UniCat
University applications made easy
Side project
4 min read
Role
Full-Stack Designer
Timeline
2024 · Aug – Sep
Skills
UI/UX Design
Prototyping
User Research
High school students struggle to organise their university application journey without professional help
who
International students applying overseas
Applying to several countries at once, each with its own rules.
what hurts
A vague understanding of the actual steps
And no tailored organisational tools.
the gap
No united space for essays, docs and deadlines
Everything lives in a different tab, folder or inbox.
In Kazakhstan alone there are more than 20 companies helping students apply to overseas universities
30% +
of students encounter issues with delayed or incomplete documentation, such as visa letters and financial proofs.
41%
of international students cite difficulties in understanding the admission criteria of foreign universities.
~50%
of applicants feel stressed due to a lack of clarity in application systems, especially across multiple countries.
“During the application process I didn’t even submit some of the applications, because I didn’t understand the platform and the requirements.”
International applicant
“I submitted wrong essays to some unis because of an overwhelming number of requirements from different unis, and got immediately rejected.”
International applicant
competitive landscape
Existing apps are oriented at applications to US institutions, primarily used by US high school students. UniCat is aimed at international applicants applying to overseas universities — but not limited to it.
single tool → all in one
US-focused → international
A map of interconnected problems, and a solution for each of them
I turned those solutions into app features, then built the user flow before touching the prototype.
board 1 · idea map — pick a cluster
6
Overwhelming Number of Tasks
Without proper organization, students can feel overwhelmed and may procrastinate.
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board 2 · user flow — step through it
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Take control of the application process, from start to finish
Three changes that came straight from testers
1
Uni database → individual uni page
Added ‘go back to dashboard’ after feedback from testers who got stranded on a university page.
2
Application tracker → sort by country
Added a country column and a sort function to enhance the structural organisation of the table, as suggested by testers.
3
Uni list → documents inside each uni page
Added document and essay management to the individual pages, so users can store the files where they belong.
final design
The prototype
This was my first ever UX case study
I had designed websites and UIs before, and I have a lot of graphic design experience, but that year I decided to shift towards UX after finishing Accenture’s online course. I am really happy to have kickstarted my UX journey with UniCat.
01
It is better done than perfect
I was making the prototype perfect and moving too slowly — chasing details, losing the bigger picture. So I tackled the most important functions first with a very simple prototype, tested it, then added the details.
02
Other people do think differently
We cannot imagine how many ways there are to interact with the same information. The more you test, the more comfortable your product becomes. Testing showed me buttons that were obvious to me and invisible to everyone else.
Future plans
1
Implement an AI personal assistant
For questions about deadlines, requirements, and an overview of the functions.
2
Add emails of university representatives
In the application tracker of individual university pages, to answer questions from applicants.
3
Add onboarding materials
To help students who got an offer actually get in — visa tracking, dorm search, a course selection template, and checklists of essential items.
Thank you for reading!
Reach out if you have any questions about the process, the research, or the cat.