UMKC PROGRAM FINDER REDESIGN
Connecting prospective students with the perfect UMKC program
The Problem
Prospective students who requested more information through UMKC's program finder would go on to fill out an application at an incredible 80% rate. The problem was that the site had very few actual visitors, so the total number of applicants coming from the program finder was only 2-4 per month.
Our first hypothesis was that we needed to improve the site's SEO to drive organic search results, however, the previous version of the program finder was completed by a 3rd party vendor and they were unwilling to make the requested changes.
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We decided to bring the site in-house, and in the process, identify opportunities to increase the number of users while maintaining the high conversion rate.
Before
User Interviews
Going into the user interviews, we hoped to address this question: How might we make the program finder the first place students and recruiters go to learn about UMKC's programs.
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3 focus groups
5-7 people per group
Interviewed UMKC recruiters from departments across campus
Q: Are you using the program finder as a tool to recruit prospective students, and why or why not?
A: The overwhelming consensus was no, they weren't using it, and a lot of recruiters didn't know it existed.
Q: I followed up by asking them what information they would like to see added that would make it a useful tool for them.
A: More customizable content, and the ability to connect programs together to show education paths. For example, chemistry B.A. leading to Pharm.D.
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The other big question we asked the recruiters was how they're helping students through the decision making process in an effort to learn students' thought processes as they're searching for programs. The recruiters provided some key takeaways:
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students can be starting their searches in very different places
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some know exactly what they want to do and are able searching for the best program to match
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others may have an idea of their interests, but don't know what they want to do
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others may not know of all of the career possibilities that match their interests
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students want to know what they can do with their degrees after graduation
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My biggest takeaway from these interviews was that we needed to hook users in two key places: give them multiple ways of searching through the programs, and once they've clicked into a program, show them tailored program information including costs and career opportunities.
Researching best practices
One of the first steps I took was to outline the user flow of the current search process. The search tool on program finder only allowed users to type in a keyword, or filter by program type or academic unit. These filter options didn't follow higher ed best practices of using plain language, and expected users to already understand how higher ed institutions are organized.
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I also researched searching and filtering functionality best practices and applied the following:
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allow users to select multiple options quickly without freezing the UI
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avoid split screens on mobile
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display filters above the results to avoid layout shifts in the filter box
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ability to remove filters easily​​
Business Goals
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Increase organic site traffic
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Create a tool UMKC recruiters want to utilize
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Increase conversions on the Get Info form
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Increase applicants
User Goals
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To be able to search and compare programs and find information on costs, scholarships, courses, program requirements, and career opportunities all in one place.
Technical Goals
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Create an asynchronous search and filter experience allowing users to select multiple filter options without having to pause as the cards load.
Design
After researching best practices in filter design, I worked out a new user flow. Based on the interviews with recruiters, I knew I needed to give users multiple ways to arrive at a program.
After reading through a list of best search pages on Smashing Magazine, a common theme was to have the search first, and filter options second. Because of this, I designed a search box and areas of interest list at the top of the page to give users a clear starting point in their search.
Both the search box and check list work in tandem. I didn't want users to have to pick one, either search or the list, and then get frustrated having to start over if they wanted to change or add to their search. Being able to do both allows users to refine their search however they want.
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I put the filter options in a sidebar on the left side as a visual indicator that these are secondary to refine the search. It also allows space for the program results to display immediately after the search box, and users can see the search box and results update in the same window regardless of the screen size.
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Sketches of the search and filter boxes
Sketches of the search and filter boxes
Sketches of the search and filter boxes
What Would I Do Differently?
We were able to interview a sizeable group of recruiters, but I would have liked to be able to conduct some user testing with a group of high school students to see how they navigate and search with the program finder.
Results
The new site launched in January 2025, and in the first 2 months the site received 551 inquiries, compared to about 1000 in all of 2024.
My Role
ux design, ui design, ux research
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Team
Jennifer Walleman and Anthony Pelliterre: content
Greg McMullen: developer
Gabi Sa Teles: team lead