Problem Statement
Research conducted through various surveys (e.g., JISC) and focus groups with students over 2022-2023 had highlighted several critical challenges in accessing and using university systems and resources. Students often faced difficulties accessing and using existing systems, information, and resources on mobile devices, as these were often not optimised effectively. The need for multiple authentications across different platforms and services added to the complexity, creating a cumbersome user experience.
Additionally, at the start of the term, students experienced an overwhelming amount of information, leading to key information getting lost and services being missed. This problem was particularly pronounced for new and international students. Furthermore, new students often struggled to locate key information or know where to seek help, both online and face-to-face.
In July 2023, in response to these challenges, the university’s senior leadership team approved the in-house design and build of a student app. This app aimed to improve the existing Student Gateway by developing it as a Progressive Web App (PWA) that would be accessible on both mobile and desktop devices. This would create a more streamlined, user-friendly experience that addressed the identified pain points and enhanced overall student satisfaction.
Understanding the User Needs and Pain points
When the project started there were still a lot of unanswered questions:
- Why do we need an app? Why not a website?
- What is the first challenge that we would solve?
- What would the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) look like?
- Who do we need in the team to achieve this?
Once the team was aligned, we started reviewing the existing research that was already conducted and started creating epics and user stories. Then we conducted a workshop with the students to understand what the burning issues were and which system they would like to have a better experience of first. Based on the feedback from the students, we prepared a planner board to align the priorities.
As the original decision was to improve the existing Gateway and make it user-friendly, it was very important to understand how it was being used and what the issues were with it. We conducted a usability test with the students and based on the results used the system usability score to determine its user-friendliness. The SUS (System Usability Scale) score was a D which was poor.
Designing and developing the Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
We needed to understand what features were possible and make decisions around what changes to make in the existing systems to achieve them. To help do this, a workshop was held with the team where we wrote down the bigger features first and then broke them down into smaller functions.
Based on the outcomes of this workshop, the team of developers started working on building the features for the MVP. For the MVP the main features that we were aiming to launch were:
- Dashboard – Displays today’s timetable. Shortcuts to most popular resources.
- Timetable – Displays all sessions that day. Also displays all timetabled sessions over the next 14 days. Includes option to display free time between timetabled sessions.
- Register Attendance – Users can register their attendance at timetabled sessions directly from their mobile device. This includes guidance on connecting to wifi.
- Timetabled event alert – App alerts users within 30 minutes of their next timetabled event.
- Attendance Monitoring – Allows students to see attendance records of all their modules within a date range of their choosing. Also displays list of unauthorised absences.
- Profile Screen – Includes student Digital ID that can be scanned direct from mobile device, e.g. for entry to library.
- Enrolment Status – App will show if user’s enrolment status is pending or complete.
- Resources – Re-categorized resources so external links are easier to find.
- Notifications Screen – Notifications screen to keep users informed about important updates and announcements. Some notifications can be turned on/off, e.g. the timetabled session alert.
- Settings – Users can choose dark or light themes and alternative fonts.
- Feedback – Users can provide feedback to the project team via the app.
As the app was going to be used mostly by the students, we wanted to make sure that we engaged with them throughout development. We held sessions with students to help us decide on the design theme for the app through A/B/C testing. Three completely different designs were presented to the students in workshops and their feedback was collected. Students were also able to provide feedback on the designs online.
Feedback from students helped us make design decisions around the interactions and categorisation of the resources. Below are the screenshots of how the final MVP looked in both light and dark mode.
Pilot Testing of the MVP
The MVP was tested by nearly 350 students from over 40 different courses who logged in about 1700 times before making it live. We also conducted a usability test again to check if we had improved usability from a score of D with the Gateway. Around 112 students finished that System usability questionnaire and based on the responses the App scored an A with 92% of students suggesting they would like to use it frequently and 91% of students thought it was easy to use. Below are some of the quotes we received from the students in the pilot testing.
“I really like the attendance recording feature and how it comes up on the timetabled session, and how it doesn’t take you to a separate page”
“Much better than the previous gateway. There are much less sign in pages which is great”
“LOVE the ability to submit your attendance within the app. I also like it that it says, “free time” helps to clarify to students that you have no sessions currently.”
Launch and Initial Impact of the UniLincoln App
The app was launched in August 2024, coinciding with the new academic year. By the end of September, 18,400 students and 1,940 staff members had adopted the app, and the platform recorded 1.74 million sessions by end of September 2024. The app’s impact was evident in improved student engagement. The welcome week banner helped attract 250+ international students to targeted events. The Student Support & Advice Centre reported a significantly smoother onboarding experience, and the Student Success & Engagement Team saw a 50% decrease in students flagged for low attendance, from 1,200 to approximately 600. This improvement was attributed to the app’s real-time attendance tracking. Student admin team suggested app’s reduced number of vague problems, students are saying they’ve tried x,y,z before emailing, so it’s easier to diagnose issue.
Continuous Improvements to the App
Following the launch, the team gathered 8,385 user ratings, with 89% of users telling us they were satisfied or very satisfied. Key feedback indicated that students wanted a more extensive timetable view beyond 14 days and the ability to request absences through the app rather than using an external SharePoint site. In response, a new calendar view was implemented, allowing students to view their academic events in daily, weekly, and monthly formats for the entire academic year.
The future updates will include:
- allowing students the ability to request absences through the app,
- making the app available on App Store and Play Store,
- greater personalisation – providing content based on academic timeline, e.g. if student has exams, show study guidance, if about to graduate show information about events and alumni etc.
Conclusion
Through a student-driven design approach, iterative development, and data-backed decision-making, the university successfully built an app that significantly improved the student experience. The impact on easy access to timetable, attendance tracking, onboarding, and engagement has been substantial, demonstrating the importance of user-focused digital transformation in the university. The journey does not stop here—continuous iteration and student engagement remain at the heart of the app’s evolution to ensure it meets the ever-changing needs of students.