University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
- Who: University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
- Product: UTS student portal
- Why: To provide a proof-of-concept of a new student portal including additional functionality
- Activities: Dashboard design, UX design, UI design
- Tools: Figma
- Role: UX designer
Background
The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a leading Australian public tech university in central Sydney, known for innovation, industry links, and practical learning, ranking as Australia’s top young university and in the global top 100. It offers diverse degrees in business, design, engineering, health, IT, and more, emphasizing hands-on skills, research, and preparing graduates for real-world impact with a strong international focus. Its campus is centrally located in Sydney’s tech hub, featuring modern architecture and collaborative spaces, driving change across various sectors.
Problem
The legacy UTS Student Portal faced significant usability debt, failing to meet the expectations of a modern, tech-savvy student body. The fragmented interface created high friction for users and excessive operational overhead for the university.
- Operational inefficiency: A lack of transparency in application tracking led students to lodge redundant applications, creating a massive administrative burden for faculty staff.
- Recognition of prior learning (RPL): The RPL workflow was manual and opaque, resulting in a high volume of support inquiries.
- Technical & design debt: The portal was non-responsive, failed WCAG accessibility standards, and lacked a scalable design system for future growth.
- Brand misalignment: The UI did not align with the UTS Digital Style Guide, leading to a disjointed brand experience.
Solution
My objective was to design a high-performance, accessible, and responsive dashboard that reduced administrative friction while improving the student experience.
- Inclusive architecture: Implemented an accessibility-first framework aligned with WCAG 2.2 standards, ensuring seamless navigation for a diverse student body across all device types.
- Unified application tracking: Built a granular tracking system featuring real-time status updates, progress indicators, and historical records for both course entries and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) applications.
- Proactive communication: Introduced an intelligent alert system with high-visibility urgent banners alongside a filtered, chronologically sorted messaging inbox to streamline university-to-student touchpoints.
- Scalable navigation: Re-architected the interface from a restrictive horizontal menu to a responsive, card-based UI, significantly improving mobile discoverability and creating a future-proof framework for upcoming features.
- Operational efficiency: Standardised the visibility of application rules and milestones, reducing duplicate submissions and directly lowering the administrative support load.
- Ecosystem integration: Delivered a polished, contemporary visual identity that aligns perfectly with the broader UTS digital ecosystem, creating a cohesive brand journey from prospective lead to enrolled student.
