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Supporting international students in adapting to life in the UK.

SmartStart UK

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Design Brief

  • International students face challenges adapting to life in a new country

  • Support is often scattered across different platforms and hard to navigate

  • Students need both practical guidance and emotional support during transition

Timeline

January 2025 — May 2025

Role

End-to-end UX design (research → ideation → prototyping → testing)

 

Tools

Figma, Miro

DESIGN APPROACH (01)

I focused on simplifying the transition for international students by combining practical guidance, personalized support, and clear step-by-step structures, helping users navigate life in the UK with more confidence.

CHALLENGE (02)

THE PROBLEM

  • Important information is often scattered across different platforms

  • Students feel overwhelmed during their first weeks in a new country

  • Lack of clear, personalized support makes adaptation more difficult

WHO IS THIS FOR?

  • International students moving to the UK

  • Students unfamiliar with local systems and services

  • Individuals seeking clear and structured support during transition

WHAT ARE THE USER NEEDS?

  • Users need a clear and simple way to access essential information

  • They want step-by-step guidance during their first weeks

  • They need relevant and practical support, not scattered information

  • They want to reduce confusion and overwhelm

  • They value feeling supported while adapting to a new environment

WHAT ARE THE END GOALS?

  • Provide structured onboarding for essential tasks

  • Reduce cognitive load and time spent searching for information

  • Deliver personalized recommendations based on user needs

  • Support users through guided journeys (e.g. settling, finding housing)

  • Improve confidence, trust, and engagement

UNDERSTANDING THE USER (03)

To understand how international students adapt to life in the UK, I conducted both secondary research and primary user research.

Conducted

  • Pilot study (1)

  • User interviews (5)

  • User group session (4 participants)

Key Insights

• Important information is often scattered across multiple platforms, making it hard to navigate

• Students feel overwhelmed during their first weeks, especially when handling multiple tasks at once

• Processes like opening a bank account, registering for a GP, and understanding transport are often unclear and time-consuming

• Many students experience confusion due to lack of clear guidance and communication from systems and institutions

• Finding reliable information often depends on informal sources like social media, forums, or other students

• Students feel lonely or disconnected in the early stages and struggle to build social connections

• There is a strong need for step-by-step, structured support to reduce stress and uncertainty

USER RESEARCH RESULTS & FINDINGS (04)

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Key Insights from Existing Apps

  • Most apps rely on user history and past behaviour to generate recommendations

  • Personalization is widely used, but it often reflects long-term patterns rather than current needs

  • Many platforms optimize for engagement (time spent) rather than meaningful outcomes

  • Content is usually organized into predefined categories, limiting flexibility in exploration

  • Recommendation systems improve over time, but depend heavily on continuous user interaction and data input

  • Apps are often specialized (single-purpose), requiring users to switch between multiple platforms

  • AI features like chatbots and assistants exist, but are mostly used for support, not core experience

  • Users increasingly expect apps to feel personal and adaptive, but this is not always fully achieved

AFFINITY DIAGRAM

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PERSONA

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USER JOURNEY MAP

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PROBLEM STATEMENT & HMW QUESTIONS

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ASSUMPTION RISKS MATRIX

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ASSUMPTION PRIORITIZATION MATRIX

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USER FLOW (05)​

From confusion and scattered information → to clear, structured student support.

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MID-FIDELITY WIREFRAMES (06)

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USER TESTING – MID-FIDELITY EVALUATION (07)

PARTICIPANTS

  • 2 participants

METHODOLOGY

 

  • Think-Aloud Protocol: Participants interacted with the mid-fidelity prototype while verbalising their thoughts, focusing on usability, interaction flow, and clarity.

  • Task-Based Scenarios: Users were asked to complete key tasks such as navigating features and accessing relevant information.

  • 5-Act Interview Questions: Structured questions were used to capture user experience, expectations, and overall impressions.

DESIGN ITERATIONS BASED ON INSIGHTS

  • Redesigned the homepage layout to prioritise key actions, improving clarity and reducing initial overwhelm

  • Simplified the AI wellbeing flow, shifting from static options to a more guided and supportive interaction experience

  • Improved button labeling and page naming to better align with user expectations and reduce navigation confusion

  • Strengthened the navigation structure by making core sections (Home, Jobs, Housing, Wellbeing, Network) more consistent and easier to access

  • Enhanced content hierarchy and visual prioritisation to highlight key features and support faster decision-making

High-Fidelity Design (08)

The high-fidelity design presents a clear and consistent interface, supporting usability, interaction clarity, and a smooth user experience for international students.

FEATURE (01) — Essential Setup

Users are guided through essential tasks with a structured checklist to help them settle quickly in the UK.

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FEATURE (02) — Find a Job

Users can explore job opportunities, view detailed information, and apply directly through the app.

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FEATURE (03) — Accommodation

Users can search, filter, and explore accommodation options based on their needs and preferences.

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FEATURE (04) — Mental Health & Wellbeing Support

Helps users navigate emotional challenges by combining real-time AI support with accessible mental health resources and peer support options.

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FEATURE (05) — Social / Community

Users can share experiences and connect with others through a community-driven platform.

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User Testing – High-Fidelity Evaluation (09)

PARTICIPANTS

  • 5 participants

METHODOLOGY

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  • Think-Aloud Protocol

  • Task-Based Scenarios

  • System Usability Scale (SUS)

SUS SCORE

  • The system achieved a SUS score of 80, indicating strong usability and a positive overall user experience.

IMPACT

  • The platform simplified access to essential services for international students, reducing the need to navigate multiple sources.

  • Clear structure and guided features helped users complete tasks more efficiently and with less confusion.

  • Wellbeing support features contributed to a more reassuring and supportive user experience during the transition period.

FINAL REFLECTION (10)

This project explored how a centralized support platform can improve the experience of international students by simplifying access to essential services and reducing initial overwhelm.

 

This idea was shaped by my own experience as an international student arriving in the UK, where I felt uncertain about managing essential tasks such as accommodation, finances, and daily life. This motivated me to design a solution that brings clear guidance and support into one place.

 

Through iterative design and testing, I learned the importance of clear navigation, structured information, and balancing practical support (e.g., accommodation, jobs) with emotional reassurance through wellbeing features.

 

While the core experience proved clear and usable, the project highlighted the need for further development in areas such as personalization, recommendation quality, and long-term engagement.

 

If developed further, the next steps would focus on integrating more adaptive features, expanding support tools (e.g., mood tracking, budgeting assistance, reminders, and personalised recommendations), and validating the experience with a broader and more diverse user group.

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