Role
Product Designer
Timeline
04.2020 - 06.2022
Tools
Figma
Jira
Confluence
Hotjar
Overview
In November 2020, I joined a project to design and develop SuSy, a digital platform aimed at streamlining the thesis process for students, supervisors, and university administrators. Although initial user interviews had been conducted, we lacked a clear problem definition and vision for creating value. As the product was framed as a "Digital Thesis Process," my first task was to revisit the user needs and refine the direction of the project.
Working closely with the product owner, we redefined the project through User-Centered Design (UCD), empathizing with all user groups—students, supervisors, and admins—to identify their pain points and improvement opportunities.
Problem
The final thesis process is a stressful endeavor for all people involved, not just for the students. Our vision for SuSy was to build a platform for all people involved, not just the university admin staff. So we went out and conducted early discovery interviews with all three target groups. Here is what we found:
Students
not sure what topic to pick
not sure which lecturer to pick
A lot of emails to keep track of
Registration is busy work (did I fill out the right thing)
print out two copies (pricy €€€)
not reminded of the deadlines
“Where can I take a look at existing theses”?
Professors
not easy to “suggest” a topic
Communication with students and uni
No overview of their supervisions (“how many do I have?”)
A lot of redundant steps
Grading and working with other supervisors
Admins
don’t know what the students are doing until it’s too late
A lot of time spent on transactions
Unable to “offload” information when it is available
Could be seen as primary and secondary users
Design process
Ideation and Prototyping
With the strategy and scope defined, I took charge of developing the system's structure and user journeys. We traced how each user—student, professor, or admin—would interact with the system, identifying bottlenecks and opportunities for enhancement. I designed solutions for the proposal, registration, and submission processes, which served as the core features of SuSy.
Some of the key improvements included:
A supervisor catalog where professors could publish topics, making it easier for students to find suitable supervisors.
Digitalized grading and submission, reducing administrative workload for both students and admins.
Improved visibility for professors and study advisors, allowing them to see their supervision load and monitor ongoing projects in real-time.
Iterative Testing and Development
Throughout the project, we maintained an iterative approach. We organized user testing sessions across all user groups, ran trials with a few select employees at the university, and collected regular feedback through scheduled interviews and meetings.
In some cases, after realizing that some of our non-student users weren’t digital natives, we simplified some of the interfaces and adopted more accessible language to ensure the product met users' technological literacy levels.
Collaborative Handoff and Development Process
From the beginning, I worked closely with a team of five developers, which I also had the opportunity to interview, co-select and hire. We set up a highly collaborative environment, focusing on testing assumptions and solutions iteratively. The seamless collaboration between the design and engineering teams allowed for quick feedback loops, ensuring that design decisions were implemented as intended.
The design-to-development handoff was supported by clear documentation, and along the way we sought to develop a reliable design system. Although I didn’t stay long enough to see the design system fully established, I laid the groundwork for consistent, reusable components that would support future product iterations.
Lessons learned
Scope Expansion - As the product evolved, the scope became larger than initially anticipated, particularly as users demanded more access to data and insights.
Domain Language - Early on, we didn’t apply the appropriate domain language to our product, which initially led to confusion, which needed adjusting.
Technological Literacy - Many users had lower levels of technological literacy than expected, which required simplified designs and clearer instructions.
Final outcome
SuSy was successfully developed and released to the university in 8 months, following testing with all user groups. It became a valuable tool for the university and helped standardize the thesis process, simplify communication, and improve oversight for all parties involved.
While I moved on from the project, I am proud of the collaboration and progress we made. SuSy’s foundation sets the stage for continuous improvements, and I’m confident the groundwork we laid in design and development will support its ongoing success
© Henri Knutsen. All Rights Reserved 2024.