Overview

Unlocking Grades: A Student's Journey Through the my.emich.edu Portal

The my.emich.edu student portal serves as a central hub for Eastern Michigan University students to access vital academic information, such as final grades, class schedules, financial aid, and university resources. This case study explores the usability of the portal, focusing on the student journey of viewing final grades, to identify design improvements to enhance user satisfaction and functionality.

Background

Modern Dashboard, Outdated Services

Modern Dashboard, Outdated Services

Modern Dashboard, Outdated Services

The dashboard is outsourced to the Ellucian cloud, which is modern and reliable. However, the student services remain an outdated, in-house application. This system lacks responsiveness and is not optimized for mobile devices.

Problem

Students currently find it difficult to locate their final grades

Students currently find it difficult to locate their final grades

Students currently find it difficult to locate their final grades

The my.emich.edu portal poses usability issues for students when accessing final grades. It requires navigating a long, linear path with multiple collapsed menus just to check their grades.

Research

Understanding the students

In a survey I conducted with students, most reported relying heavily on the my.emich.edu platform to check final grades and GPA, which are crucial for course registration and financial aid eligibility. However, 50% of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the platform, citing a need for improved responsiveness and usability.

Solution 1

Solution 1

Solution 1

Simplify the navigation

Simplify the navigation

Simplify the navigation

Ensure that students can quickly and easily access their final grades and other key information with minimal clicks by displaying key information immediately (no menus) and repetitive screens.

Solution 2

Solution 2

Streamlining the Interface for a seamless Experience

Streamlining the Interface for a seamless Experience

Streamlining the Interface for a seamless Experience

Create a more intuitive and user-friendly interface that reduces cognitive load by presenting the user journey in mobile structured environment. Requires no zooming to view the information.

Final Design

Unlocking Grades: A Student's Journey Through the my.emich.edu Portal

The final design of the my.emich portal focuses on usability, providing a more intuitive layout that allows students to access their grades and resources quickly. Compared to the previous design, this update reduces unnecessary clicks and creates a clearer, more visually accessible experience. As a result, students can navigate the portal with ease, improving their overall user experience.

Before

Before

After

After

Reflection

Learning from the Process

Through extensive research and user testing on the my.emich portal, I gained valuable skills in gathering user feedback, analyzing data to pinpoint usability pain points, and applying those insights to refine the design. This process taught me how essential a solid research foundation is to creating effective solutions. Moving forward, I’d focus even more on iterative testing early on, ensuring each design phase is guided by real user input and adaptability to improve the user experience.