UX Design & Product Ownership | 2019 - 2021
UPexperience - App
I led the design and product strategy for UPexperience, a student-centric mobile application born from a partnership between Universidad del Pacífico and Uplanner. My role as UX Designer & Product Owner involved transforming student needs into a proactive, intelligent, and personalised platform, which was successfully adopted by universities in 4 countries across LATAM.
A GLOBAL RECOGNITION
A Word from Microsoft's CEO
A testament to the impact in the education field came from Satya Nadella, CEO of
Microsoft. In
this video, he highlights Uplanner, our strategic partner, for its role in transforming
education
across Latin America with products like uEexperience.
As the UX Design Lead and Product Owner, this acknowledgement underscores the success of our
student-centric approach and the robust Microsoft architecture that powered it.
Project Overview
UPexperience was an ambitious initiative aimed at developing an application tailored to the needs of students from leading universities across Latin America. Its primary goal was to create a solution capable of adapting to the diverse regulations and assessment processes unique to each educational institution. The application was designed to be highly customisable and configurable, enabling it to meet specific business requirements and a wide range of technical demands. This approach allowed the application to be effectively deployed across various university contexts.
EMPATHISING
Understanding User Needs
We conducted in-depth interviews with five students from various academic programmes to deeply understand their daily routines, behaviours, and pain points. Key insights from these interviews included:
- Behavioural shifts depending on the stage of the academic term.
- A strong need for integrated academic and extracurricular support.
- The importance of social interactions and community building.
- Significant fragmentation of information across multiple university platforms.
DEFINITION
Defining the Core Problem
We established the core problem: students needed a centralised solution to simplify their daily academic experience, reduce platform fragmentation (CRM, Blackboard, Intranet), and optimise their time, especially during free periods between classes. The main challenges were data fragmentation, delays in information updates, and a complex, non-intuitive user experience across existing systems.
DESIGN & TESTING
From Paper to Pixel
We designed interactive paper prototypes to allow students to visualise the unified UPexperience. We tested these with a user group, gathering valuable feedback on usability and functionality. We adjusted elements like data visualisation, service integration, and notification personalisation based on their preferences.
The Main Functionalities
The Outcome
The application is now established as a benchmark for university applications, with thousands of users incorporating it into their daily academic routines.
50K+
Active Users
4
Countries Implemented
85%
User Satisfaction
6
Partner Universities
VIEW PRESENTATION VIDEO
What People Are Saying
Feedback from students and administrators who experience the app daily.
"Very useful! It allows for the integration of various university services. It's a good start; I hope they continue to add features."
Charles Towers
Student, Uniandes - Colombia
"Implementing the mobile app has significantly transformed the way students interact with university services. It not only streamlines access to information and resources but also fosters a sense of community among students and faculty. "
Jessica Talledo
IT Director, Univ. del Pacífico
"User-Centric Design Driving Engagement: With its focus on user-centric thinking, uExperience prioritises the needs and experiences of students throughout their educational journey. By embedding user feedback into project prioritisation and design, the app ensures a responsive and adaptable interface that evolves alongside the user’s academic requirements, fostering greater engagement and satisfaction."
Miguel Bravo
Managing Director, Univ. del Pacífico
Technologies & Tools Used
Figma
Protyping and Design
Loom
Interviews
Adobe XD
Protyping and Design
Jira
Project management