Yuriko Kikuchi | Portfolio

Course Planner

Web App

Responsive

Summary

An intuitive web and mobile application designed to simplify academic planning for WMDD students at Langara College. It empowers users to organize their course schedules, track prerequisites and co-requisites, and efficiently monitor credit requirements. With features like drag-and-drop functionality, the app helps students stay on track for graduation while ensuring they maintain full-time status.

Link

https://courseplanner.wmdd.ca/

Members

Lead UI/UX Designer: Yuriko Kikuchi
UI/UX Designer: Eliza Francisco
Lead Full-Stack Developer: Rasul Omarov
PM and Full-Stack Developer: Hisashi Ishihara

Duration

6 months (July - December 2024)

Skills

UX Research
Wireframe
UI Design
Iteration

Design Tool

Figma

Contribution

Led the end-to-end design process
Conducted user research and usability testing
Collaborated with cross-functional teams
Iterated an intuitive drag-and-drop interface
Designed class details, profile
Implemented accessibility best practices
Advocated for user-centered design

Background

The Course Planner was created to reduce the high volume of student inquiries about course planning. Many students struggled with prerequisites, credit requirements, and scheduling, overwhelming advisors and delaying responses. The goal was to provide a self-service tool that helps students plan efficiently while reducing staff workload.

Initial Thinking

The project started with the goal of reducing student inquiries by providing a self-service course planning tool.

Target Users

College students who need a clear and efficient way to plan courses.
International students who must track credit requirements for visa compliance.
Advisors & administrators looking to reduce repetitive inquiries and streamline guidance.

Research Methods

User interviews
Usability test

User Interview

Conducted surveys and interviews with students to identify challenges in academic planning

#01

I didn’t realize I needed to take a prerequisite before enrolling. Now I have to postpone this course to a later term.

#02

I want to plan ahead for multiple terms and compare different schedules, but it's hard to do manually."

#03

I almost dropped a class without realizing it would affect my study permit. I wish there was a warning.

#04

I have to check multiple sources to make sure I’m taking the right courses. It’s frustrating.

Problem

Confusion About Course Requirements
Difficulty in Long-Term Academic Planning
International Student Credit Compliance
Manual and Time-Consuming Course Planning

Features

Drag-and-Drop Course Planning – Intuitive UI for organizing courses across terms.
Real-Time Prerequisite & Co-requisite Validation – Automatic alerts when requirements are not met.
Multi-Term Planning & Plan Comparison – Ability to create and save multiple academic plans.
Credit Tracking & Compliance Warnings – Alerts to ensure international students meet minimum enrollment requirements.

Takeaways

If I had more time…

Enhance User Guidance – Implement onboarding tutorials or tooltips to help first-time users navigate the planner more easily.
Expand Personalization Features – Allow users to set goals (e.g., graduation timeline, preferred workload) for tailored recommendations.
Gather More User Insights – Conduct longitudinal studies to track how students use the planner over multiple terms and refine the experience accordingly.