Enhancing Student Engagement at the iSchool
UX Research and design
MY ROLE
TIMELINE
TEAM
The Problem
Oct 2023 - Dec 2023, 1.5 M
6 designers
User Research
University of Maryland
Dec 2023
Student participation for events was low.
We had several constraints
As designers, we identified process-level
improvements and suggested simple design changes
The iSchool at the University of Maryland was trying really hard to host a wide variety of events, coming up with ideas to boost engagement, include freebies and even invite notable speakers.
1.5 month deadline, since this was a class project and that’s when our semester ended
No major design changes, as there was no designated development team and old software was difficult to update
Limited testing and validation, due to tight deadlines and very few participants
CORE RESEARCH QUESTION
Kicking off the research
“What key decision triggers or influences impact student participation in events and clubs at the iSchool?”
After defining our scope and research question
We conducted 11 user interviews and gathered 28 survey responses
WHO DID WE INTERVIEW?
WHAT DID WE HEAR?
Once we had our interview notes, we worked on affinity diagramming with the team to be able to make sense of the data.
Students pursuing an undergraduate degree at the College of Information
Members of the event planning committee
”If my class ends at 2:00 and then event is at like 7, then I'm more inclined to just go home. Timing is a very big factor for me
“I'm not part of any info student clubs because they are not something that I'm interested in”
“Sometimes I get to know about events either the day of or the day after the event”
Probing further: Decision Point Model
In order to fully understand the needs of our users and what influences them we built a decision point model.
This model helped us organize all our interview data into positive and negative decision-making influences, which prompted us to concentrate on addressing the negative factors.
Communication
Personal channels
Themes
Time & Venue
Takeways
Effective Use of Flyers
Tangible, easy to read
Encouragement from Professors
Students usually attend events that faculty recommend
Professional skills
Events that strengthen technical
skills & help professional development
Short-Time Commitment
Events that don't demand time commitment are more appealing.
In-Person Interaction
Online events lack the appeal of in-person interactions for many.
Proximity to Classes
They are more likely to attend events located near their existing schedule.
Stress Management
A balance between academics & relaxation to help avoid burnout & socialize.
Meeting peers
Students benefit from connecting with peers in similar majors.
Events with perks
Freebies and engaging activities like games, quizzes
Career oriented
Career fairs, company presentations, resume reviews interest students
Networking Opportunities
Meet and Greets, Coffee hours and Q&A sessions are strong motivators
Friends
Students are more likely to attend events if their friends are attending too
Information Overload in Mails
Too much info that students don’t read. Feels like a template
Delayed information
Lack of prompt communication on several platforms
Boring advertising
Instagram’s static format is not engaging enough and students tend to miss it
Competing priorities
Students prefer to prioritize social life and academics
Purely Social Events
Students prefer more major specific content rather than fun events
Planning Around Transit
Difficulties with public transportation timing impact attendance.
Dislike for Evening Events
Students prefer events in the day, avoiding those scheduled after 6 PM.
Gaps Between Classes & Events
Large time gaps between classes & events reduce likelihood of attendance.
Perceived Lack of Value in Events
Students struggle to see the benefit of attending as it is not being communicated.
Lack of Accessible Career Information
Students struggle to find career-related insights or resources during events.
Tech events
Students feel overwhelmed by difficult coding/tech workshops
Intimidation
Unfamiliar environments get in the way of students discovering and attending events
Discovery
Consideration
Consumption
In a nutshell
Event Planning Gaps
The team overlooks student schedules & convenient locations, impacting attendance.
Uncertain Value
Students are unsure if attending events will be worth their time.
Event-Goal Misalignment
There is a disconnect between event offerings and student goals. Most students focus on professional development.
Communication Breakdown
Event information is not adequately reaching students. They don’t usually check their emails frequently.
We found the following problems, which we considered as core focus areas for our design stage
Presenting our findings to students and stakeholders
Terp Link: The Platform That Time Forgot
Our Solution
We conducted a wall walk with key stakeholders and students, where we presented our key findings and models. This interactive session allowed us to gather valuable feedback, generate new ideas, and address questions that helped us explore our insights further.
Audit the current website
To evaluate current features, usage and design style. We found several gaps in the way information was displayed.
Wireframes
To quickly communicate our feature suggestions with stakeholders and help with testing
Our initial approach was straightforward - create a new events platform from scratch. The team collaborated on ideation sessions for "Busy Betty," developing concepts for event filters and difficulty levels to streamline the user experience.
A key discovery changed our direction. While researching existing UMD digital resources, we found Terp Link, an underutilized events platform that already served the university community. This finding presented an opportunity to enhance rather than replace.
We adjusted our strategy to focus on improving Terp Link's existing framework. Our process involved two main phases:
This approach proved more practical, allowing us to build upon established foundations while introducing modern improvements to benefit the campus community.
