Improving Student Engagement Through UX-Driven Content Architecture

Client:
Arizona State University—Global Outreach & Extended Education

Role:
UX Designer & Developer (end-to-end)

Tools:
Google Sites, Adobe Illustrator, Google Workspace, user interviews, wireframing tools

Deliverables:
Information architecture, content strategy, UX writing, design, and build

Budget:
$0 (Resource-constrained institutional project)

Project Summary

Graduate students often struggle to navigate university systems, especially when key advising information is fragmented across departments, PDFs, or outdated web pages. I was tasked with designing a centralized digital platform that supports graduate student success—improving access to academic resources, advisor support, and onboarding tools in one user-friendly experience.

Responsibilities

Lead Experience Designer
User Researcher
Visual Designer
Developer (Google Sites)

The Challenge

Graduate students needed an accessible, centralized hub to find critical academic and career-planning resources. The existing experience was fragmented and unintuitive, requiring multiple email exchanges or document searches to answer even basic questions.

Key pain points:

Information scattered across departments, PDFs, and outdated web pages
Students couldn't find existing resources despite their
availability
High volume of repetitive support requests to advisors
No clear onboarding pathway for new graduate students
Mobile-unfriendly access to critical academic information

Company Overview

Global Outreach and Extended Education (GOEE)—Arizona State University (ASU) is a public research university recognized for its innovation and global impact. The Global Outreach and Extended Education (GOEE) division within the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering supports fully online and international graduate engineering programs. GOEE works to deliver accessible, high-quality education to professionals worldwide through robust support services, personalized advising, and flexible learning platforms.

GOEE's mission is to empower students with the tools, knowledge, and guidance needed to succeed in competitive, fast-moving engineering fields—regardless of geography or background.

Discovery & Research

While no formal usability testing was conducted due to constraints, I conducted informal interviews with:

Graduate advisors, who identified common student questions and key drop-off points
Graduate students, who shared pain points around onboarding, deadlines, and career support

I also conducted a content audit across existing resources and student emails to identify the most commonly referenced topics.

“We send the same email links over and over. Students can’t find what they need even though it exists.” — Academic Advisor

Information Architecture

I restructured the content into a student-centered flow, focusing on clarity and navigability. Sections included:

Welcome & Orientation: What to expect as a new student
Academic Resources: Program milestones, timelines, handbooks
Career Planning: Internships, jobs, and research opportunities
Frequently Asked Questions: Based on advisor email patterns
Advisor Contacts: Prominently featured on each page

I emphasized progressive disclosure, ensuring the most essential info surfaced first, with deeper layers of detail available if needed.

Product Strategy

Information Architecture

Designed a sitemap that groups content by task (e.g., New Student Checklist, Academic Resources, Career Planning)
Developed clear headings and CTA buttons for user self-navigation
Balanced breadth and depth to avoid overwhelming users

Wireframes & Design Decisions

Used scannable blocks and color-coded sections to aid visual clarity
Prioritized mobile readability given student browsing habits
Embedded advisor contact info prominently to reduce search friction
Bonus if you made low-fidelity sketches or mockups beforehand

Implementation

Built and launched the site independently using Google Sites
Worked with program administrators to test usability and refine content
Ensured accessibility best practices (contrast, clear headings, alt text)

Results & Impacts

Upon launch, the platform was adopted immediately by advisors and integrated into student onboarding communications.

Reduced email volume for common questions (based on anecdotal feedback)
Improved clarity of graduate requirements across programs
Positive response from students during advising sessions
Received interest from other departments seeking to replicate the model

Usability improvements:
Increased student engagement or page views (if tracked)
Reduced advisor support emails (if measurable)
Positive qualitative feedback from students or advisors

Engagement:
Increased clicks on orientation checklists after redesign.
Program goals: Streamlined experience aligns with ASU’s innovation-driven mission

Reflection

This project deepened my understanding of designing for service experiences, where information access, emotional reassurance, and clarity must all intersect.

If revisiting the project, I would:

Add basic analytics tracking for usage patterns
Conduct formal usability testing with a mix of new and continuing students
Implement a feedback form to evolve the content with student needs

View the Live Project

Visit the Graduate Success Website

Selected Works

Stepping into art applicationUX/UI Case Study