Design Thinking Solution: An Integrated Mobile Application

Akram Boukhris, Rita El Khoury, Ayçin İpek, and Lindsey Jennette

ESEI International Business School

Design Thinking and Innovation

Prof. Carolina Lauzen

April 24, 2024

 Design Thinking Solution: An Integrated Mobile Application

User Research

The following interviews were conducted in order to better understand the pain points

of the ESEI application process for international applicants and where there are opportunities

for improvement. Before these interviews were conducted, as a group, we discussed how

interviewees may respond. Since the focus of the study is on international students, it was

expected interviewees would have a prominent reason as to why they decided to leave their

home country to pursue a masters in Barcelona, Spain. When thinking about the application

process, visa application is an important step in the process. Knowing how difficult and

time-consuming this step can be, complaints regarding visas were expected. Another

expectation high on everyone’s list was the want for more support in the overall application

process. Some of us had issues getting in touch with staff when we needed questions

answered, information wasn’t necessarily clear on some accreditations, and the curriculum

and schedule were unknown. Therefore a want for more clarity and personal support was

discussed.

You will see our interview questions and the responses we gathered below:

1. Introduction:

a. Can you tell us about your background and why you chose to pursue a

master's degree at ESEI?

○ How did you first learn about ESEI and its master's programs?

2. Application Process:

○ Can you walk us through your experience with the application process for

ESEI?

○ What were the most challenging aspects of the application process for you?
 ○ What sources of information did you rely on during the application process,

and how did they influence your decision-making?

3. Information Gathering:

○ Were there any resources or sources of information that you found particularly

helpful or lacking?

○ Did you encounter any difficulties in accessing or understanding the

information provided?

4. Decision Making:

○ What factors influenced your decision to apply specifically to ESEI?

○ Did you consider other institutions or programs during your decision-making

process?

5. Pain Points and Opportunities for Improvement:

○ Can you identify any pain points or areas of frustration you encountered

during the application process?

○ Were there any aspects of the application process that you felt could be

improved?

○ Do you have any suggestions for how ESEI could enhance the experience for

international applicants?

6. Support and Guidance:

○ Did you receive any support or guidance from ESEI or its staff during the

application process?

○ How would you rate the level of support you received?

○ Were there any areas where you felt additional support or guidance would

have been beneficial?

7. Overall Experience:
 ○ What advice would you give to other international students considering

applying to ESEI for a master's program?

○ On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied were you with your overall experience of

the application process at ESEI?

Seen below are the real interviews conducted, including the responses which are in red:

Interview 1 - Nutsa

1. Introduction:

a. Can you tell us about your background and why you chose to pursue a

master's degree at ESEI?

Nutsa, she is 24 years old, from Georgia, she did her bachelors in

international relations and diplomacy, she wanted to change her path to

the marketing field which is why she chose this master program.

b. How did you first learn about ESEI and its master's programs?

She chose ESEI along with other universities, although ESEI was not

her first choice. She found it on google but also masters portal which is

interesting for international students.

2. Application Process:

a. Can you walk us through your experience with the application process for

ESEI?

b. What were the most challenging aspects of the application process for you?

c. What sources of information did you rely on during the application process,

and how did they influence your decision-making?

The application process was straightforward and easy going. The

website is very clear, found all the information. The steps are stated on

the website, then submit your papers, letter of recommendation,

 interview which was very easy. She did not find any challenges while

applying. However, she found difficulties with the student visa

application as she is Georgian so she had to start a good moment

before.

3. Information Gathering:

a. Were there any resources or sources of information that you found particularly

helpful or lacking?

b. Did you encounter any difficulties in accessing or understanding the

information provided?

She did not find anything challenging, ESEI provided her with all the

information necessary along with some accommodation options and

websites for international students for them to find rooms or houses.

She has been hearing some lack of information about their programs if

they are accredited or not.

4. Decision Making:

a. What factors influenced your decision to apply specifically to ESEI?

b. Did you consider other institutions or programs during your decision-making

process?

Not asked

5. Pain Points and Opportunities for Improvement:

a. Can you identify any pain points or areas of frustration you encountered

during the application process?

b. Were there any aspects of the application process that you felt could be

improved?
 c. Do you have any suggestions for how ESEI could enhance the experience for

international applicants?

It is not a full 1 year masters, it is a 9 months program and she claimed

they should mention 9 months instead of 1 year. For international

students, she did her paper for one year for housing and she will be

staying less because she graduates in June. Now she finds herself in a

difficult situation because she will be leaving before her contracts end

6. Support and Guidance:

a. Did you receive any support or guidance from ESEI or its staff during the

application process?

b. How would you rate the level of support you received?

c. Were there any areas where you felt additional support or guidance would

have been beneficial?

They did a really good job because online they also have emails and

the contact number. They respond very fast. Knowing that ESEI was

not her first choice, and encountering difficulties with her first chosen

university, she contacted ESEI directly through whatsapp and they

made an exception for her to submit and send her papers. They are

very helpful and open with the applicants.

7. Overall Experience:

a. Reflecting on your entire experience with the application process, what were

the highlights for you?

b. What advice would you give to other international students considering

applying to ESEI for a master's program?

 As a non european, you should consider the visa procedure could take

up to 4 months, have the papers ready. Also for the housing you should

check in advance, long before you come

c. On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied were you with your overall experience of

the application process at ESEI?

8/10 → the steps are really clear, it was easy and straightforward.

Accreditation information & the period of the master.

Interview 2 - Michelle

1. Introduction:

○ Can you tell us about your background and why you chose to pursue a

master's degree at ESEI?

Michelle is from the Philippines, she has a psychology degree, and she

has been in HR. Then she decided to change careers, in the marketing

and com field. She wanted to be more competitive and find better

opportunities, which is why she applied abroad at ESEI.

○ How did you first learn about ESEI and its master's programs?

She was looking for a master's in communication and she found ESEI

online, she read the program and liked the subjects, as she claimed they

were very comprehensive and interesting. She didn't have a solid

background in marketing which is why she chose this one as it fills her

into the foundations of M&C.

2. Application Process:

○ Can you walk us through your experience with the application process for

ESEI?

○ What were the most challenging aspects of the application process for you?
 ○ What sources of information did you rely on during the application process,

and how did they influence your decision-making?

On the website, the steps were very clear, she found out that ESEI

needed much fewer requirements than other schools, (Ielts or Toefel).

That is what attracted her at first, that they had fewer requirements

than their schools. She applied and was contacted a few days later, her

first interview was postponed a week by ESEI which was in December,

she got the results in January, and was too tight for a visa application at

the time. So she did not make it to the March intake, she had to defer

it. It was a smooth application process.

3. Information Gathering:

○ Were there any resources or sources of information that you found particularly

helpful or lacking?

○ Did you encounter any difficulties in accessing or understanding the

information provided?

UCAM, there are a lot of steps involved, they had to study for her

diploma, and she also had to pay a little. She got the message very

close to her travel date which was also harder for her. She found this

step unclear at the start and the visa. She expected the university to

push her, knowing that it is not ESEI’s role, she expected them to push

with the visa.

4. Decision Making:

○ What factors influenced your decision to apply specifically to ESEI?

○ Did you consider other institutions or programs during your decision-making

process?
 She looked at other countries that were closer to her, but the price was

a key factor. ESEI had the lowest tuition fee among her other options,

as well as the program curriculum.

5. Pain Points and Opportunities for Improvement:

○ Can you identify any pain points or areas of frustration you encountered

during the application process?

○ Were there any aspects of the application process that you felt could be

improved?

○ Do you have any suggestions for how ESEI could enhance the experience for

international applicants?

Not asked

6. Support and Guidance:

○ Did you receive any support or guidance from ESEI or its staff during the

application process?

○ How would you rate the level of support you received?

○ Were there any areas where you felt additional support or guidance would

have been beneficial?

ESEI was very responsive, other than the first interview. She had to

wait for two weeks, so she had to defer her entry. Other than that,

everything was good.

7. Overall Experience:

○ Reflecting on your entire experience with the application process, what were

the highlights for you?

○ What advice would you give to other international students considering

applying to ESEI for a master's program?

 In the interview part, ask as many questions as you need, she was not

ready when she first came. Questions like jobs after masters, UCAM,

visa.

d. On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied were you with your overall experience of

the application process at ESEI?

6/10. Cancelled interview, no urgency to book earlier time, delayed

visa process.

Interview 3 - Dena

1. Introduction:

○ Can you tell us about your background and why you chose to pursue a

master's degree at ESEI?

Studying hospitality and tourism, studied business beforehand, and has

work experience in customer success, marketing, and customer

support. Wants to pursue this master to open up a restaurant or a hotel

for herself, which was her dad's dream who passed away 2 years ago.

Discussed how most people who pursue this end up only a waiter so it

encouraged her to push for her dream even more

○ How did you first learn about ESEI and its master's programs?

Heard about it on the internet

2. Application Process:

○ Can you walk us through your experience with the application process for

ESEI?

Said it was super easy, has good reviews on the internet, they were

responsive- the only time they were delayed in response was once and
 it was only 2-3 days, support and guidance from ESEI couldn't be

better

○ What were the most challenging aspects of the application process for you?

Claimed to be very easy and had no problems at all. Said websites had

nothing, the only problem is accommodation- tried to help but that

doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the school

○ What sources of information did you rely on during the application process,

and how did they influence your decision-making?

Relied on the website, and said it had everything for her that she

needed to look into.

3. Information Gathering:

○ Were there any resources or sources of information that you found particularly

helpful or lacking?

She found the website included everything she was looking for. It

didn’t lack anything

○ Did you encounter any difficulties in accessing or understanding the

information provided?

Again, she found the website was well put together.

4. Decision Making:

○ What factors influenced your decision to apply specifically to ESEI?

○ Did you consider other institutions or programs during your decision-making

process?

Not asked

5. Pain Points and Opportunities for Improvement:

 ○ Can you identify any pain points or areas of frustration you encountered

during the application process?

○ Were there any aspects of the application process that you felt could be

improved?

○ Do you have any suggestions for how ESEI could enhance the experience for

international applicants?

Not asked

6. Support and Guidance:

○ Did you receive any support or guidance from ESEI or its staff during the

application process?

○ How would you rate the level of support you received?

○ Were there any areas where you felt additional support or guidance would

have been beneficial?

Not asked

7. Overall Experience:

○ Reflecting on your entire experience with the application process, what were

the highlights for you?

○ What advice would you give to other international students considering

applying to ESEI for a master's program?

○ On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied were you with your overall experience of

the application process at ESEI?

Has been here a month, for now the experience is good but had trouble

in the beginning with her masters choice because there are few

students in the class so that wasn’t necessarily what she was looking

for but now she was okay with it. 7 to 8 on a scale of 1 to 10

 ○ If you could change one thing about the application process at ESEI to make it

better for future international students, what would it be?

She didn’t look into each Masters option thoroughly, so she says that if

there is a specific masters you want to study make sure you know each

one in detail, the modules, and the content that you will be taking so

that you won’t be surprised when you first arrive in the class

Interview 4 - Seray

1. Introduction:

○ Can you tell us about your background and why you chose to pursue a

master's degree at ESEI?

○ How did you first learn about ESEI and its master's programs?

Seray is from Turkey, she is doing her master’s in Business

Management. She was a lawyer but then wanted a different career path

which is why she applied for a master’s in ESEI. She found ESEI by

researching on Google.

2. Application Process:

○ Can you walk us through your experience with the application process for

ESEI?

○ What were the most challenging aspects of the application process for you?

○ What sources of information did you rely on during the application process,

and how did they influence your decision-making?

The process for her is not tough at all. She struggled during the

payment phase. ESEI provides 2 intakes which are either March or

October which positively affected her decision as she didn’t need to

wait for 6 months or less to start her education. She thinks that the
 price of the school is good considering the education they give. Price is

one of the key factors that influenced her decision in applying to ESEI.

3. Information Gathering:

○ Were there any resources or sources of information that you found

particularly?

○ Did you encounter any difficulties in accessing or understanding the

information provided?

She thinks the payment process was the most difficult to handle

through the application process. She had some problems resulting in

the delay of the payment so she thinks that there should be better

instructions on the ESEI website for the payment process.

4. Decision Making:

○ What factors influenced your decision to apply specifically to ESEI?

○ Did you consider other institutions or programs during your decision-making

process?

A project-based learning system, the price of the school, and the

flexibility of intake dates influenced her decision to apply to ESEI.

5. Pain Points and Opportunities for Improvement:

○ Can you identify any pain points or areas of frustration you encountered

during the application process?

○ Were there any aspects of the application process that you felt could be

improved?

○ Do you have any suggestions for how ESEI could enhance the experience for

international applicants?
 The academic calendar is not clear at all. It needs to have more

description. It was hard to find information on whether the program is

with a thesis or not.

6. Support and Guidance:

○ Did you receive any support or guidance from ESEI or its staff during the

application process?

○ How would you rate the level of support you received?

○ Were there any areas where you felt additional support or guidance would

have been beneficial?

The management team was very helpful although she had some

problems resulting in the delay of the payment. She gave 7 out of 10 to

the support provided by the team as for the thing she needed

consultation she needed to call a few times.

7. Overall Experience:

○ Reflecting on your entire experience with the application process, what were

the highlights for you?

○ What advice would you give to other international students considering

applying to ESEI for a master's program?

○ On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied were you with your overall experience of

the application process at ESEI?

○ If you could change one thing about the application process at ESEI to make it

better for future international students, what would it be?

Not asked

User Persona

The Explorer Seeking Clarity and Support– Estela

Quote: "I'm on a quest for growth and understanding, navigating through the new and

unfamiliar with a blend of excitement and caution."

At 25 years old and leaving the Philippines to study in Barcelona, this user possesses

a background in psychology but is eager to pivot into marketing and communication to

explore better career opportunities abroad. Ambitious and passionate about career

advancement, they approach their goals with determination and a willingness to step out of

their comfort zone.

Driven by the desire to acquire new skills and experiences, this user persona seeks to

immerse themselves in a diverse and international learning environment where they can learn

from many different people in a completely new culture. Their ultimate aim is to secure better

career prospects overseas, leveraging their education and expertise in a new field. However,

they encounter several pain points along their journey. The uncertainties surrounding visa

applications and accommodation arrangements cause significant stress and potential delays.

Additionally, they find themselves lacking clear and detailed information about program

specifics, such as accreditation and program durations. Despite their proactive approach, they

desire more support from educational institutions in navigating the logistical challenges of

studying abroad, particularly in terms of the visa application process.

Overall, while they appreciate the clarity and straightforwardness of the application

process, they feel there is room for improvement in communication and support for

international students; therefore on a scale of one to ten, they rate the current process as a

seven. They believe more detailed information and guidance would eliminate the possibility

of an applicant making errors. This persona, the Explorer Seeking Clarity and Support,

embodies the challenges and aspirations of individuals seeking to embrace a transformative

educational journey abroad.

The Career Changer Facing Payment Challenges– Lucy

Quote: "Driven to redefine my career path, I confront each challenge with determination,

though I wish some steps were smoother."

Originating from Turkey, this user persona, formerly a lawyer, now desires to pursue a

master's in Business Management, marking a significant career transition. With a determined

and focused mindset, they prioritize efficiency and clarity, especially when navigating

administrative processes.

Similarly to the other user persona, this persona also desires to acquire new skills and

opportunities. They seek a program that not only offers quality education but also provides a

flexible and project-based learning environment. Their ultimate goal is opening themselves to

new career possibilities while ensuring that the program is worth the risks taken and their

financial investment. However, they have encountered issues throughout the application

process. The payment process specifically poses the most challenges, including unclear

instructions and delays, adding unnecessary stress to the application experience. They want

more empathetic and individual support from the institution, particularly in administrative

matters, to facilitate a smoother transition into the program.

Although they express satisfaction with the educational opportunity and support

received, they emphasize the need for a change within administrative aspects, particularly

regarding payment procedures. This user persona, the Career Changer Facing Payment

Challenges, represents those who struggle and aspire to learn more as they undergo

significant career transitions. Their experience highlights the importance of efficient

administrative processes and quality institutional support in facilitating successful career

transformations.
User Journey Map

User Journey Map for Estela

Estela embarked on her quest to further her education by researching master's

programs in marketing and communications, focusing on foundational courses due to her lack

of background in the field. Her journey began with optimism and curiosity as she navigated

through online resources and program-specific information on the ESEI website, despite

feeling overwhelmed by her new career path. While applying to ESEI, she liked the simple

application process and the small number of documents needed, which made things easier.

However, she faced setbacks like a delayed interview which pushed back her admission and

squeezed her visa application timeline, adding stress.

Upon receiving a deferred admission decision, Michelle engaged with UCAM for

diploma evaluation and tackled the visa application process, encountering frustrations with

unclear steps and unexpected fees. Her decision to pursue her studies at ESEI was driven by

competitive tuition fees and a curriculum that suited her career aspirations.
User Journey Map for Lucy

Lucy’s journey to ESEI began with a desire for a career shift from law to business

management, leading her to pursue a master’s degree that aligned with her new direction.

After discovering ESEI through Google, she was drawn to the school for its reasonable

tuition, project-based learning approach, and flexible intake dates, which meant she wouldn’t

have to wait long to commence her studies. While she found the application process

straightforward overall, she experienced difficulties specifically with the payment process,

suggesting a need for clearer instructions and more detailed information on ESEI’s website to

aid future students.

Ideation

To begin, we put ourselves in the mindset of our user personas. This phase we call

“Jobs to be done.” In this activity, we created statements the users would say if they could

have anything they think would make their problem better. Our first user persona, Estela,

would say the following statement that emphasizes how time is a priority for her: “When I

apply to universities I want to be able to find all the necessary information so that I can

prevent any discrepancies that could delay the process.” Our second user persona emphasizes
the importance of money in the following statement: “When I apply to universities I want to

be assured that every step in the payment process is stated clearly so that I can confidently

pay on time.” Both these statements sent us back to our interviews where we checked once

again what the positives and negatives are for each user’s situation.

From there we partook in the “Sailboat Exercise.” In this exercise, we list the

negatives in the water below the sailboat and the positives in the sky above the sailboat. See

below:

User Persona 1

Estela

User Persona 2

Lucy
 The headline created for this solution is An empowering platform for student success,

integrating application support and mobile mentorship into one comprehensive application.

From this, we generated the ideas listed below:

● Streamlined Application Guidance: The app provides a

clear, step-by-step roadmap for students to follow during their

application process, ensuring they understand every requirement

and step.

● Document Management: A secure feature within the app allows students to upload,

store, and organize their application documents, making it easy to keep track of their

submission materials.

● AI Bot: An AI-powered chatbot is available around the

clock to answer students' questions instantly, ranging

from program details to visa procedures.

● Integrated Mentorship: The app includes a platform for

connecting students with peer mentors based on shared interests

and goals, facilitated by a matching algorithm.

● Resource Library: Offers access to a digital library of books

and academic materials that students can borrow and utilize

for their studies and personal development.

Prototype

An Integrated Mobile Application for Application Support and Peer Mentorship

It is essential that the app has a user-friendly interface, where students can navigate

each feature easily. The app will provide a homepage that includes every topic an applicant

will want to understand more of and always have complete access. The tabs are the

following: admissions, Classlife, financial, career services, mentorship, news and events,

directory, resource library, program, dining,

support, and AI bot. To highlight a few of

the most important tabs regarding our users’

problems, we will start with the admissions

tab. This tab will have a direct link to ESEI’s

website (if they choose to keep the website

up) and provide every step along the

application process thoroughly. Here they

will submit their application and the

documents that are required as well, making

it easier for applicants to stay organized and

know if they have forgotten to submit a

document. The financials involving appling

will be included in this tab as well; however,

there we wanted to have a financial tab all

on its own. In this financial tab, the

applicant can pay easily while following

clear steps on how to do so. Payment options will be accessible to the applicant as well. In

case there are any issues, the applicant can find a number to call as well as view an updated
video on how to pay. Once the applicant becomes a student they will have the ability to

access this tab throughout the rest of their time at ESEI so they can see what they owe

specifically and what they have already paid. If there are any scholarships awarded to this

student, a breakdown of that scholarship will be included as well.

Another incredible tab is the support tab. This tab will mainly focus on the visa

application journey and accommodation support. It will include country-specific visa guides,

the dates of when certain files or applications should be turned in, and a checklist that helps

keep them organized. Here they will also find information on accommodation options such as

apartments, residencies, Airbnbs, and host families. Every option shown will detail every part

of the place, include pictures, information on what gender you could be sharing with, what

age they are, as well as the option to schedule a visit. Any place that doesn’t allow

pre-visitation will not be shown, due to the school’s desire to keep the students’ privacy and

finances secure. As for roommates, multiple links to social groups and lists of other students

looking for roommates are accessible. Additionally, the option of scheduling an appointment

for more personal support is available through a calendar link where they can schedule with

an ESEI employee. Mentorship and programme support were requested amongst the users,

therefore we wanted to make these a priority. The mentorship tab will be tailored to send the

applicant to a survey where they explain what kind of support they need; this survey will be

scanned through a filter that helps connect the applicant to a mentor that deals with the

applicant’s specific needs. To further ease the mind of an applicant, a programme tab was

created to include the curriculum of each programme’s course, every class within the courses,

professors’ names, and an up-to-date accreditation status. An FAQ is included under each

programme and another tab called AI Bot can be utilized to ask further questions about the

programmes that perhaps weren’t answered.

User Testing: 3 Users

We selected three users who fit the profiles of our personas for testing. During these sessions,

we described the app to them, what each tab would include, and depicted the journey of using

it. We asked the following questions and received these responses shown below:

● How easily can users navigate the portal?

○ User 1: “I think the app looks super user-friendly, because it’s straightforward

and seems to include every bit of information to make our application process

as well as student journey easy as can be.”

○ User 2: “It’s nice to see everything on one page– makes everything important

to the process visible as soon as you can log in. The only thing I would

suggest is to keep the ESEI’s website attached somewhere and not get rid of it.

They could both be integrated.”

○ User 3: “Everything is right there. If the app does provide more detail than

what’s already been given to us with ESEI’s current website, then it’s already

better. There can never be too much information.”

● Are the program details and requirements clear and easy to find?

○ User 1: “Yes each tab makes it clear on where to find the information I’d

specifically be looking for.”

○ User 2: “Yes the tabs are very obvious. Based on the explanation, for example

everything regarding the financial payments and how to complete payments

should be clear to understand. I like the idea of more payment plans as well.”

○ User 3: “Yep, it seems as simple as just clicking a button and everything I

want to know or have questions on is there.”

● How do users respond to the visa and accommodation assistance features?

 ○ User 1: “Anything that goes beyond just the school telling us where to go is

better. I like the idea of having someone personally assigned to help you… or

at least someone you can always go to directly rather than having to go

through multiple different parties.”

○ User 2: “Coming to a new country, with a completely different language is

already hard to navigate on your own to begin with. Any personal help and

ccomodation or at least an app/website that gives you all the information there

like they have described would be extremely helpful.”

○ User 3: “My visa process was so delayed. I think because it’s so hard to get in

contact with anyone from your home country and to be honest everyone here

gets so many questions so it’s hard for them to be helpful. If this app does

provide a concise list of each step needed to be taken and what we need to do,

I think it’s awesome.”

● Is the payment process intuitive and user-friendly?

○ User 1: “A video that clearly states every step makes me happy. Payment plans

would be helpful too, so I believe this is a great idea.”

○ User 2: Not asked, since they answered in pervious question.

○ User 3: “More detail on the steps during the financial journey is definitely

needed, so a video and one financial spokesperson to go to goes a long way.”

Final Solution

Based on our tests with our three users and the responses given, we are happy with

our prototype. What we will add and advise to keep is the ESEI website. Beforehand we

thought it wouldn’t be necessary, but we agree that a university needs to have a website. With

the combination of the ESEI website that already exists and our app that can be personalized

to any student applying and any current student, the application and student journey will be
much easier to navigate. There will no longer be a lack of information provided and students

can feel confident in their decision coming here.