Mobile App & Webapp Prototype Design

Product Background (2018 - 2021):

Proodle Solutions Limited is a pioneering startup dedicated to revolutionizing university recruitment through innovative mobile applications.

Our platform is designed to attract, engage, and convert the next generation of highly qualified students for university enrollment. By utilizing Proodle's mobile application, universities can seamlessly showcase course offerings, accommodation options, and city highlights—all from a centralized hub. This empowers international students to access comprehensive information about institutions abroad without the need for travel, offering an immersive alternative to physical campus visits.

Additionally, our solution contributes to significant carbon savings by reducing the necessity for travel during the recruitment process.

Mobile App & Webapp Prototype Design: Features

Mobile App & Webapp Prototype Design: Text

At Proodle, we have built an innovative demand generation, engagement and conversion platform for education providers to boost operational efficiency from interest to international students' enrolment. Our platform offers a unique experience for both institutions and students to have greater transparency and control over their decision-making process. How? 1. Proodle's brilliant app ecosystem allows every GenZ prospective student to access geographically-driven personalised content, course eligibility with application assistance and instantly engage within a forum of like-minded individuals with back-office support. While also being able to access a mobile workforce of advisors, agents, virtual events and other support services. 2. University will receive a mobile app branding, data and insights about student/advisor/agent activity to identifying real students 🎯 who will potentially convert, and those who need an intervention when they get stuck at any stage of their enrolment journey.

Product Background & Our Story

The Challenge

In a competitive market saturated with digital recruitment solutions, standing out was imperative. Our goal was to increase conversion rates and deliver more efficient results for universities leveraging our platform. However, as a startup supported by the University of Nottingham's Ingenuity Lab, we faced multiple challenges:

Limited Resources: With a small team and constrained budget, we lacked a mature design department to fully develop our product.
Versatile Design Needs: Offering white-labeled services added complexity, as we needed a versatile layout adaptable to various higher education institutions.
Personal Experience Gap: I personally lacked extensive industry experience in product design, which made it challenging to shoulder the significant responsibility of designing the product effectively.

The Solution

To overcome these challenges, we implemented a multifaceted strategy:

Seeking Expert Guidance

Recognizing my own limitations in industry experience, I proactively approached our CEO with a proposal to bring in external expertise. We hired a seasoned designer who had previously worked with Samsung in India. This designer served not only as a contributor but also as a mentor, guiding me through the nuances of product design in a real-world context.
Outsourcing Visual Design

Understanding the resource-intensive nature of graphic-heavy visual design, we recruited external designers. This allowed us to tap into specialized expertise without straining our limited resources. The external team focused on creating visually compelling designs that could appeal to a diverse range of universities.
Focusing on Experience Design

With visual design in capable hands and mentorship from the experienced designer, I concentrated on enhancing the user experience. This involved fine-tuning design handoffs, ensuring consistency across different versions of the app, and making the application intuitive for both universities and prospective students.
Leveraging University Interns

We brought on board university interns to assist with content writing and software development. This not only provided cost-effective support but also infused fresh perspectives into our project. The interns contributed to creating engaging content and helped enhance the application's technical aspects.

The Results

The collaborative effort yielded impressive outcomes:

Enhanced Product Quality

The mentorship provided by the experienced designer accelerated my learning curve, enabling me to contribute more effectively to the product design. The combination of professional visual design and refined user experience resulted in a standout product in the market.
Adaptable and Scalable Design

The versatile layout successfully catered to different types of higher education institutions, making our white-labeled services more appealing and scalable.
Efficient Resource Utilization

By strategically allocating tasks and leveraging external expertise, we maximized productivity without overextending our limited resources.

Mobile App & Webapp Prototype Design: Services

The following content illustrates further details on the steps involved in the product design and development process.

According to data provided by Coventry University, I outlined the typical journey of an international student pursuing a degree at an overseas university.