showed that students could locate information quickly and confidently, demonstratuing that the simplified, grouped navigation was intuitive and effective.
The tricky part
Some colleagues would understandably have been disappointed that their homepage tiles were being removed, so this required careful communication. By clearly explaining my design rationale and sharing evidence from research and Treejack testing, I was able to provide reassurance that students could still find what they needed. This evidence-based approach helped build trust and secure buy-in across the institution.
The problem
Old app homepage
Homepage grid tiles design on new app
Timetable widget
A key finding from the user research was that students wanted up-to-date information and reminders about their next lecture. The app provider's out-of-the-box widget was cluttered, with duplicate and unnecessary information and multiple CTAs.
I redesigned the widget, removing the unnecessary information and simplifying the design, ensuring it met students' needs and was aligned with the university's branding.
App provider's out-of-the-box widget
My redesigned timetable widget
Homepage simplification challenge
The problem
The old app’s homepage had 22 tiles, with no visual hierarchy or structure, forcing students to scan every option to find what they needed.
The solution
Based on student feedback from card sorting, app usage analysis and survey, I reduced the number of tiles to focus on the key apps and resources students use, and information and resources students need whilst on-the-go around campus.
The validation
To validate the proposed information architecture, including the reduced homepage tiles, I ran a treejack exercise with students to test how easily they could find key content. The results showed that students could locate information quickly and confidently, demonstratuing that the simplified, grouped navigation was intuitive and effective.
The tricky part
Some colleagues would understandably have been disappointed that their homepage tiles were being removed, so this required careful communication. By clearly explaining my design rationale and sharing evidence from research and Treejack testing, I was able to provide reassurance that students could still find what they needed. This evidence-based approach helped build trust and secure buy-in across the institution.
Homepage grid tiles design on new app
Personalisation
Homepage
Working within the technical and design limitations set by the third-party app provider meant that I had limited design flexibility, particularly on the homepage where there was only so much scope to adjust layout and design.
The app provider was unable to incorporate white space to separate the homepage elements, or implement my redesign of the library widget. I have requested more customisation options to use in future iterations to ensure we deliver the best possible experience for the user.
Design constraints
Homepage
Working within the technical and design limitations set by the third-party app provider meant that I had limited design flexibility, particularly on the homepage where there was only so much scope to adjust layout and design.
The app provider was unable to incorporate white space to separate the homepage elements, or implement my redesign of the library widget. I have requested more customisation options to use in future iterations to ensure we deliver the best possible experience for the user.
Homepage: improved but demonstrating lack of white space
Navigation
In my initial information architecture, I had designed a clear navigation menu to help students move through the app intuitively. However, the new app provider’s platform did not natively support a navigation menu.
To overcome this limitation, I created custom menu pages by repurposing content pages and applying bespoke CSS and HTML styling, allowing me to replicate the intended navigation experience and maintain a consistent, student-friendly structure despite technical constraints.
Custom menu page design for new app
Asset design
Next up was designing the assets for the app to align with university branding and to adhere to Google Play Icon Design Specifications, Android Adaptive Icon Guidelines and Apple Human Interface Guidelines.
These included:
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Android: classic icon, adaptive icon, notification icon
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iOS: Standard icon
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Logos for header bar, splash screen and profile page
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Web favicon
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Homepage grid tiles
Validate & Test
Treejack
To validate the proposed information architecture (IA) before development, I ran a Treejack activity with students. The goal was to test whether students could successfully find key pieces of content within the new structure, particularly after simplifying the homepage and reorganising information into clearer categories.
This activity helped confirm that the reduced number of homepage tiles and new grouping logic made sense to students and demonstrated that they could locate information quickly and confidently, reinforcing that the redesigned navigation was both intuitive and effective. The results gave me solid evidence to support my design decisions and communicate these back to stakeholders.
7. Where would you look to find out about developing your studying and academic skills?
Question example from treejack exercise
Student retainer group
Early in the project, to streamline testing and feedback, I recruited a group of students to meet with me and the app developers twice a week during the final three months of the project. These sessions allowed us to test new functionality, updates, personalisation and integrations in real time, as well as gather students’ thoughts on the app’s design, features, and usability (separate from the formal user testing sessions).
Having this regular, ongoing contact with students proved invaluable in enabling us to identify and resolve issues quickly, keeping development on track and improving the overall user experience. The third-party app providers and project manager praised this approach as an innovative and efficient way to maintain momentum and ensure the app remained truly student-focused.
User testing
I conducted usability tests with eight students via Teams.
To facilitate recruitment to research activities I have a UX Panel which I promote throughout the year for students to sign up to. Upon signing up I collect key information such as study level, year of study, faculty etc, which makes it easy for me to reach out to suitable students for research activities such as user testing.
Outcomes and Achievements
Before and after
Old homepage > New homepage
No navigation > new navigation
Old content page > new content page
Numbers
20,000+
downloads in the first few weeks post-launch
127
in the App Store's Education chart. As well as the number of downloads, Apple's algorithm considers quality and engagement metrics such as retention rate, ratings and reviews, and crash history, to ensure that high-ranking apps aren’t just popular, but also provide value to users.
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Award for Outstanding Professional Contribution to Innovation, Efficiency and Student Experience
Award
Award for Outstanding Professional Contribution to Innovation, Efficiency and Student Experience
The Student App Launch team’s dedication to achieving the best outcomes for students began with UX research to capture user needs before procurement. Understanding student requirements propelled the project, meeting goals on time and within budget.
The impact of the app is evident, with 20,000 downloads in just a few weeks following launch and a daily usage of around 5,000 students a day. The project exemplifies innovation, flexibility, and commitment to students, showcasing best practices and is testament to the team’s ability to overcome challenges.
The panel highly commended the nomination and were particularly impressed by the ambition, impact and innovation of the nomination. The nomination demonstrated an excellent example of student involvement through collecting feedback and incorporating this into the project.
Roderick Watkins
Vice Chancellor