Srishti
Design Works
Thesis
Graphic
Ui/UX
Social
Packaging
Weekly Thesis Updates
Week #8
My thesis initially focused on the visible inconsistencies between university-level and program-level communication, especially across websites, social media, admissions materials, visual identity, and recruitment messaging.
The more significant issue is that valuable information often already exists, but it is distributed across separate systems. Students are expected to search for it, interpret it, compare sources, and construct their own understanding of the program.
The emerging question is no longer simply, “Are universities communicating consistently?” but, “Is the digital experience helping students understand and navigate their possible journey?”
Back to the Literature
One of the most important decisions I made while preparing the presentation was to return to the literature rather than immediately continue designing the interface.
I wanted to make sure that the new deliverable was not based only on an interesting technological idea.
The questions I went back to the literature with were:n is no longer simply,
The current direction therefore moves toward a more student-centered digital experience, one that connects information around the student’s interests, goals, and progression rather than around institutional structures.
Current direction
Evolution
The Shift
This shifted the thesis from a question of communication consistency to a question of student comprehension and navigation. I am now less concerned with whether every platform looks or sounds the same, and more interested in whether those platforms collectively help a student understand what their experience could actually look like.
The Shift
“Are universities communicating consistently?” but, “Is the digital experience helping students understand and navigate their possible journey?”
Peer-University Analysis
Optimised Opportunity
Lofi- Design Iteration
I have been analysing competing peer land grant universities to Iowa State University :
- University of Minnesota
- NC State
- Kansas State
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln
- Virginia Tech
Rather than simply ranking the universities, I began identifying what each institution does particularly well.
The peer review university analysis showed that the problem is not simply the absence of content
but how clearly that content is connected across student journey
The opportunity is not
The opportunity is
University of Minnesota
Kansas State
Virginia Tech
University of Nebraska-Linclon
From Literature to Design Strategy
From Idea to Research Question
Gap
Week 9 presentation process/planning
From Communication Analysis to a Student Journey System
Preparing my Week 9 milestone presentation became an important synthesis point in the thesis. Until this stage, I had accumulated several different forms of research: literature reviews, social-media analysis, website analysis, peer land-grant comparisons, recruitment observations, early technical prototyping, and possible deliverable directions. Building the presentation required me to stop treating these as separate pieces and instead ask how they connected into one coherent research argument.
“
”
The biggest realization was that my thesis is no longer only about improving the consistency of digital communication across university platforms. The deeper opportunity is to explore how university information can be organized around the student’s needs, goals, and progression through college.
Strong storytelling around:
- student work
- studio experience
- process
- curriculum
- opportunities
Strong:
- visual identity
- institutional alignment
- program differentiation
- student work
- professional presentation
Strong:
- people
- personality
- student experience
- community
- belonging
Strong:
- courses
- projects
- collaboration
- professional outcomes
- impact
- career evidence
Shift from market research
What’s next?
- Work on feedback after week 9 presentation
- Continue working on Lo-fi design iterations for the rest of pages
- Continue more technical agentic prototyping
- Interviewing people
- Lo-Fi prototyping testing
Does that information remain the same throughout college?
What role does interaction play in digital recruitment?
Can these findings justify a personalized student journey?
How do students experience value at different stages?
What information are students actually looking for?