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Competitive Analysis

The table below represents several UCI-related and external platforms that students might use to locate UCI resources. It highlights some of the key differences in accessibility, searchability, reliability, price, and more.

User Interviews

Who was interviewed?

The interviewees consisted of UCI students aged 19-22 made up the grade ranges from Freshman to Senior. There was a lot of variety in majors, with only one repeated major among the interviewees. Of the majors, they came from 6 different schools that UCI has, indicating a large variety of possible experiences. Six of the interviewees were from California, one was out of state, one was international, and one was unspecified. Having students who are from out of state/country will let us see difficulties that students who grew up in California may not have faced.

How were the interviews conducted?

The interviews were conducted in person with students from UCI. We utilized a set question sheet with questions about their person, use of UCI’s resources, and what they would like to see in a proposed system. The interviewers were encouraged to ask unscripted follow-up questions to gather insightful commentary.

Helpful details to understand the interviews

The interviews that were conducted with UCI students aimed to gather insights into their experiences with available resources, the challenges these students face using these resources, and what students' preferences are in regards to a proposed new resource page. The interviews involved students from diverse backgrounds, as well as encompassing students from a wide variety of schools within UCI, ensuring a broad perspective on the issues students have accessing academic resources.

Key Insights

Scattered Systems Leave Students Frustrated

Students expressed frustration with how scattered and difficult it is to navigate current campus resources. Many feel overwhelmed by having to search across multiple sites for basic information.

Supporting Evidence 1

"I often feel like I have to dig through multiple websites just to find simple information about tutoring or research opportunities” - Student ‘A’
“UCI’s sites feel scattered—I never know which link is current” - Student ‘B’
“A 2022 survey conducted by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse with support from Kaplan found a student’s satisfaction with course registration and financial aid office interactions was generally higher if their college had a one-stop shop for student services.” - Why Your ‘One-Stop’ Is Worth More Than You Think.

Lack of Awareness Regarding UCI Resources

UCI’s resources are easily accessible and often very helpful once a student knows about them. Although that is the case, students have struggled to find out about these resources.

Supporting Evidence 2

“All resources are pretty easy to access if you know about them; knowing about them is difficult.” - Student ‘C’
“A new report by Tyton Partners found 60 percent of students were unaware of the full scope of services offered to them at their college or university, creating gaps in student-facing offices that could negatively impact student retention and success.” - Lack of Awareness Causes Students to Fall Through the Cracks
A graph showcasing students' unawareness of school-provided resources labeled "Students Unaware of Full Range of Resources Available" - Report: Stop-Outs Don’t Know About Support Services on Campus

Students Don’t Hate AI, Just Bad AI

Although Students don’t dislike AI itself, it's more that they dislike it when it feels confusing, unnecessary, or inefficient.

Supporting Evidence 3

“I hate AI chatbots.” - Student ‘D’
“I think using AI could be useful to generate relevant resources because it could make it easier for me to find.” - Student ‘E’
“A regular search bar would be more preferable than an AI chatbot” - Student ‘F’

Clarity Is Key: What Students Value in Resource Design

Students emphasize the importance of clear, intuitive navigation and organized access to resources. They expressed their fondness for the features that made academic support tools easier to find and use.

Supporting Evidence 4

“A cool feature to include would be a map so that students could actually find the academic resources better.” - Student ‘F’
“Maybe just have a search bar, a side bar that’s organized by school or topic or both, and how about a front page with resources sorted by most popular or recent (like maybe a resource just posted a new event coming up and you want to see the recent events)” - Student ‘G’
“When navigation is intuitive and seamless, it helps users to find the information they need and complete their tasks quickly and easily.” - Navigate to the top: Essential strategies for creating intuitive navigation

Empathy Map

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