Proposta de redesign da interface para o Portal do Aluno da UFES: uma abordagem a partir do Design Centrado no Usuário

Abstract

This master’s dissertation highlights the use of the user-centered design approach to stimulate innovation in the design of digital products and the redesign of public services. It is a proposal to redesign the graphical interface of the Student Portal at the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES). The Student Portal is one of the digital communication and information institutional technologies for free use within the university community. It is an academic management system accessed by all undergraduate students at UFES. In the context of the digital transformation of public services, it is vital to ensure that the services offered by this technology meet the needs of its users. Therefore, the work focuses on aspects of the experience obtained by them when using the Portal. The aim was to propose improvements to the Student Portal user experience. In theoretical terms, the theories used were the ones of Digital Governance, Human-Computer Interaction, Usability, User-Centered Design and User Experience. As for the methods and procedures, the UserCentered Design approach was combined with the Double-Diamond methodological process in its four steps: Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver. Bibliographic, documentary and quali-quantitative research were carried out, using the data collection instruments: satisfaction survey, semi-structured interview and usability testing with users, all applied to graduate students of the Centers of Arts and Human and Natural Sciences of UFES, with specific samples for each instrument. Based on the information collected about the users’ needs, a project solution scope was defined: to design a new interface for the Student Portal aimed at smartphones, a mobile application prototype. The interface concepts were then designed, tested and refined in three iterations - respectively in low, medium and high fidelity. According to the results obtained in the prototype usability tests, the identified main users' needs were met by the design of the proposed application prototype. The results demonstrated that the users experienced the high-fidelity prototype as intuitive, pleasant, easy to use, and felt more satisfied during their usage experiences.