Nomie Website

The Problem

After the recent launch of the Nomie website, the developers received feedback from students and teachers about the onboarding design and layout. Many found it confusing and difficult to navigate.

The Solution

To address these concerns, the Nomie founding team partnered with my school. Together with two other UX designers, KL and KM, we redesigned the onboarding process, Profile, and Classrooms pages. Our process included research, usability testing, and a complete redesign to enhance the user experience.

My Role

Our team divided the responsibilities, with some tasks handled individually and others collaboratively. My contributions included research, ideation, user testing, and prototyping. The orange-highlighted sections in the following image indicate the areas I was directly responsible for or contributed to.

1.Research

1.1 Competitive Analysis

I analyzed three popular websites used for teacher, student, and parent interactions in the U.S., focusing on the following areas:

  • Match Between System and Real World
    Some websites use clear language and simple formatting, making information easy to understand without requiring technical knowledge. Others, however, have confusing explanations that remain unclear even after reading.

  • User Control and Freedom
    While most sites allow easy navigation using the back button or homepage options, some pages provide no clear way to return. In such cases, the only solution was to close and restart the site.

  • Help and Documentation
    Two websites offer well-structured support resources with accessible contact details, FAQs, and organized content. In contrast, one site only provides a form submission or chatbot for assistance, lacking phone support, FAQs, or video guides, making it difficult to get quick answers.

  • Due to code issues on the Nomie site, user testing was delayed. With limited time, the three of us UX designers conducted the evaluation ourselves.

  • How might we make the user portal more user-friendly for teachers and ensure a smooth, engaging onboarding for students?

  • Following Nielsen Norman Group guidelines, we identified common issues like unclear language, ambiguous status, and high cognitive load. The findings were categorized into 10 heuristic categories.

2.Solution

We each created Crazy 8 sketches for the onboarding and profile screens, then collaboratively outlined the entire onboarding process based on the Nomie website and our research.

Here’s some background information:

UX designer KL insisted on consolidating questions per page and developed the initial LoFi Onboarding Flow 1.0 with her approach. This was despite feedback from the team and Nomie’s founder, who strongly preferred one question per page. Below is one interface from Onboarding Flow 1.0.

The other two UX designers felt they didn't have time to revise version 1.0 and suggested the client could take it or leave it, planning to address changes in the high-fi phase. However, the client and I both believed testing this version would be pointless.

After our group Zoom meeting, I had a one-on-one discussion with the client to address her concerns. Through further conversations, we reached a solution that satisfied both the client and the designers, resulting in version 2.0. Below is one interface from Onboarding Flow 2.0.

2.4 Wireframe Testing

Each of the three designers independently reached out to two participants aged 18-22, the target users of the Nomie website. I developed a Research Plan and Test Script, which we refined through collaboration. Before formal testing, we conducted a pilot test to identify any additional considerations. After completing the user tests, we compiled user feedback into a comprehensive list and prioritized the insights.

Below is one of the pages from the final organized list.

2.5 Mood Board

After collecting input from the team, I created the Mood Board and style guide, incorporating feedback from clients and users.

2.6 High-Fidelity Screens

After multiple meetings and considering feedback from users, clients, and our UX knowledge, we finalized the redesigned version.

2.7 Afterthoughts

In the entire process, I remained focused on prioritizing the needs of both the client and users, while also balancing differing perspectives with my fellow UX designers. This experience taught me the importance of balancing collaboration with advocating for user-centered design. At the end of the project, the owner of Nomie expressed heartfelt gratitude for my contributions, leaving me truly fulfilled.

It’s been an invaluable learning journey that highlighted both my strengths and areas for growth. Through our website improvements, students can now use the Nomie website more easily and interactively. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved.