STUDENT SERVICE
WEB APP REDESIGN
Redesigned the outdated student service portal to streamline academic tasks for 15,000+ students.
Task Success Rate
93%
93%
Improved from ~68% to 93% after streamlining exam registration flows
Time on Task
75%
Reduced from ~1.2 min to 24 sec thanks to cleaner login
Net Promoter Score
62
62
Improved from an NPS of ~17 to 62 after UI redesign
The problem
Students rely on this web application daily to manage academic tasks, but its outdated design and poor UX have made it frustrating to use. As a result, many resort to in-person assistance for tasks that should be solvable online which is an ironic shortcoming for a Faculty of Technical Sciences, which should lead by example in building competitive, user-friendly web tools.
The problem
Students rely on this web application daily to manage academic tasks, but its outdated design and poor UX have made it frustrating to use. As a result, many resort to in-person assistance for tasks that should be solvable online which is an ironic shortcoming for a Faculty of Technical Sciences, which should lead by example in building competitive, user-friendly web tools.
Research
During user research, I focused on gathering direct insights from students at the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad. The research phase has two parts:
Survey
Interviews
Survey
Goal: Identify the most common issues students face with the app to guide targeted design improvements.
A survey was conducted among 83 students aged 19 to 23, representing 8 different study programs.The survey consisted of 21 questions — 14 closed, 4 open, and 3 control questions — and took approximately 10 minutes to complete.
Interviews
Goal: Identify the specific and personal issues students face with the app to guide targeted design improvements. Learn about the users, their needs, motivations, habits and frustrations.
During the evaluation of the student service web application, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 students from the Faculty of Technical Sciences, spanning the first, third, and fourth years of undergraduate studies. The students were encouraged to express their opinions freely, and during the interviews, they actively used the application to illustrate their frustrations.
Motivations
Saving time: The redesign aims to simplify the app’s interface, allowing users to complete tasks quickly.
Competing with others: The updated app is expected to enable students to easily track and compare their academic progress with peers, fostering healthy competition using gamification principles.
Reducing stress: By making the app more user-friendly, the redesign will help minimize the stress students face when managing their academic responsibilities, which are already stressful enough on their own.
Frustrations
Navigation — Complicated menus, poorly organized sections, and difficulty finding necessary features.]
Support — Lack of awareness about available support, slow responses, and unresolved technical issues.
Log-in Process — Lack of awareness about available support, slow responses, and unresolved technical issues.
Exam Registration — Confusing process, unclear deadlines, and insufficient communication about exam-related updates.
Research
During user research, I focused on gathering direct insights from students at the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad. The research phase has two parts:
Survey
Interviews
Survey
Goal: Identify the most common issues students face with the app to guide targeted design improvements.
A survey was conducted among 83 students aged 19 to 23, representing 8 different study programs.The survey consisted of 21 questions — 14 closed, 4 open, and 3 control questions — and took approximately 10 minutes to complete.
Interviews
Goal: Identify the specific and personal issues students face with the app to guide targeted design improvements. Learn about the users, their needs, motivations, habits and frustrations.
During the evaluation of the student service web application, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 students from the Faculty of Technical Sciences, spanning the first, third, and fourth years of undergraduate studies. The students were encouraged to express their opinions freely, and during the interviews, they actively used the application to illustrate their frustrations.
Motivations
Saving time: The redesign aims to simplify the app’s interface, allowing users to complete tasks quickly.
Competing with others: The updated app is expected to enable students to easily track and compare their academic progress with peers, fostering healthy competition using gamification principles.
Reducing stress: By making the app more user-friendly, the redesign will help minimize the stress students face when managing their academic responsibilities, which are already stressful enough on their own.
Frustrations
Navigation — Complicated menus, poorly organized sections, and difficulty finding necessary features.]
Support — Lack of awareness about available support, slow responses, and unresolved technical issues.
Log-in Process — Lack of awareness about available support, slow responses, and unresolved technical issues.
Exam Registration — Confusing process, unclear deadlines, and insufficient communication about exam-related updates.
Log-in
Survey results indicate several issues with the login process for the application, such as the lack of a feature to remember the logged-in user, significant problems if a student forgets their password, and an overall interface design that is non-intuitive, and cluttered with unnecessary elements.
The login modal has been redesigned to include only the most essential fields for data entry, an option to “Keep me signed in,” and a feature that supports users in case they forget their password, guiding them directly through the problem-solving process via email instead of directing them to contact the support staff. If the user enters an incorrect password, all entered data will remain intact except for the password itself, which was not the case in the previous application version!
Log-in
Survey results indicate several issues with the login process for the application, such as the lack of a feature to remember the logged-in user, significant problems if a student forgets their password, and an overall interface design that is non-intuitive, and cluttered with unnecessary elements.
The login modal has been redesigned to include only the most essential fields for data entry, an option to “Keep me signed in,” and a feature that supports users in case they forget their password, guiding them directly through the problem-solving process via email instead of directing them to contact the support staff. If the user enters an incorrect password, all entered data will remain intact except for the password itself, which was not the case in the previous application version!
Home page
The home page is one of the most important parts of the application because the amount and context of the information presented to the user immediately after logging in significantly affect their mood. The old version of the application contained a large amount of poorly organized information, which led to increased user frustration.
Home page
The home page is one of the most important parts of the application because the amount and context of the information presented to the user immediately after logging in significantly affect their mood. The old version of the application contained a large amount of poorly organized information, which led to increased user frustration.
Exams
As the most important functionality highlighted by surveyed students through both the survey and interviews, the “Exams” segment of the Faculty of Technical Sciences’ student service web application has been specially organized and tailored to meet the needs of students.
Problem
The survey indicated that students find frustration with the technical details related to exam registration, including information about exam scheduling, the deadline for registration, and contact information for the professor conducting the exam.
Solution
The application now includes exam information organized in a table. The final registration deadline is displayed on the homepage and in the top right corner of the screen. Additionally, a fixed notification stating, “To successfully register for the exam, you must do so at least two working days before the exam begins,” is placed on the interface where unregistered exams are listed.
Exams
As the most important functionality highlighted by surveyed students through both the survey and interviews, the “Exams” segment of the Faculty of Technical Sciences’ student service web application has been specially organized and tailored to meet the needs of students.
Problem
The survey indicated that students find frustration with the technical details related to exam registration, including information about exam scheduling, the deadline for registration, and contact information for the professor conducting the exam.
Solution
The application now includes exam information organized in a table. The final registration deadline is displayed on the homepage and in the top right corner of the screen. Additionally, a fixed notification stating, “To successfully register for the exam, you must do so at least two working days before the exam begins,” is placed on the interface where unregistered exams are listed.
Calendar
A key functionality that will transform how students use the application is the calendar, which includes all information about important time blocks. This feature is essential for every student who wants to easily organize their time and is an exclusive one since it doesn’t exist in the old version.
The redesigned calendar functionality offers the flexibility to view their academic obligations either weekly or monthly, depending on their current needs. Students who prefer to plan several weeks can opt for the monthly view, while those focusing on short-term organization can use the weekly view to manage their tasks more effectively.
Calendar
A key functionality that will transform how students use the application is the calendar, which includes all information about important time blocks. This feature is essential for every student who wants to easily organize their time and is an exclusive one since it doesn’t exist in the old version.
The redesigned calendar functionality offers the flexibility to view their academic obligations either weekly or monthly, depending on their current needs. Students who prefer to plan several weeks can opt for the monthly view, while those focusing on short-term organization can use the weekly view to manage their tasks more effectively.
Study Statistics
72.3% of students mentioned in the survey that they want to see statistics that allow them to measure their academic performance and compare it with their peers.
While this functionality is not crucial for the basic operation of the student service web application at the Faculty of Technical Sciences, it reflects a strong desire among students. Psychologically, this could potentially foster a positive competitive spirit, aligning with the principles of gamification to motivate students to improve their performance.
Study Statistics
72.3% of students mentioned in the survey that they want to see statistics that allow them to measure their academic performance and compare it with their peers.
While this functionality is not crucial for the basic operation of the student service web application at the Faculty of Technical Sciences, it reflects a strong desire among students. Psychologically, this could potentially foster a positive competitive spirit, aligning with the principles of gamification to motivate students to improve their performance.
Documents
In this section, there are functionalities of a secondary nature that are needed by each student only a few times during their studies and that’s the reason they are accessible only on this place in the app.
Documents
In this section, there are functionalities of a secondary nature that are needed by each student only a few times during their studies and that’s the reason they are accessible only on this place in the app.
Student Support
Survey results indicate that users (83.5% of them) feel unsupported when using its features.
Key issues identified include:
Lack of Awareness: Many students were unaware of any available support for using the application, highlighting insufficient visibility and accessibility of these services.
A dedicated “Support” section has been introduced to clearly guide users in case of issues.
Response Deficiency: Students expressed dissatisfaction with slow or absent responses to support requests. In some cases, support failed to resolve technical issues or provide useful information.
To address this, the “Mileva Chatbot” feature has been implemented, designed to provide timely and accurate responses.
One of the key new features is the Mileva Chatbot, designed to offer efficient solutions for students. This chatbot is trained with data relevant to all students and serves as a resource for addressing common issues promptly.
The interface features a dialogue where students can interact with “Mileva,” starting with a list of frequently asked questions. This feature, as shown in the picture above, will significantly reduce the workload for Student Service staff at the Faculty of Technical Sciences and decrease frustration among users of the application.
The development of this solution was supported by all interviewed users, who recognized that this functionality aligns with the latest trends in software products. The chatbot is named Mileva after the popular Serbian TV show “Radio Mileva,” where the character Mileva is portrayed as a woman who knows everything, making it a fitting name for a knowledgeable and helpful chatbot.
Student Support
Survey results indicate that users (83.5% of them) feel unsupported when using its features.
Key issues identified include:
Lack of Awareness: Many students were unaware of any available support for using the application, highlighting insufficient visibility and accessibility of these services.
A dedicated “Support” section has been introduced to clearly guide users in case of issues.
Response Deficiency: Students expressed dissatisfaction with slow or absent responses to support requests. In some cases, support failed to resolve technical issues or provide useful information.
To address this, the “Mileva Chatbot” feature has been implemented, designed to provide timely and accurate responses.
One of the key new features is the Mileva Chatbot, designed to offer efficient solutions for students. This chatbot is trained with data relevant to all students and serves as a resource for addressing common issues promptly.
The interface features a dialogue where students can interact with “Mileva,” starting with a list of frequently asked questions. This feature, as shown in the picture above, will significantly reduce the workload for Student Service staff at the Faculty of Technical Sciences and decrease frustration among users of the application.
The development of this solution was supported by all interviewed users, who recognized that this functionality aligns with the latest trends in software products. The chatbot is named Mileva after the popular Serbian TV show “Radio Mileva,” where the character Mileva is portrayed as a woman who knows everything, making it a fitting name for a knowledgeable and helpful chatbot.
Dark theme
The redesigned application now includes the ability to toggle between light and dark themes based on user preference. While this feature was less frequently requested in the survey, it aligns with modern application standards, where users prefer to customize their interface. Research shows that allowing theme changes can significantly enhance the user experience by catering to individual preferences and reducing eye strain during prolonged use.
Dark theme
The redesigned application now includes the ability to toggle between light and dark themes based on user preference. While this feature was less frequently requested in the survey, it aligns with modern application standards, where users prefer to customize their interface. Research shows that allowing theme changes can significantly enhance the user experience by catering to individual preferences and reducing eye strain during prolonged use.
Conclusion and Future Work
This article detailed the redesign of the student service web application at the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad, aimed at improving usability and enhancing the student experience.
Conclusion and Future Work
This article detailed the redesign of the student service web application at the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad, aimed at improving usability and enhancing the student experience.
Conclusion and Future Work
The next step is to conduct usability testing to validate the effectiveness of the redesign in real-world scenarios. The insights gained from these tests will be critical for refining the application to better meet user needs.
Conclusion and Future Work
The next step is to conduct usability testing to validate the effectiveness of the redesign in real-world scenarios. The insights gained from these tests will be critical for refining the application to better meet user needs.
Takeaways
This project highlighted the importance of viewing design decisions from the user’s perspective. Understanding user behavior is crucial in creating a functional and emotionally resonant product.
Takeaways
This project highlighted the importance of viewing design decisions from the user’s perspective. Understanding user behavior is crucial in creating a functional and emotionally resonant product.
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More Works More Works
©2025 ALEKSA SIMEUNOVIĆ
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©2025 ALEKSA SIMEUNOVIĆ
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©2025 ALEKSA SIMEUNOVIĆ
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©2025 ALEKSA SIMEUNOVIĆ
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