Overview

This was a re-design challenge for the ITP/IMA program at NYU. I redesigned the help website, where current students would go to to learn more about the available resources at the program (room reservations, office hours, equipments, etc.).
Duration: Jan 12, 2022 - Jan 18, 2022 (6 days)
Role: UX/UI Designer in a team of one
Category: Redesign

The Goal

I took on this challenge as a way to tackle the challenge of navigatibility and improve the design so it becomes a resource that is easy to use for students. The help page was designed for the students of ITP/IMA to find information on faculty contacts, equipments, and other available resources.

A successful redesign to me meant less time looking for information and a more direct navigation to the user's goal.

Notes on UX and Identifying Problems

The original help website was pretty underdeveloped in terms of a visual interface, but it was a place filled with abundant information to answer student questions. The home page of ITP/IMA Help led me to an announcement on recent changes and events. For immediate changes like this, it's important for it to be easily seen at first site.
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  • A lot of textual info crowded the left side of the screen
  • A lot of specific tabs, making it easy for me to access to the information I wanted directly, but it isn't the easiest trying to search for the tab
  • The indenting gets visually confusing. Not a very obvious hierarchy. Instead,  a drop-down option may be better!
  • Some pages don't have content/non-working links
Some of the main issues I wanted to address with my redesign:
  • Consistency in sizing, formatting
  • Creating a layout that incorporates more breathing space for text content
  • Add more visual icons/images to help break down information
  • Re-doing the section/tab design for navigation

Layout Plan

A vertical layout would be more fitting for incorporating increased amounts of information! Tabs are moved to the top.

The user would be welcomed by a banner and a search bar that lets them look for keywords--helps with a quick navigation.

Featured Pages includes the most often-accessed pages. Again, for quicker navigation.

The page should be updated with announcements and upcoming events on its home screens well.

Consider an FAQ section as well as to easily answer student questions, followed by a call-to-action contact button!
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Final Design

Reorganized tab structure with more hierarchy and clearer categories
Basic page structure redesigned
A directory page for the "folder" tabs

Prototype