International Admissions Website (UI/UX)

Sector

Project Time

Role

Challenge

Higher education, Service, Culture

6 months spread across a span of 2 years

Facilitation, Design Lead, UX Design, UI Design, Branding

The International Admission website needed to be redesigned to better connect with its prospective international students, including building a more intuitive information architecture, creating a user flow for the many type of programs offered, and developing a coherent visual language to boost engagement.

Background

The website re-design started initially with the seemingly simple task of giving the home page a fresh look. As the international admissions teams was ramping up recruitment events post-Covid and adding new programs, at the same time the university was focusing on increasing their efforts to enroll more international students to join the University of Arizona.

The project started out as a purely visual overhaul that involved creating custom icons and callouts for rankings as well as moving away from using stock images by replacing them with authentic students on campus.

The Objectives

The project's two primary objectives in hindsight were:

1) to enhance the websites functionality in terms of streamlining the user journey in order to increase usability for prospective international students

2) to visually distinguish the website from the domestic admissions website, creating a sub brand and giving the website a fresh aesthetic and visual appeal.

The original website was scattered with UX flow dead ends and pain points that prevented the users from getting to the information they were looking for. This
was determined by user testing through heat maps. The client was also in the
process of cutting programs, which made the website features cumbersome
and sometimes inaccurate.

Research

Qualitative research

Industry Trends

The Fall 2022 Snapshot in the U.S. showed rebounds in international enrollments at all academic levels.
Institutions emphasized flexible admissions, deferments, etc., to accommodate uncertainty around travel, visa, health restrictions.
Cost of international education became even more of a concern—tuition, living expenses, travel, health/safety. Students and families more keen to understand total cost and return on investment.
Impacts on whether students go abroad, what programs they choose, and where.

Competitors

Arizona State University (ASU)
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

University of Texas at Austin

University of British Columbia (UBC)

Simplify user journeys: too many competing CTAs are common across competitors.
Lead with outcomes: rankings, employability, and alumni stories build trust.
Prioritize guidance: clear next steps and visible journey , cost info, and recruiter contact points improve conversions.
Visual trust: authentic photography and human-centered design.

Personas

Persona research was informed by student interviews, advisor feedback, and analysis of common student queries across key regions—including Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East—revealing motivations and pain points.

Persona 1: Undergraduate STEM

Name: Aditi Sharma

Age: 21
Country of Origin: India (New Delhi)

Program: B.S. in Computer Science
Year: Junior

Goals:

Land a U.S. internship in data science or product management.
Grow leadership skills through student organizations.
Graduate with a competitive GPA for OPT/CPT opportunities.

Challenges:

Homesickness and cultural differences in social settings.
Financial stress of tuition and living expenses.
Navigating complex visa restrictions for work.

Needs from UA:

Strong academic advising.
Affordable housing and diverse food options.
Career services connected to international-friendly employers.

Persona 2: Undergraduate

Name: Mei Lin
Age: 20
Country of Origin: China (Shanghai)
Program: Business Administration (1-year exchange)
Year: Sophomore

Goals:

Improve spoken English and confidence in presentations.
Experience U.S. classroom culture and group projects.
Travel to major U.S. cities during breaks.

Challenges:

Struggles with class participation due to cultural differences.
Homesickness and difficulty building friendships quickly.
Adjusting to American food and lifestyle.

Needs from UA:

Peer mentor/buddy programs.
Cultural exchange events and other school clubs/programs.
Guidance on travel, safety, and short-term networking.
Information about Tucson - climate and things to do.

Persona 3: Graduate Student

Name: Luis Fernández
Age: 27
Country of Origin: Mexico (Guadalajara)
Program: Master of Architecture
Year: 1st Year Graduate

Goals:

Specialize in climate-responsive architecture.
Collaborate on faculty research projects.
Build a professional network in U.S. and Latin America.

Challenges:

Heavy graduate workload and long studio hours.
Academic English in critiques and research writing.
Expensive housing compared to home country.

Needs from UA:

Affordable graduate housing.
Professional mentorship and alumni connections.
Career support for international post-grad work opportunities.

Problems to be addressed based on interviews and research

Difficulty locating specific program requirements based on their country.

Confusion over application steps, deadlines, and financial aid/scholarship criteria.

Navigation menus that are dense, inconsistent, or not intuitive for non-US students.

Lack of meaningful social proof (testimonials, visuals) to build confidence.

Poor mobile usability or inconsistent layouts.

The feature prioritization matrix sorts insights gathered through student personas, global education trends, and competitor reviews. It helped pinpoint the most meaningful improvements and focusing design efforts where they would create the greatest impact.

Solution: Feature prioritisation

This user journey is designed to simplify the path to the CTA and reduce friction for prospective international students. Previously, users faced multiple navigation paths that created confusion and disrupted the decision process and lacked specific program and campus life information.

Key Improvements – what changed and why

The revised flows introduces a clear, guided sequence that leads students seamlessly from exploring degrees to starting their application—enhancing clarity, engagement, and overall conversion.

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