Choosing a college major can be overwhelming, especially for prospective and undecided students. Westphal Key, an innovative touchscreen interface developed by Drexel University’s User Experience and Interaction Design (UXID) students, aims to simplify this process for Westphal College applicants.
Project Overview and Challenge
Over 20 weeks, a team of five students researched, designed, prototyped, and developed an interactive experience to address the Westphal website’s lack of engagement in helping students explore majors. The existing website didn’t cater to uncertain students and lacked engagement. Westphal Key aimed to provide a bite-sized, interactive experience that would spark interest in the college’s majors and serve as a starting point for further research.
Design Process
The team’s approach involved extensive research, persona development, and iterative prototyping:
- Research & Persona: Conducted user interviews and synthesized data using affinity mapping to identify core problems and develop a user persona.
- User Flow: Evolved from an information-heavy approach to a more engaging questionnaire targeting users’ interests and preferences.
- Prototyping: Progressed through low, mid, and high-fidelity prototypes, refining the design based on user feedback and usability testing.
The Westphal Key Solution
The final product offers a user-friendly journey:
- Landing Page: Engages passersby with intriguing visuals and a clear call-to-action.
- Interest Page: Users select from a cluster of unique tags representing their interests.
- Results Page: Displays majors matched to the user’s interests, with the best match highlighted.
- Detail Page: Provides immersive imagery and concise information about each major, including fundamentals, co-op opportunities, careers, and alumni success stories.
Technology Stack
Westphal Key was developed using Svelte for the front-end, Tailwind for styling, and Strapi as a backend content management system, allowing for easy content updates without technical knowledge.
Results and Impact
The Westphal Key interface was well-received by the target audience, with prospective students reporting accurate major matches and high engagement levels. The project not only delivered a forward-facing product for Westphal College but also provided valuable lessons in user-centered design and the importance of iterative testing.