Conducting competitor analysis was the first step of this project, and it gave my team and me key insights that informed further research and interviews. By looking at what similar programs’ websites did well, I was able to identify commonly used design decisions and provided information. For example, many of the websites earned heavily into their university’s theme but lacked consistency and neglected user accessibility. Exploring these websites of other programs also allowed me to assess their weaknesses and expand our plans for OU’s Visual Communication website. This informed my team’s decision to make sure we focus on easy navigation, while including important information in a consistent manner when we eventually create the website.

Moving on to the interview stage, we developed different sets of questions for the variety of stakeholders we planed to interview. These categories being, students, faculty, parents, and advisors. We theorized about who would be best to ask and what unique information they could provide us. After extensive discussions we settled on Karen, Barry, Eric, Emily, sophomore and freshmen, Kylies mom, and Nick. We wanted to ensure that our team approached the interviewees with openness, rather than ask leading questions to get specific answers, so we made sure to reword our original questions if they did not seem objective enough.

Through the interview process, we learned about a lot of frustrations users had with the current webpage and lack of a dedicated website. We learned that every type of stakeholder we interviewed had difficulty finding basic information on the program, such as admission requirements, course expectations, and faculty information. There were several people that did not even know there was a webpage for our program and got information solely by word of mouth and inquires to faculty and advisors. For those who did know, they expressed their confusion with the navigation and lack of consistency when trying to find information about the program. It was surprising that there was so much overlap between the stakeholders, they each had different reasons for being frustrated but their concerns all connected back to the same problems.

One of the main challenges my group faced was time constraints, specifically regarding the interviews. It was difficult to set up so many interviews where the whole group could participate, while working around the schedules of our interviewees. The solution we found was to be as flexible as possible. If there was no time where everyone could be at an interview, we delegated those to anyone who could. We also created surveys to cast a wide net and get as much information from as many students as we could within the set timeframe. Being proactive came in handy as well. We contacted each of our stakeholders as soon as we finished developing our questions and that gave us the advantage of getting the first time slots.

This whole process has allowed me to grow greatly as a designer. It has encouraged me to look closer at the structures of websites and how users navigate them. It has expanded my view on what is important when it comes to designing programs that are geared towards users. I also became more confident in the interview process. I have a better understanding of how to format questions and ask follow ups that will benefit my research. Each step, from analyzing competitors to speaking with stakeholders and working with my teammates, has helped me refine not only my design skills but also my mindset as a designer committed to growth.