International Center @ Umich

Website improvements for the University of Michigan’s International Center Website

This was a work project. Websites I redesigned were shipped during January - May, 2023

Contributions

• Redesigned & shipped 5+ pages

• Improved navigation and general usability

Timeline

5 months

Dec 2022 - Apr 2023

Teammates

1× Web Administrator

1x Content writing

My Role

• Data Analysis

• Research

• UX/UI Design

Problem

The International Center at the University of Michigan serves over 7,000 international students and scholars, providing essential information and resources for UMich's international community.

After my 5 months working at the front desk, I identified three major issues with the website:

1) Bad navigation

2) Outdated information

3) Very cluttered information

These issues hindered accessibility, particularly for non-native English speakers.

My role as a designer was to bridge between the international student community, the content team, and the Web Administrator. Collaborating closely with various stakeholders, and dedicating 5/h per week to the Redesign Project, my primary focus was on addressing these three aspects:

front desk with a laptop that screen shares to customeres
1 improve navigation, 2 more intuitive presentation, 3 update information

Design Process

Main project: “Life in Ann Abor” Redesign

The Process

Action #1: Utilized Data

At the project's start, it mainly involved the content team updating information for the Web Administrator.

Recognizing the need for a user-centric approach, I initiated the analysis of user data. This guided the redesign, helping me organize information effectively. It also played a crucial role in deciding the format, content, and the creation of new content blocks. For example:

Action #2: Replaced Bullet Points with Dropdown

Drop-down style improves categorization, reduces clutters, and prevents the long scroll.

cascading styles of different categories of scams

Action #3: Created clearer structure

“Getting the driver's license” page in the 'Life in Ann Arbor' section was a high-traffic page, with over 2000+ monthly views and was one of the most frequently asked topic at the Front Desk.

My design

Impacts

(“Life in Ann Arbor” section)

Quantitative:  More clicks, less time spent on each page (Feb 2023 compared to Feb 2022)

31%

The page views increased from 3519 to 4606, indicating greater user engagement with the 'Life in Ann Arbor' section.

29.17%

The average time spent decreased by over 29.17%, indicating more efficient information retrieval.

17.93%

The exit rate decreased by 17.93%, signifying improved user retention and engagement.

Qualitative: Positive feedback from international students and scholars, and front-desk people.

a smily face

Other Works

In addition to enhancements in the 'Life in Ann Arbor' section, I also improved navigation and overall usability by

  1. Reducing the number of clicks needed to reach specific pages

  2. Creating graphics

  3. Replacing embedded links with prominent buttons.

Learnings

1. So much to read in data

I utilized the Google Analytics to make design decisions. Information such as monthly view count and time spend on the website were helpful guides during the design process. Interestingly, some data change drastically in some months or years. So I suggested updating the website more frequently, especially the home page for more effective navigation.

2. Working with ambiguity and limited guidance

Working with ambiguity and limited guidance raised questions like, “Is this information genuinely important?” and “Will it truly enhance the user experience?” Despite recognizing the significance, it was challenging to provide concrete evidence for my decisions. So to test and validate my designs, data and feedback have been valuable points of reference.