Challenge

Solution

Due to the weak information architecture of the Research Service Portal, users experienced cumbersome workflows and difficulty in navigation. Macquarie University approached Constant Consulting to redesign the IA and UX/UI to help solve this issue.

The information architecture, namely the organisation, search and navigation systems of the portal were redesigned to help users complete tasks, find what they need and understand what they have found.

Constant Consulting worked with stakeholders to suss out scenarios, realistic description of how a user type will use the portal.

The information scent of application forms and groupings was improved — labels of items that matched the user’s mental model were identified and used to replace identification codes in a list; standard categories of similar items were created to reduce effort. The aim was to help with memory recall and to locate an application easily.

The existing hierarchy which was deep and narrow buried important content, led to unwieldy breadcrumbs and deep links. To solve this issue, a moderate approach was applied to ensure the hierarchy is neither too deep nor shallow. Direct links grouped under top level categories led users to a linear structure, a step by step process to complete their task.

The redesigned of information architecture resulted in improved findability, discoverability and extensibility so that conversion rates increases and maintainence costs reduces.