As I step into a new chapter and leave behind my role as UX Lead at the university it’s a moment of both excitement and reflection. It’s hard to believe after more than 4 years my time is coming to a close. I can confidently say I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
I’ve had the incredible privilege of working on a wide range of projects covering research and design. From improving the usability of university systems and websites to designing intuitive apps that have made life easier for both students and staff alike. What stands out most is not just the variety of work but the sheer impact it has had on the user experience from the place I first started.
If I had to pick a highlight, it would be almost impossible. From the large-scale research initiatives that unearthed valuable insights into areas never explored, to the micro-level usability improvements that made a real difference to our users in everyday interactions. From deep diving into user behaviour and running countless workshops. Let’s not forget the numerous design sprints or tackling service design to streamline entire HE processes. All whilst continuously refining our UX methods and working approach to embed UX into the university.
Perhaps one of the most gratifying aspects of this role has been witnessing the shift in mindset among our stakeholders. When I first joined, advocating for the importance of UX was a challenge. But as time passed, we built trust and let the results speak for themselves. Today, I’m leaving a university that not only understands the power of UX but is eager to embed it into the fabric of daily operations. Stakeholders who once needed convincing are now clambering to soak up as much UX knowledge to shape their projects before I leave. I couldn’t ask for the better endorsement, and a big thank you to all those who contributed towards this throughout the years.
Another highlight is the UX mentoring I provided and establishment of the UX placement scheme, now successfully into its second year. The initiatives mission was to kickstart careering, giving budding raw talent their first taste of the UX industry. Ever cohort has left with new knowledge, skills, real hands-on experience, and plenty of case studies for an excellent portfolio. I have little doubt every member will have a bright future ahead.
Higher education is in the midst of a significant transformation. From evolving student expectations to the rapidly evolving financial challenges, it’s clear that the role of UX in this space has never been more critical. UX can lead the charge in designing experiences that resonate with a new generation of learners and educators alike in this new emergent environment. I feel confident the existing Digital Service team is well-equipped to continue this mission, shaping the universities products and services for the better with the user at it’s heart.
As I prepare to move on, I do so with immense gratitude. The experiences I’ve gained, the lessons I’ve learnt, and the relationships I’ve built have left a lasting impact on me both personally and professionally. It’s been an incredible journey, and while I’m excited for what comes next, I know I’ll miss the energy, creativity, team camaraderie, the University, and the city of York.
To my colleagues, thank you. I look forward to seeing all the amazing things you’ll achieve in the future and do stay in touch.
Stepping into the streets of London, I found myself immediately immersed in the eccentric, rapidly evolving world of UX (User Experience). Join me on this thrilling journey as we unravel the future trajectory of UX, why it is important and many other lessons that transcend design which anyone can learn from.
For you video enjoyers, I have created 2 videos (one shorter and one longer) exploring the UX Live Experience through our perspective! I highly, highly recommend going through them to really get deeper into the insights and all the learning that we achieved, this blog only covers a few highlights.
Before heading off to London, I truly didn’t know what to expect. What will the talks be like? What will the people be like? Will I learn things I can actually apply? Will the food be good? (spoiler alert: yes it was!)
With all of this in mind, I grabbed all of my equipment and headed off to the York train station, eager to arrive in London and plunge myself into a whirlwind of ideas, diverse perspectives, and the contagious energy of a city that simply breathes innovation.
Sitting at the heart of Kensington, our hotel was like paradise; flamboyant and vibrant, it really put us in the right mindset for the upcoming days.
Anyway,
Shall we crack on with the exciting stuff?
Day 2 – Mastering UX: Skills and techniques for success
And so the fun begins. We have a bit of difficulty finding the venue as it’s tucked away, but we finally arrive at 9:15am, grab a few snacks and have a little chat with people around us as we wait for the first talks to begin.
“Please enter the hall” we hear shouted across the room, and with anticipation bubbling, we make our way inside, ready to finally get learning.
So… what were the talks like?
Really fascinating!
Surprisingly to me, a lot of the talks today were more about you as an individual, how you work, how you manage your team and other important skills. One interesting technique is something called an “OKR” meaning Objectives, Key Results.
(Source: Liz Llewellyn-Maxwell)
What this does is essentially clearly define an objective, and set a clear set of results you need to achieve in order to reach this objective. It seems simple on the surface, because it is! And that’s the beauty of it, why would we overcomplicate our aims when we can clearly set them out in a concise and efficient manner. OKRs allow us to keep objectives:
Another fascinating concept I learnt about, was the concept of Psychological Safety. This can essentially be boiled down to having an open and safe environment where team members can take risks, speak up without any worry of being punished or humiliated for their ideas. According to a Harvard study, Psychological safety is the single most important factor when it comes to productivity within a team.
But where’s all the design talk? You may be asking, and don’t worry there’s plenty of that coming up. But first I want to go over fundamentally, what is UX?
UX is an ever-evolving term as we learn more about later, but in its current state it can be defined as “An area specialised in understanding the needs, behaviours, and preferences of users to inform the design and improvements of services or systems. Ultimately, we want end-users to have a positive and effective experience when interacting with a product or a service”
With this in mind, I’d love to wrap up Day 2 with some really nice quotes from some talks.
“Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context – a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan.” – Eliel Saarinen
“You don’t need to be a novelist to talk, You don’t need to be an artist to be visual.” – Dan Roam
“Don’t just steal the style, steal the thinking behind the style. You don’t want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes.” – Austin Kleon
I think these three quotes really encapsulate the essence of what makes great design and I will definitely incorporate these mindsets into my own work.
Day 3 – Designing for tomorrow: Exploring the future of UX design
Reflecting back on yesterday, there were so many inspiring and thought provoking talks to digest which really challenged a lot of my personal views. Another highlight was definitely the networking opportunities as this allowed me to get actual insight into the daily lives of other UX Researchers, Designers, Product Managers and everything in between across different sectors. I found it really fascinating learning about the differences between a commercial environment and that of higher education for example, what tools are industry standard, what are the best practices and so many more great chats.
(Also got to meet a cute(?) “dog”)
Day 3 is all about the future, where is this industry heading? What will our job titles even be called? Should we be scared of AI? Should we embrace it? What are others doing that will revolutionise this world? Yep… It’s quite an action packed day.
Where do I even begin? I guess I can start with a fun fact for you all:
Chat GPT achieved 100 million active users within just two months. Just two months. To put that in perspective, It took Instagram 2.5 years, Spotify 4.7 years and it took Uber nearly 6 years!
So it’s no surprise that AI is becoming such a point of interest within every industry and how we can utilise its capabilities. There is of course a caveat to this with lots of misinformation going around and promised impossibilities with the current state of the technology.
An interesting insight I gathered from one speaker, is the idea of not designing for AI but designing for Human Centred design. Here’s a screenshot showing some ideas related around that:
I really like the idea of identifying and recovering from mistakes AI makes, as it’s not a superhero but a model built by humans based on human gathered data. That’s essential to keep in mind, AI is only as good as the data we feed into it, it can’t do miracles (even though it does appear to do so a lot of the time!)
One final topic on AI and UX is how this shapes the role of UX. There was a really fascinating talk by Roger Rohatgi (VP and Global head of Design at BP) about a new concept called “AX” or Artificial Experience.
This centres around solving problems and creating useful intuitive, engaging experiences that AI thinks are the best for humans. Throughout the talks today, ethical considerations were a hot topic which we could talk hours about. It was really interesting seeing both sides of the argument, and how we can build trust and encourage the development of this technology.
Conclusions
And with all of that, we come to a wrap. There is so much more I could talk about, especially with some interesting panel talks, more niche topics and so much more. I’ve highlighted just a few topics here to get the ball rolling, but I do encourage you to check out the videos to really get the UX Live experience that we enjoyed and a plethora of things I couldn’t have fit into this post!
As my placement in digital services comes to an end, I have been reflecting on all of the projects I’ve had the pleasure of taking part in. I’m very grateful for all the experience I’ve gained working in the Digital Service UX team and before I leave I’d like to share some of the work I did on one of my final projects, the proposed Module Catalogue redesign. This project was filled with opportunities and challenges, and has definitely taught me a lot about how we should tackle problems in our digital world.
Digital tools have become a game-changer in higher education. And with technology rapidly evolving, satisfying our student user base doesn’t come without difficulties. Roughly for every 1 staff member in Digital Services, there are around 225 UoY students and knowing or even understanding all their needs is a hefty challenge. Having recently finished some user experience design and research for the university website, I’ve seen this first-hand. In this post, I’d like to share with you how I’ve used prototyping to help inform the Module Catalogue redesign.
Image: Jake hosting a usability testing session
Why use Prototypes?
Prototyping allows us to test and evaluate new ideas before committing to a change. This means we can evaluate the effectiveness of ideas. The key is exploring multiple ideas before having confidence to select the best route forward through data led decision making. For the Module Catalogue, this was essential, due to high traffic at peak enrolment periods. Despite our best predictions, it’s impossible to know exactly how a user will interact with a product until we observe them. Without this, we introduce cognitive bias into our designs and increase the risk of going live with a feature which may not work as we originally intended.
Prototyping works hand-in-hand with usability testing. For Module Catalogue, we set up scenarios, such as “Imagine you’re a visiting student who studies Biology. What modules are available to you?”. Based on how users approach the problem, we can make judgements on the usability of the product. We did similar on the original Module Catalogue to uncover the first usability issues alongside baseline metrics to measure against going forward. We tested with a range of predefined user groups using our UX&D user panel, issues arose based on their unique approaches to tackling the situation presented. Even if a problem wasn’t easily identifiable initially, it emerged through repetition and analysing of data between different users.
Problems varied in severity. One issue related to the scroll functionality. We observed users spending a significant amount of time scrolling through multiple page results due a problem with the UI layout. Showing 10 module search results before needing to click the ‘next page’ button is frustrating enough. Then imagine, every time you clicked the ‘next page’ button, it reset the scroll position to the top of the web page. This was not only immensely frustrating, but time consuming also. While no users verbally complained about this issue, it still existed. This is why we prioritise observation over words as a more accurate reflection of user behaviour. In the first iteration of our new prototype, the scroll functionality was changed (along with other changes based on problems discovered). We ran rounds of user testing to track differences. Similar to before, no user verbally indicated issues with scrolling. But our metrics told a different story. We significantly improved task-time performance and decreased the average number clicks and overall satisfaction scores. Prototyping allowed us to quickly and cheaply test if our ideas work before committing time to something which may not work.
How did we make the Prototypes?
For this project we needed high-fidelity highly realistic prototypes, so decided Protopie was the best option. But plenty of options exist, for your project remember that high fidelity may not be necessary. For example, we regularly use low-fidelity sketches to quickly answer our research questions.
Image: Example of Mock application in Protopie
Final Product
After multiple rounds of designing, testing and iteration we crafting 18 areas of improvement. With testing and comparison metrics showing clear evidence of change impact.
On reflection I have learnt that we cannot detect or solve all issues in a design, we must prioritise. Iv also learnt the solution we decide upon may be very different from what was originally envisaged at the start. Showing the importance of not getting too attached to an idea early the process.
Hi, I’m Ayman Zahir, and I work as a Junior UX Researcher in the Digital Services team at the University of York. Recently, I’ve been involved in the new VLE deployment and wanted to share what I’ve learned with you. In particular, I want to introduce you to Tree Testing and how we use it to better understand our users.
What is Tree Testing?
Tree Testing is a powerful method for evaluating the navigation and hierarchical structure of your website or digital system. In a tree test study, participants are presented with a tree-like structure that represents the evaluated site. Participants are then asked to navigate and find locations in the tree where specific tasks can be completed.
It’s a method that tells you how easily and intuitively users can find information on your system by stripping it down to its organisation, categories, and labels, free of any user interface that might add bias. If users get lost, it tells you exactly where that is.
Tree testing can help answer the following questions:
Do users understand labels as they’re intended?
Is content split into categories that seem natural to users? Is it categorised logically for users to easily understand?
Are users reliant on learnt understanding or retained?
Can users find the information that they want easily and quickly? Are they looking for it somewhere else?
What is stopping the user from finding the content they are seeking?
Why did we decide to use it?
Tree Testing definitely has a specific use case. In fact, until July of this year I hadn’t used this technique. But the VLE redesign and restructuring of the Navigation Bar provided the perfect opportunity to test this out. My work involved evaluating whether these new changes had improved findability, benchmarking against the previous to measure any improvements.
It’s especially useful very early in a project, when you’d like feedback on the proposed Information Architecture, but don’t have any prototypes or interface to test on. It’s really quick and easy to set up, allowing anybody in the team to give it a go. You can run a Tree Test online or in person. All you need is a printer, scissors, a desk and a few willing participants.
Pinpointing the Root Cause
In a usability test, factors such as animations and UI need to be considered and meticulously planned around when designing navigation tests, thus making it harder to pinpoint the root cause – whether navigation is difficult due to the Information Architecture or the User Interface.
For example, from the VLE Digital Experience survey, we discovered that students hadn’t been visiting an important section of the VLE as frequently as expected. But the survey has limits. A gap in our knowledge remained, why didn’t they visit certain sections of the system. At this stage we could only speculate. For example, it could be an Information Architecture issue, is vague labelling misleading? Or do we have a UI issue such as – users failing to notice the link to the sections due to its placement and presentation? Deploying tree testing alongside usability testing allows you to uncover the why (root cause) behind any self reported behaviours.
How we did it
Our Tree Test study was done using an industry standard UX toolkit, but plenty of free and paid for options are available. The tool allowed us to mimic the VLE site structure (see example below) alongside a set of tasks for the participant to follow.
I’ve identified a few tips when generating the task list:
Try to form a balanced task list of no more than 10 tasks that encompass the most important things you’d like to test.
There should be a good balance between simple and complex tasks to retain user engagement during the test.
Ensure tasks are easy to understand while providing real user contexts
Tasks should be generalised enough to allow exploration without inadvertently biassing their answer.
Tasks with multiple answers allow you to understand the most popular paths taken.
To create the tree, it’s good to have a full understanding of the navigational structure which you intend to test. I found it useful to map out the different navigation elements first – the navigation bar labels, links, buttons, and other interactive elements along with the actual content users should be seeking. Remember, don’t just include the answers to the test but add dummy answers that accurately reflect how the content may be interacted with.
How it went
Typically, you want around 40 to 50 participants in your study. For our study we deployed 32 unmoderated sessions to uncover general trends and 10 moderated sessions which provided opportunity to probe into some select behaviours exhibited using post interview sessions. From the results we found that:
64% of participants failed to find the section academic support when tasked
60% of participants incorrectly thought notification and settings would be in the Tools (38%) or Marks (22%) area.
When tasked to find a digital book to read, 57% navigated to Courses followed by Reading Lists to find it.
Next steps
Once you’ve uncovered opportunities, you’ll eventually turn some of these into potential improvements. Re-running Tree Tests will allow you to measure any change in performance metrics, validating if the changes envisaged are having the desired impact. Providing team confidence in the data and decisions made.
When I first applied for a degree in Computer Science two years back, I never expected to find myself doing a yearlong placement as a Junior UX Researcher. I had merely come across the term UX, short for User Experience, during one of my favourite modules – Human Computer Interaction. Fast forward to September 2022 and I now find myself working for the University of York’s Digital Services UX&D Team.
Prior to this, I had never worked in a professional setting so you can imagine my nerves on the very first day. Guess who decided to greet the team wearing tight formal clothing including a blazer! This proved quite fatal as the very first thing we did was go to collect our laptop and accessories. The journey proved to be a long, hot summers day walk. I was sweating by the time we were halfway back to the office. To my surprise this was quite the ice breaker as everyone started chatting and joking and I think at that point I realised I’ve already gelled perfectly with the team.
Day to day
We’re expected to come into the office twice a week but I’ve always found our workplace more eventful, so regularly turn up most days. During my first few months I worked collaboratively with the team on a large student experience project, deploying a diary study as the main data collection method. We followed a large participant group for one calendar month to uncover their behaviours. Almost immediately I was thrown into the thick end of such a monumental project! I was responsible for running my part of the participant study and contributed to how the team collated our research outputs together. I’ve never been more organised in my life! You learn very quickly that sticky notes are a UX researcher’s best friend!
The unique team culture and support
Getting thrown into a major project so early on was the best possible introduction to the UX industry. I was able to very quickly learn how the team functioned and my manager was always willing to assist or clear any doubts I had, particularly when my confidence took a dip. But fast forward a few months and I’m really confident now. Regularly presenting back to senior colleagues with passion and professionalism. Currently, I am working on solo projects. I love the variety of work, particularly the people you get to work with. It’s really allows me to understand the digital environment beyond UX, working closely with business analysts and project managers. They give me real responsibility and genuinely value the contributes I make.
Outside of work we have weekly informal catch ups with the wider team. A particular highlight is the monthly Campus Days. It’s an opportunity for Digital Services to gather and present what they’ve been up. It’s one of the best ways to learn and share some of the great work happening.
There’re also opportunities outside of work to explore and learn. From monthly work socials to attending UX conferences. We recently attended the UX Brighton conference as a team, an amazing opportunity to learn and gain a new perspective on UX. Meeting like-minded people and just getting to know the team better!
On top of that, I find the UX&D team have a great work life balance. It’s nice to have an environment where people genuinely look out for each other. I’m regularly reminded to take breaks and encouraged to produce my best work in an environment that works best for me. But most importantly, the team encourages me to have fun whilst doing something I love.
What I’ve enjoyed the most so far
What I’ve enjoyed the most about my placement so far is the variety of work I get exposed to every week. From research planning to real field work where I get to put theory into action. I also enjoy how I’m not always doing research but get exposed to other areas of UX also. Collaborating in design workshops are particularly fun.
I’m able to apply and challenge what I’ve learnt in an academic setting and realise that it’s quite different in the real world. There’s no perfect answer to a question anymore or an infinite budget. You have to work around technical constraints and balance business demands between user needs. I constantly learn on the job and challenge what I learnt in textbooks. But the most important thing I’ve learned is that no matter how much you prepare you’ll eventually just have to take a leap of faith and do it. As one of my co-workers aptly said, “The decisions you make are based on the information available at that time, so just do your best and learn from it”. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for me and the team next!
Ben Withnell
As a Computer Science student at the University of York, I have had the opportunity to participate in a year-long placement with the IT department’s Recruitment, Research, and Partnerships Service Delivery Team. To date, my experience has been highly fulfilling and has allowed me to adapt to new challenges in my daily routine.
My first 6 months
During the initial six months of my university placement, I took the time to familiarise myself with the tools and technologies used by the team, including JavaScript, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Slack, Jira, and GitHub. The team provided great training opportunities. I completed “Learn JavaScript” and the “Ultimate AWS Certified Developer Associate” alongside a range of AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) training tutorials. Once I had the foundation in knowledge needed, I was warmly integrated into various projects with real responsibility. A particular highlight was the implementation of Kaplan to Stutalk converters.
Day to Day
On a typical day, I start the morning with a daily stand-up meeting with the team to discuss progress on current Jira tickets and any roadblocks that may have arisen. After the meeting, I work on my assigned tasks for the day, which often involve collaborating with team members over Slack and Github. Most of the week I work from home, however at least once a week, we meet in the office. It’s a welcome change of atmosphere and better for collaboration. Additionally, we have monthly in-person on-campus days. It’s a great way to meet other teams, discuss projects and understand how my work in directly contributing to our department aims.
A particular highlight
For my introduction project, I was tasked with upgrading and improving the performance of the postcode checker used on the University’s website. This tool is used by incoming students to determine their eligibility for additional support and funding.
I needed to extract and combine three datasets, load into DynamoDB table alongside a 15-minute time constraint set by the lambda function. Given that each dataset contained more than one million postcodes, this proved to be an exciting, but difficult challenge. However, I always have the support of my team to get the project done. We also managed to reduce the loading process to less than 10 minutes.
The project taught me the importance of maintaining high standards for code quality and adhering to coding conventions. I learned how to properly format my code and ensure that it was easy to read and understand. Really beneficial for my next project and future career. Additionally, It also exposed me to so many new tools and technologies, such as DynamoDB, S3 buckets, and Lambda functions. Most importantly, I learned the importance of communication, the ability to work in a team and ask for help when needed. These interpersonal skills are so important as a developer and something which is hard to learn in a book or classroom.
What I’ve enjoyed the most
What I’ve enjoyed the most about my placement so far is the team and work atmosphere. The team has been extremely supportive and welcoming, and the collaborative nature of the work environment has made it a pleasure to come to work daily. Additionally, I appreciate that the University places a strong emphasis on work-life balance and they really do prioritise wellbeing. Making me feel more energised and productive in my role. Finally, I have enjoyed the opportunity to learn while I work. The company provides numerous resources and training opportunities. My team have always been supportive of my efforts to learn and develop on the job. Overall, I feel very fortunate to be a part of such a positive and supportive team and looking forward to my final few months here.
Jake Stogden
My time so far as a placement Junior UX Designer
Back in September, I began my placement at the University of York as a placement Junior UX Designer. At the time, I experienced something I’m sure many in my position were also feeling, a looming sense of uncertainty. While this comes with any job, I was worried how I’d be treated as a placement student in the workplace, especially the role and responsibilities given to me. However, since becoming a staff member my expectations have been more than succeeded in many ways.
The working environment
Working at the university of York has exceeded my expectations compared to other placement opportunities I had, especially coming from a computer science background. When you work behind a computer screen it can be easy to envisage your career as just a series of office cubicles working alone. Despite this nihilistic view, I never thought I should expect more. But one of the first things I noticed was how York was different to others. What struck me was the liveliness and passion of my co-workers and the opportunity to collaboration together. There is a real sense of community and desire to do the right thing.
It really changed my perspective. I thought of the year in industry as a currency to be spent on my career, but now I realise the importance of embracing the whole experience and opportunities available to me. The connections I have built, the invaluable teamworking skills, and realising the importance to have the time and space for creativity in my design work.
My responsibilities
One of my initial worries was other colleagues would look down on me as a placement student. I’m pleased to say I couldn’t have been more wrong. Recently, the UX team hosted a couple of UX showcase events for all internal colleagues. The reception was overwhelming, giving me the opportunity to lead members from across the university in various roles of seniority around our event. It really allowed me to understand my place within the university and how we contribute far beyond our immediate department.
Opportunities
A final point I’d like to touch upon is the great number of opportunities my placement has offered me so far. I’ve had the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects, developing a wide range of new skills, knowledge, and experiences I never imagined before applying. New skills on Notion, Affinity suite and Figma are particularly useful. Finally, i’ve been exposed to range of UX research methods and techniques, something my degree would never have given me the opportunity to do. I have little doubt, at the end of this, I’ll have a great head start in my career whichever path I take.
Hello, I’m Jordan Marshall, Lead UX in the Digital Service team at the University of York. We work across the institution to help create value for our students, staff, and local communities.
Our new blog will allow us to work in the open. Telling our story alongside our Digital and IT colleagues to bridge the silence gap. That’s because silence rarely goes unfilled, leaving the unintended assumptions of others to fill this information vacuum about our work and unique team culture. Who better to tell our story than ourselves?
Reaching out to a wider audience beyond our immediate working groups will help build shared understanding and proactive working relationships. But reaching the right people at the right time can be tricky. It’s recognised we work alongside a relatively small area of the university. Yet our user experience and design activities are rarely siloed, touching every part of the organisation. This blog starts the conversation, helping create the connections to build mutual understanding. Building trust both ways.
Our blog isn’t about PR or fancy ta dah moments. It’s about sharing our human side. Our authenticity should be no different on this channel. We will remain humble, enthusiastically sharing our mistakes alongside our success. Because our vulnerability is our greatest strength.
Our blog will be visible to all. This can worry people. I understand the concerns. But we can have different levels of openness. It’s not about sharing our sensitive information or divulging unnecessary detail. The concerns rarely outweigh the benefits. The alternative? We remain disconnected from our community, collaboration and learning opportunities that await us. Embracing open working can be scary at first, but I’m sure we won’t regret it.
I’m really looking forward to introducing our talented team of UX’ers and fellow colleagues. They deliver exceptional user research and design alongside regular product and service delivery. They certainly inspire me daily, with a relentless passion and drive that is infectious to be around. I’m excited to bring you along for the journey. Let’s make great things together.
