Victoria University App

The VU Connected Learning team was commissioned to combine the Universities’ five pre-existing (very poor experience) apps into one consolidated, seamless experience with an extremely fast turnaround time - less than 8 months. This required extensive R&D to define student needs, the core features of previous apps and any additional/new business requirements. EG: Viewing/navigating course content online was convoluted Existing Uni maps were outdated (6+ years) architectural floor plan PDFs which were confusing, incorrect, not interactive, and often failed to ‘load’ Timetable was impossible to view on mobile from any app, or the VU website

Using our innovative & collaborative design approach, the VU Connected Learning team created a novel app which consolidated all the core functions of the five previous apps. They also developed a number of new features that addressed numerous unmet student needs including: - Digital Student ID card which works with Library borrowing, activity attendance, and exam sign-in (we are not aware of any other institution which has done this) - An interactive timetable - Quick view of upcoming classes & assessment from Home screen - Fully interactive maps with toilets, accessible entrances, lifts & stairs - A portal of relevant services - Live weather from BOM api - Plus more

As there was no way to navigate around campus, maps were a priority. After extensive research and consultation with students, we found: - An out of the box/vendor software solution would not solve the problems our users faced - Inclusivity is key We built the maps in-house, using the ‘accessible’ version of the disability icon, and a thoroughly considered icon for ‘all gender bathrooms’. We gathered data and included accessible entrances. We have had an overwhelming response from VU students that these designs are incredibly empowering & affirming. We hope our designs can inspire other organisations towards more inclusive design.

The VU App also features: - Easy navigation & access to the students units of study, with content broken down by area, as well as displaying global learning news and course specific news from the LMS (Learning Management System) - A customisable, easy to navigate portal of relevant VU services & facilities - A profile with digital ID card, course progress bar, and un-lockable student leadership achievements & learning metrics - Maps built from scratch: We synthesised floor plans, space plans, and physically checked in person the accuracy of these plans, on every floor, of every building, of every campus. This means we were able create true and accurate maps. We then built a cloud-based backend that is accessible internally to VU Staff so that any changes can be updated seamlessly & instantly without needing an app update - Real-time location on campus using device GPS - The ability to browse, book, add and track our VU Learning Hub “essential activities” (complimentary study content), categorised by either a course or a 21st Century Skill. Validate the activity completion by scanning the QR code in class and it will be automatically added to your list of completed activities