The Challenge
While conducting user research on pain points within the NYU Community, many individuals reported having issues using the NYU Albert student information platform. Specifically, navigating its non-intuitive interface, using it to complete important academic tasks, and accessing NYU academic advising on it.
We aimed to create a new informational platform that would allow a more personalized advising experience for students. We developed AlbertX - a platform where users are able to have 24/7 digital conversations with a customizable advisor avatar that guides them based on their individual profiles.
While researching the NYU academic advising process, we discovered that students often feel unfulfilled with the quality of academic advising that they receive. They complained about experiencing brief meetings and complicated email chains that don’t fully address their concerns. Due to this, these students often face struggles in finding resources, registering for classes, and planning their coursework.
Using the "Five Whys" technique, we aimed to understand the root cause leading to unfulfilling academic advising:
Main Findings
User Personas
Forming "How Might We…" Statements
Selecting the Solution
Why did we choose the Madmatch App?
The First Prototype: A Google Form Survey
First Prototype Test Results
Improvements Made
Next Steps
Guidance should feel personalized, as every student has different goals and experiences.
People want to find information in the same place, and access it on their own time.
Students tend to find out about academic limitations when it's relatively too late.
Below are some of the main screens of the platform:
Top Left: Main Conversation Landing Page
Top Right: Start Journey Page ("What would you like help with today?")
Bottom Left: Avatar Customization Page
Bottom Right: Interest Input Page