Plan & methods

Plan

1. Phase 1 — Evaluation: Critique the current orientation sequence and its fitness for OUA students.
2. Phase 2 — Student engagement: Form a Students as Partners focus group.
3. Phase 3 — Workshop development & facilitation: Build a Miro-based session and run it on Zoom.
4. Phase 4 — Data synthesis & iteration: Turn insights into prototypes, then refine.
5. Phase 5 — Implementation & review: Hand off clear specs; establish a feedback loop.

Methodologies & Tools

Surveys, Focus group (Students as Partners), Miro, Jira, Canvas LMS, Zoom, Google Docs/Forms.

Phase 1 — Evaluation

Current OUA MyUni Orientation (critique)

Sinead produced a detailed review covering copy, videos, visuals, HTML, and Google comment threads. Together we captured strengths, gaps, and actionable fixes—becoming the foundation for our redesign plan.

Ideas for iteration

• Calendar buttons for iCal/Outlook/Gmail to add dates easily
• Printable tutorial schedule
• UoA logo in the top-left for trust and recognition
• Auto-closing accordions to keep focus
• Interactive "Meet the team" with wave/tap reveals and comment bubbles

Collaborative design (Figma)

We explored sequence and layout options together and individually in Figma, aligning with the UoA Style Guide for consistency and accessibility.

Phase 2 — Student engagement

We scoped collaboration with a Students as Partners cohort reflecting our OUA audience to ground decisions in authentic needs and expectations.

Phase 3 — Workshop development & facilitation

We prepared pre-workshop quizzes, a facilitator script, and a Miro activity board stored in a shared drive. Activities included:

• Orientation feedback (sticky notes + arrows + emoji reactions)
• Pit stop Q&A
• Card sort of orientation pages for logic and flow
• Workshop feedback via emoji + comments

Workshop in action

Nine students joined online. Keeping cameras on helped sustain engagement and let us read reactions in real time.

Phase 4 — Data synthesis & design decisions

Key takeaways from students

• Welcome video works — keep it.
• Simplify the home/orientation page — remove module boxes; streamline the start.
• Prioritise critical links at the top (orientation, modules, assignment help).
• Make important help persistent on the home hub.
• Headings & typography need stronger hierarchy; rename "About this Course" → "Orientation".
• Clarify academic conventions (e.g., referencing) up front.

Decisions

• Retain the welcome video.
• Restructure the home page as a central hub beyond day one.
• Elevate critical links above the fold.
• Use clearer heading weights and labels.
• Surface academic expectations on the home page.

Wireframes & implementation notes

We translated insights into Figma wireframes and handed a precise implementation brief to the media/LMS teams (MyUni). Sinead's Google Sheets framework helped us turn free-form feedback into clear, testable requirements.

Iterations beyond the workshop

The work continued—technology and policy shifted, so did the UX. We introduced cue boxes, refined assessment timelines, and explored ChatGPT integration for targeted student support.

Assessment overview & module pages

Assessment overview

• Direction & cue boxes standardised to the UoA style guide
• Timeline evolved from coloured placeholders to an editable table
• Academic integrity overview (thanks, Dani)

Welcome to Module pages

• Replaced old support boxes with targeted cue boxes (thanks, Alexis)
• Cleaner, less cluttered entry experience

Learnings, appreciation & reflection

This project was an exercise in iterative design (Buxton, 2007), grounded in a students-as-partners approach (Healey et al., 2016) and guided by principles of simplicity (Hick's Law, 2007) and user-centred thinking (Norman, 2013). The feedback loops informed every enhancement, and the partnership with students provided an evidence base that elevated the final experience. It proved that virtual environments can foster deep, meaningful collaboration—a learning that now informs my entire design practice. I am particularly grateful to my colleague Sinead, whose expertise and collaborative spirit were invaluable, and to Marziah for her crucial role in organising student engagement. My thanks also go to the Media team, Learning Designers, and Digital Education Officers whose collective efforts were pivotal to the project's success.

References

• Buxton, B. (2007). Sketching User Experiences. Morgan Kaufmann.
• Goodman, E., Kuniavsky, M., & Moed, A. (2012). Observing the User Experience. Elsevier.
• Healey, M., Flint, A., & Harrington, K. (2016). Students as partners… Teaching & Learning Inquiry, 4(2).
• McLeod, S. (2007). Hick's Law. Simply Psychology.
• Norman, D. (2013). The Design of Everyday Things (rev.). Basic Books.