Founded in 2001, Ivy Labs Education provides international education services to students in mainland China, Hong Kong, and the U.S. Specializing in overseas education planning and training, Ivy Labs is recognized for its expertise and commitment to supporting students’ educational goals.
Role | UX Researcher, UI/UX Designer
Tools | Adobe Photoshop, Adobe XD, SurveyMonkey, Zoom
Conducted UX research through field studies and interviews.
Translated research insights into actionable design recommendations.
Developed a low-fidelity prototype and presented it to the business owner.
Total | 6 weeks
Strategy Phase | 2 weeks
Wireframing Phase | 4 weeks
Problems & Obstacles
Non-responsive | Not mobile-friendly.
Poor Navigation | Hidden submenus, broken links, no 404 page.
Inconsistent Design | No visual consistency.
Outdated | Hard to read.
Localization | Require proper translation.
Quotes From UX Research & Interviews
“My very first interaction was to change the site to the English version, but my browser told me, 'This site can’t be reached.' How can I trust this company?”
— Anonymous User 1
“The site looks very outdated. It's not full-width, and the column design makes the text hard to read. The text on images is also difficult to read. It doesn't feel professional…”
— Anonymous User 2
Internal Community | Staff, students, parents.
General Public | People seeking college application assistance in U.S. and Canada.
Format | 12 survey questions (10–15 minutes) covering user info, site usage, and feedback on the original website.
Location | Yale University Campus, New Haven & online.
Distribution | 3 days/week (2 weekdays, 1 weekend) during summer, with time slots at 9 AM, 4 PM, and 8 PM.
Sample Size | 20 participants (students, parents, staff, general public).
Privacy | Data anonymized and discarded 2 months post-presentation.
Conclusions & User Feedback
Outdated Design | Crowded, hard-to-read layout.
Poor Usability | Broken links, unresponsive buttons, and hard-to-navigate structure.
PDF Links | Many links led to PDFs instead of web pages.
Redesign Objectives
Responsive Design | Works on all modern devices.
Improved Navigation | Simplified menu structure.
Consistent Design | Clear IA with strong calls to action.
Effective Homepage | Funnels users to key tasks.
High-Quality Pages | Showcases company's qualifications and services.
Sitemap & Wireframe
Simple Navigation | Easy-to-use site structure.
Interactive Pages | Minimized use of external PDFs.
Effective Homepage | Showcases core services and funnels users efficiently.
Strong CTAs | Eye-catching call to action buttons.
UI Principle & Design System
Simplicity & Consistency | Clean, consistent UI.
Z-Pattern Layout | Guides users’ eye movement.
Visual Differentiation | Tabs and visuals highlight core services.
Engaging Icons | Enhance overall user engagement.
Color Scheme | Dark green as the primary color to convey professionalism and calm.
