Admissions Digital Platform
I successfully redesigned the HKBU CIE college website and admissions website with UX design principles, SEO content, and information architecture to greatly enhance the user experience and brand awareness.
THE PROBLEM
Overview
I directed the end-to-end web development initiatives and solutions using a user-centred design approach and agile project management procedures for six years (2015-2021), with a team of designers and developers, and various stakeholders
The Problem
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The original website prior to 2015 was not search engine optimised, visually appealing and mobile-friendly
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Previously, the website has a loose online connection between the college and the public
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The performance of the digital platform was not measurable
Solution
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I successfully redesigned the college website and admissions website with UX design principles, SEO content, and information architecture to greatly enhance the user experience and brand awareness.
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I collaborated and provided technical expertise to committees, and liaised with PR & Marketing, Technical Services teams, and external contractors in developing digital marketing campaigns and proposing possible digital media solutions.
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I implemented more than ten interactive digital analytics performance reports to provide reports access to useful online advertising campaigns statistics for stakeholders’ strategic decisions.
HIGH LEVEL TIMELINE
6 years,
with UX/UI enhancements iteratively
KEY GOAL
Increase the online presence and user experience of the CIE online platform.
MY ROLE
I acted as the project manager, senior UX designer, UX researcher, UX writer, information architect, and technical lead for the maintenance and growth of the HKBU CIE digital channels.
I organised and implemented a digital communication strategy, enhanced the college's online presence, and hosted more than 30 live videos during the pandemic to facilitate the smooth admission of self-funded degrees and sub-degrees.
During the years I worked at CIE, I successfully coordinated user requirements among various digital communication projects, performed feasibility studies, designed wireframes and interactive mock-ups, proofread and approve content, recommended proposed digital solutions, enhanced user interface/user interaction (UX/UI) design, and crafted web application architecture and design specifications.
My role in this project include:
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Agile Project management
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User research & synthesis
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Design & ideate
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Personas
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User flows
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Wireframing & sketching
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Style Guide
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User interface design consultancy
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Prototyping
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Facilitating user acceptance tests
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Data analytics - digital performance tracking
CONCLUSION
Outcomes and Results
The former college website prior to 2015 was not responsively designed and user-friendly in terms of content, information architecture, online user flow and user interface design. Hence, users could not gain the best experience when accessing it using various digital and mobile devices. Furthermore, our colleagues did not learn about the importance of digital presence, online promotions and user experience design.
Within the first year and in the next 5 years, I enhanced the website UX iteratively by applying the UX Research and Design methodologies by leveraging various quantitative and qualitative user research methods such as surveys, user interviews, user observations, some focus groups and guerrilla testing.
Learnings and Retrospect
During the six years I worked at CIE, I advocated users’ needs, perspectives and the goals of the college's digital platform towards various internal stakeholders, such as other UX/UI designers, web developers, administrative and academic staff.
With the cooperation of my cross-functional teams and colleagues, we successfully revamped the official college website and the admissions mini-website by implementing UX Research methodologies. As a result, the websites are now more user/mobile friendly and visually attractive design, enriching the digital content discovery and enhancing the corporate brand’s awareness.