Discovery

Background

The University of Limerick (UL) is a leading Irish institution recognized for its student-centered approach and robust campus infrastructure. However, in UL’s current digital ecosystem, students must navigate a patchwork of isolated apps and websites to manage daily academic and campus-related tasks. These tools have inconsistent interfaces, poor usability and a fragmented overall experience.

Through usability evaluations and direct user research, we discovered that the fragmented system was not only inefficient but also a significant source of frustration for students. As part of a module in the Master’s program in Interaction and Experience Design, we set out to redesign the student experience by creating UL Connect — a unified mobile application that brings together essential campus services into one user-friendly interface.

Challenge

The core challenge was to unify a broad range of functions, from gym bookings to maintenance requests, within a single app without overwhelming users. This required prioritizing essential features and designing an intuitive structure that could accommodate diverse use cases. Given the project’s scope and tight timelines, we made strategic decisions about which features to include in this product.

Objectives

• Reduce user confusion and remove redundant digital tools.
• Enable fast and intuitive access to high-demand services like gym and library bookings.
• Provide a unified interface that adheres to consistent design principles.
• Facilitate student communication via built-in messaging, reducing dependence on third-party apps.

Problem Definition

User Research

We conducted usability evaluations of five core apps and an online survey with UL students. Additionally, we used persona creation, empathy maps, and journey mapping to deepen our understanding of student needs.

Key Insights:

• Students felt overwhelmed by the number of platforms and found them unintuitive.
• The most used apps were related to booking, but all had poor user experience.
• Students struggled to find their way around campus, indicating a need for a location tool.
• There was a strong demand for better in-app notifications and reminders.

Scoping

We brainstormed all potential app features, aiming to design a solution that could support the full spectrum of student life. Realizing the risk of feature overload, we grouped and refined them into four core sections accessible via a navigation menu:

1. Home: Includes Wayfinder for campus navigation and a notification feed.
2. Bookings: Centralizes all reservation needs: gym, study rooms, events, health services.
3. Trading: Focused on a student-to-student buy/sell feature for UL on-campus residents.
4. Connect: A chat feature to help students stay in touch without needing third-party messaging apps.

Solution Design

User Flows and Wireframes‍

I led the design of the Bookings section. Starting with sketches, I built out two major flows:

• Booking a group study room in the library
• Booking a gym session

To simplify booking management, the main page displayed all upcoming reservations as interactive cards. Filters and quick-action buttons improved usability and reduced steps in the flow. The flow included selection screens adapted to the booking type, followed by confirmation screens that reassured users their reservation was complete.

For library bookings, additional complexity was addressed: availability previews, room facilities, and a calendar view for precise selection. If no match was found, the system still offered a way to explore all options.

Design System‍

We established a shared visual language early in the Figma file, including a consistent color palette, typography, and icon set based on Google Material Icons. I adhered strictly to this guide while designing the Bookings section, ensuring consistency with the broader app experience.

Usability Evaluation

Each interaction flow was tested internally and shown in a final demo video. While we didn’t have the resources for full usability testing with external users, feedback from peer reviews and team critiques helped refine the interaction logic and visual hierarchy.

Final Design

Conclusion

UL Connect was built in response to a clear and pressing need: the current suite of university apps fails to support students in a intuitive way. By grounding our work in research and applying structured UX methodologies, we created a mobile app that directly addresses student pain points.

The Bookings section, which I designed, simplifies one of the most frequent student tasks and presents it in a clean, easy-to-use interface. As a whole, UL Connect demonstrates how thoughtful design can bridge institutional gaps and create a cohesive digital experience for an academic community.