University of Washington - Academic Explorer
Designed an academic planning tool to help University of Washington students discover and explore degree offerings.
Prior to Academic Explorer, students had to consult multiple, unconnected and hard to find resources to learn what degrees UW offered.
Role
Primary Designer: Responsible for end-to-end research and design execution, including student and academic counselor interviews, and cross-departmental advocacy with the registrar's office and data scientists.
Prospective students previously had to navigate multiple disconnected resources to discover UW's degree offerings. Many students lacked awareness of available options and settled on majors despite significant financial and academic investment. Academic Explorer aimed to consolidate this information into a single, intuitive tool.
In a Nutshell
Most Fun
Conducting interviews with dozens of students about their major selection journeys. Their thoughtfulness — alongside frustration with time and money invested in misaligned degree paths — was deeply motivating.
Biggest Challenge
Departments resisted sharing competitive enrollment data, including admission percentages, average GPAs of admitted students, and graduation rates — information students needed for informed decisions.
In Retrospect
Engaging external data partners (such as employment outcome platforms) earlier would have strengthened the tool by providing answers to students' fundamental question: 'What careers follow this degree?'
Department Details
The core of Academic Explorer was the department details page, which consolidated previously scattered information into a clear, actionable format. Students could see degree requirements, admission data, and related programs in one place.