Mit Uddannelsesvalg, 2019
Product: App design
Thesis project at ITU (Digital Design and Interactive Technologies)
Client: STIL (Styrelsen for Læring og IT)
Role: User Research, Concept development, UX/UI-Design
In collaboration with my group, my role was to bring insights from user research into play and translate them into concrete design iterations. It taught me how crucial to ensure that the design truly addresses core user needs and is grounded in solving a real problem. Mit Uddannelsesvalg is a personal guidance app that introduces students to an inspiration universe of job suggestions based on:
– Their current educational background
– Their personal preferences and values
Students can explore, bookmark, and prioritize ideas as they learn more. The app also includes info on admissions, study requirements, and ways to seek further guidance.
About the project
This thesis project was a collaboration with STIL (The Danish Agency for Learning and IT). We designed a concept to support young people in their decision-making process around higher education. The solution was developed through three design sprints, each focused on understanding and addressing students' needs at different stages of the process.
A Research-Led Sprint Process
From the very beginning, we knew we wanted to involve users deeply and iteratively throughout the project. To support that, we based our process on Google’s Design Sprint format — running three focused sprints to explore and validate the needs of young people facing the decision of choosing higher education.
Each sprint had a clear goal:
Sprint 1 — Understanding needs: We explored decision-making barriers through in-depth interviews with students.
Sprint 2 — Testing ideas: We developed and tested early wireframes through usability testing to understand what resonated.
Sprint 3 — Refining the concept: We refined the core concept and created a clickable prototype of the most essential flows.
This approach helped us ground the design in real user needs — and ensured we made meaningful progress with each iteration.
Key Research Insights
Before designing the concept, we carried out a combination of desk research, user interviews, and expert interviews to better understand the challenges young people face when choosing a higher education path.
Across these methods, we identified three core user needs that the product should address:
Getting started
Students often struggle to begin the process — they need help kickstarting their search and decision-making journey.
Facilitating reflection over time
They need guidance to make sense of their options and reflect on what’s important to them in their educational choices.
Feeling prepared and confident
Many find it to be an overwhelming process and need a space to facilitate the process. The product should help them feel more equipped and supported in making a final decision.
These insights became the foundation for our design approach and helped us shape a concept that supports both emotional and practical needs in the decision-making process.
Success Criteria
Based on our research and the goals of the project, we defined a set of success criteria to guide the design process and evaluate the final concept. We wanted the concept to differentiate from other tools offered by STIL.
Personalized experience
The solution should feel relevant and tailored to each individual user.
Support over time
It should be useful throughout the entire decision-making journey — not just at a single moment.
Meeting users where they are
The concept should align with the user's current mindset and stage in the process, whether they’re just getting started or close to making a choice.
These criteria helped us stay focused on designing a solution that was both helpful and meaningful in the context of a complex and emotional decision.
Reflections 🎓
This project helped me practice structured research, iterative design, and user-centered decision-making in a complex educational setting. It also reinforced the importance of supporting emotional and practical needs when designing tools for young people facing big life choices.
Explore Final Product Below 🦋
