UCAS |

Education

Redesigned Using Large-One front door for every kind of applicant: the research behind UCAS.com’s new structure

School leavers, mature applicants, parents and advisers all come to UCAS.com with different questions, and the site was making each of them work too hard. Box UK ran a large research programme to find out how each group actually looks for information, and turned it into a new structure for the site.

person_search

20

hours of moderated testing

cards

81

card-sorting participants

screen_search_desktop

77

session recordings analysed

calendar_month

12

months of analytics reviewed

overview

In short

  • UCAS.com serves very different groups, from school leavers to careers advisers.
  • The site structure didn’t match how those groups looked for information.
  • Box UK ran testing, card sorting, tree testing, analytics and session-recording analysis.
  • We audited 51 key pages and benchmarked four comparable platforms.
  • The research produced a new information architecture and a personalisation framework.
  • Recommendations fed directly into UCAS’s new CMS build.

Client

UCAS

Sector

Education

Services on this project

Customer background

UCAS runs the admissions service for undergraduate study in the UK. Applicants use UCAS.com to research courses, apply and track their offers, alongside parents, teachers, careers advisers and universities. For many young people it’s the first official system they deal with on the way to higher education, so getting it wrong has real consequences.

The Challenge

UCAS.com needed to serve many different audiences through one site, and each had to find its own route through content aimed at everyone. UCAS was about to move to a new CMS and wanted the new site built on evidence of how people actually use it, not assumptions.

Our approach

We combined several research methods so no single one could mislead us:

  • User testing: 20 hours of sessions.
  • Card sorting: 81 participants grouping content in the way that made sense to them.
  • Tree testing: 33 tests of proposed navigation paths before anything was built.
  • Behaviour data: 77 Hotjar session recordings and 12 months of analytics.
  • Content audit: 51 key pages reviewed, with 26 usability issues documented.
  • Benchmarking: four comparable platforms reviewed, plus stakeholder interviews across UCAS.
  • A new information architecture built from how users grouped content in card sorting, and checked with tree testing.
  • Clear routes for each audience, so students, parents and advisers reach their content without wading through each other’s.
  • The student portal moved to the homepage, for immediate access.
  • A tagging and personalisation framework so the new CMS could show content relevant to each audience.

The outcome

  • A new site structure grounded in testing, card sorting, tree testing and a year of behaviour data.
  • Recommendations built into UCAS’s new CMS from the start, rather than retrofitted.
  • A personalisation framework UCAS can extend as its audiences change.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much user research does a large website redesign need?

Enough to see consistent patterns across each audience. For UCAS.com we combined 20 hours of testing, 81 card-sorting participants, 33 tree tests, 77 session recordings and 12 months of analytics.

What’s the difference between card sorting and tree testing?

Card sorting asks users to group content in a way that makes sense to them, which shapes the structure. Tree testing then checks whether people can find things in the proposed structure before it’s built.

Should research happen before or after choosing a new CMS?

Before the build, ideally. At UCAS the research fed into the new CMS development, so the structure and tagging were designed in rather than added later.

How do you design one site for very different audiences?

Research each audience separately, then give each a clear route to its own content while sharing what they have in common.

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What this means

for your organisation

If your website serves several very different audiences, and it’s grown around your organisation rather than their questions, you’ll recognise UCAS’s starting point. It’s common in education, the public sector and membership bodies.

The fix starts with evidence. If you’re planning a redesign or a CMS move, send us a few lines about who uses your site. We’ll tell you which research would be worth doing first.

Client

UCAS

Sector

Education

Talk to one of our digital experts

Federica Monticelli

UX Designer

Want to make your digital experiences feel effortless?

Federica blends Italian flair with British UX rigour to craft interfaces that feel effortless and intuitive. With a background in psychology and user experience, she’s passionate about understanding what makes users tick – and turning those insights into beautifully functional designs. Ready to turn user behaviour into better design?

Book a meeting with Federica

Or call us on 020 7439 1900

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