Study Assist
The Australian Government’s go-to-resource for study support.
–
User research
Information architecture
UX and UI design
Development on GovCMS
Brand design
Content strategy
User research
Information architecture
UX and UI design
Development on GovCMS
Brand design
Content strategy
Study Assist is the ‘go to’ government website for higher education students on information on how to apply for, and finance, their higher education studies. It also supports education providers with information, tools and videos to support their students to better understand how HECS, HELP and Commonwealth Supported Places work.
Studio Binocular worked with the federal Department of Education to develop a new brand and website for Study Assist – informed by extensive user-research to ensure an evidence-led creative strategy.
In redeveloping the website from the ground up, Studio Binocular also undertook an overhaul of the Study Assist brand – creating a look and feel which would elevate their engagement with audiences, while still maintaining a sense of trust in the authoritative voice of the website.
This set up a visual language for the brand which provides consistency across all channels and touch points.
Our team developed a comprehensive mix of research and consultation activities to uncover the key issues with the existing Study Assist website. This included conducting end-user research sessions, to review the current state IA and user experience to evaluate the extent to which users could easily find and navigate content on the site – in order to inform future state IA.
To support this end-user research with students, we also undertook design and website workshops with the internal team and a series of in-depth interviews with key stakeholders and education providers. These additional streams of research not only helped us to uncover the current issues, but also shone a light on aspirations and goals for the new website.
Taking on board the research insights and opportunities, we set about developing a more logical and intuitive structure for the website.
This included prototyping alternative navigation structures and ways to order and organise content in a way that was more logical to users.
It also involved developing design and content strategies which helped to address some of the key issues with the site – importantly providing more context for users, better signposting content, and developing simple yet visual ways to make sense of complex information.
User testing throughout the process
An ongoing program of user testing – with touchpoints across the process – was undertaken to ensure the design and content was fully optimised to meet user needs.
Research showed:
External links at the top of the page were immediately taking users away from the site.
So we developed ‘more information’ modules at the end of sections to consolidate links and only direct users to external sources at the end of sections.
Research showed:
The complex content contained unfamiliar terms which were a barrier to users understanding key concepts.
So we designed and developed a robust system of Tool Tips for use across the site. These provides on-the-spot definitions and explainers to users, enabling them to better understand content without disrupting their user-flow.
Research showed:
Content on the original site was too text heavy and dense to engage users.
So we designed and developed a range of approaches to address this, including presenting images in cards and developing step-by-step presentation of information to simplify processes.
Research showed:
That placing case studies and video explainers in a separate section of the site made this content under-utilised and ineffective.
So we integrated case studies, videos and promo blocks throughout the site – rather than siloing these into separate sections of the website. This delivered users with fit-for-purpose content when and where it was relevant to them.
Research showed:
The site lacked general orientation or introductory information for users when they landed on the site. This made it difficult to know where to go and what the site could do to help users.
So we completely restructured the home page to be more welcoming and user friendly. Introductory statements and sub-heads were introduced across the site to provide users with context before jumping into content.
We also provided quicklinks and overview pages for key user types – so that the site was able to deliver them with curated content specific to their unique user needs.
Research showed:
The site didn’t leave users with a clear understanding of what their next steps should be.
So we developed a curated panel of related topics at the end of each pages to support users with their next steps, and we introduced ‘what’s next’ features which guide users to their next task.
We worked closely with the team at the Department to provide guidance and advice on the development of content – so they were able to author content in a way which maximised the design potential of the site. This support included the design and authoring of a Content Development Strategy and the creation of a brand style guide and illustration guide to assist in the development of animated video content.
User testing in the final stage showed a website which created a more engaging and approachable experience, while still maintaining a strong sense of credibility. Users were able to achieve their goals with ease across the site and site administrators had the tools to serve their ongoing site needs.
