NYU Albert is an online platform for students at New York University used to register for courses. For my final project in UX Design, I decided to redesign the course registration flow to be more user-friendly.
Project Details
Role: UX Design @ NYU IDM
Duration: Oct 2023 - Dec 2023
Tools: Figma
Role: UX Design @ NYU IDM
Duration: Oct 2023 - Dec 2023
Tools: Figma
Project Overview
The platform has a range of UX problems that make it difficult to use and navigate, leading to frustration and wasted time. The NYU Albert redesign addresses the user flow of course selection, streamlining this process to be intuitive and self-sufficient.
The platform has a range of UX problems that make it difficult to use and navigate, leading to frustration and wasted time. The NYU Albert redesign addresses the user flow of course selection, streamlining this process to be intuitive and self-sufficient.
Problem
Students often have to resort to using additional websites such as Rate My Professor, Coursicle, and Calendar alongside Albert to do their course selection, making the process confusing and time-consuming.
User Research
I began my user research by observing and documenting the user flow of students doing their course registration.
Competitive Analysis
I conducted competitor analysis by looking at other NYU Albert redesigns made by other NYU students.
I thought this was a great resource because each site shows a different way that an NYU student is frustrated with Albert. For example, https://nyuclassesfrom-xyz.vercel.app/ has a strong focus on the search feature, which can be seen in the fact that the only function visible when going to the page is simply a search bar. https://notalbert.netlify.app/home is another example where the search and filter features have a strong emphasis.
I also noticed that there was immediately more information displayed about each course and a clear visual hierarchy of the course metadata: name, description, professor, time, etc. Another feature that I really liked is that once you add a class, it automatically adds it to a timetable format and not a list view, which makes it easier to visualize for the user.
I thought this was a great resource because each site shows a different way that an NYU student is frustrated with Albert. For example, https://nyuclassesfrom-xyz.vercel.app/ has a strong focus on the search feature, which can be seen in the fact that the only function visible when going to the page is simply a search bar. https://notalbert.netlify.app/home is another example where the search and filter features have a strong emphasis.
I also noticed that there was immediately more information displayed about each course and a clear visual hierarchy of the course metadata: name, description, professor, time, etc. Another feature that I really liked is that once you add a class, it automatically adds it to a timetable format and not a list view, which makes it easier to visualize for the user.
NYU Albert could consider rearranging the shopping cart so that courses are listed in chronological order, allowing students to view their schedule effectively. There can be a list view as well as a timetable view so users can go back and forth.
NYU Albert could optimize the spacing and layout of the platform to ensure that all the necessary information is visible at once. Instead of opening a pop up view of the course search, maybe the Course Search link could navigate to a new page from the Home page.
The courses can be displayed in separate boxes that show a clear visual hierarchy: class name, professor, time, and other information such as credits, instruction mode, etc. There can also be professor ratings and other course evaluation information so that students don’t have to user Rate My Professor alongside Albert.
The shopping cart and enrolled classes are visible on this page and the user can toggle between a list view or a timetable view to see their current schedule. This page serves as the main hub for course management and enrollment actions.
Accessible via a link from the home page, this page displays all available majors alongside a search bar at the top. A filter panel on the side allows users to refine their search by selecting a major or school. Filters can be expanded or collapsed with dropdowns or plus/minus buttons.
Once a major is selected from the filters, users are taken to a new page showing all the courses available in that major. Courses are presented in a scrollable format, each with essential information and an “Add to Cart” option.
Clicking on the cart icon opens a half-page overlay, whichshows a list of all selected courses, with options to delete individual classes or proceed with enrollment. The cart also dynamically updates to reflect the number of courses currently added.