Ferris State Registration
Visual Prototyping | Research | Prototyping
Each semester, every Ferris State University student goes through the same harrowing journey: registering for the next semester's classes. Currently, this process relies on a surplus of steps that require the student to use multiple tabs. The current registration is not mobile friendly, forcing students to be tied to a computer when registering.
Observations
In order to broaden my understanding on how students register for classes, I interviewed and conducted cognitive walkthroughs of four of my peers to get a more rounded understanding of the the registration process.
Observation Insights
Out of my observations, I was able to pull key insights that reveal the primary pain points of the current registration process
Findings
With some variation, my interviewees had a primarily similar experience. Everybody was held back by something, from class registration numbers being hidden to being shown classes that they are not eligible for.
Based on my observations, I can reasonably say that these are the steps that a standard Ferris State student will take to register for classes.
Step One: MyDegree
MyDegree is a major component of class registration. This is where students can see all of the classes they have completed, as well as classes that still require completion towards their major.
Step Two: The Schedule
There are three main ways that students keep track of their prospective schedules: Using the week at a glance feature, using Coursicle, and writing them down.
Each of these have their own process, but they all have one thing in common: they cannot be done through MyDegree.
Each of these have their own process, but they all have one thing in common: they cannot be done through MyDegree.
Step Three: Gathering CRN's
Once students know the classes they want to take, they must now make sure that they have the class registration numbers, or CRN’s. Keeping track of the CRN’s allows students to simply enter them on registration day instead of looking up every class individually.
A common problem with CRN’s, however is finding them. They cannot be found in MyDegree, forcing students to track them down other ways.
A common problem with CRN’s, however is finding them. They cannot be found in MyDegree, forcing students to track them down other ways.
Step Four: Registration Day
When registration day finally comes, the process should be straight-forward. For a number of reasons, however, errors may arise that prevent students from registering properly, risking their seat in a competitive class.
The Solution
After realizing the amount of tabs and pages that are required to register for classes, I wanted to streamline the process to as few tabs as possible, as well as provide an enjoyable mobile experience.
The Advisor Role
In order to make it viable to re-create the student's registration experience, the academic advisor role must also be re-created and simplified.
