Getin College App

Removing Barriers to Higher Education for First-Generation Students

Impact

30,000+

First-generation students successfully applied

8.7 Minutes

Average completion time significantly decreased

Behavioral Change

Users applied to 3x more colleges than planned

Institutional Validation

Validated by 3 leading educational institutions

Getin App transforms how first-generation and low-income students navigate the complex college application process. By streamlining what was once an overwhelming experience into a mobile-first, intuitive application, we’ve helped thousands of students who might otherwise never apply to college due to time constraints, lack of guidance, or resource limitations. Through partnerships with admissions offices at Weber State University, our work pushed the boundaries of traditional application processes, delivering a complete solution to increase college applications by 20% among our target demographic in Utah.

My Role

As a product designer, I guided the creative process by leading experience design, visual design, and branding efforts. I conducted user research with high school students and university administrators and created wireframes and prototypes for launch.

Project Duration: June 2017 – May 2018
Key Partners: I’m First Organization, Weber State University, University of Utah
Team: Fas Lebbie, Rebecca Tierney, Arthur Francis

Problem Context

First-generation students encounter myriad challenges during the college application process in the U.S., making up only 30% of enrolled post-secondary students. An estimated 1.5 million first-generation students are enrolled in higher education today, with 50% coming from low-income backgrounds. These students face unique obstacles their peers do not: parents without college experience to guide them, work responsibilities that limit application time, and often inadequate college counseling resources in their schools.
The traditional application process requires multiple time-consuming steps: researching colleges, gathering documents, writing essays, and navigating complex application systems. The existing systems—complex websites, complicated forms, and convoluted processes—create barriers that disproportionately affect first-generation applicants, resulting in talented students never pursuing higher education.

Design Interventions

We developed the Getin app, a mobile-first solution that allows students to complete college applications in 10 minutes, matching them with appropriate schools based on their academic profiles and preferences. The platform aims to increase application submission rates by 50%, helping connect over 30,000 first-generation students with higher education opportunities.

Traditional college applications require hours of paperwork, creating barriers for first-generation students juggling multiple responsibilities.

Simple, accessible onboarding with minimal fields reduces cognitive load for users with limited application experience.

Algorithm matches students to appropriate schools based on academic profile, streamlining the discovery and application process.

Integrated scholarship discovery helps first-generation students access financial opportunities they might otherwise miss.

Categorized data collection simplifies complex information gathering while maintaining transparency about subscription options.

Complete mobile-first journey enables 10-minute college applications, removing time barriers that discourage first-generation student participation.

My Approach

Design Process

Design Research & Strategy

Approximately 30% of students enrolled in post-secondary institutions are first-generation college students, with about 50% coming from low-income backgrounds. These students face unique challenges: parents without college experience to provide guidance, full-time jobs that limit application time, and often responsibilities caring for siblings or their own children. Combining quantitative and qualitative approaches through surveys with 500 high school seniors and in-depth interviews with students and university administrators, our findings show that 462 students believed college applications were too long, 480 said faster applications would increase college attendance, and 200 felt they couldn’t attend college due to work obligations. We created detailed personas representing our core users, including Prena, who struggles with language barriers; Jamal, who works full-time while supporting family members; and Punit, who returns to education after starting a family.
Our competitive analysis of existing solutions like Common App, QuestBridge, and The Posse Foundation identified their limitations in serving first-generation students, revealing that traditional application processes—which can take days to complete across multiple platforms—present significant obstacles. We further validated our understanding by engaging experts from university admissions offices and programs serving first-generation students. Talking to key actors ensured our design strategy addressed real barriers to college application, focusing on speed, simplicity, and mobile accessibility—directly responding to the constraints faced by first-generation students with limited time and support resources.

Summary of Findings

Our research findings highlight barriers preventing first-generation students from applying to college. The lengthy, complex application process represented a significant obstacle, with 92% of students surveyed agreeing that faster applications would increase college attendance. Traditional applications required hours or days to complete, often across multiple sessions—an impossibility for students working full-time jobs or with limited computer access. The application language was often needlessly complex, creating additional barriers for ESL students and those without college-educated parents to assist them.
Students prefer applications they can complete on smartphones and simplified forms that eliminate redundant information entry. We found that the perception of applications as time-consuming and difficult prevented students from attempting to apply.
These insights pointed to precise design interventions: create a genuinely mobile-first application process, drastically reduce completion time, simplify language and interface elements, and implement a single application that could be sent to multiple institutions. The goal wasn’t just to improve an existing process but to transform it to make college accessible to a previously excluded population.

Prototyping & Implementation Strategy

The MVP prototype was tested with Weber State and students from high school who applied there. Our prototyping process focused on three essential components: simplified information architecture, intuitive mobile interactions, and a streamlined application flow completed in 10 minutes. We began with affinity mapping to outline core features, evolving into low-fidelity wireframes testing information flow. Through iterative refinement based on user feedback, we developed high-fidelity prototypes tested with 12 high school seniors. Testing revealed users valued completion time most, with interface simplicity and mobile optimization following. We measured success through learnability, efficiency, and error rates.
The implementation strategy involved a phased rollout, starting with core functionality and adding features as users familiarize themselves with the system. Each iteration incorporated feedback from students and university administrators. We used Nielsen’s Ten Heuristics for expert evaluation with admissions professionals, resulting in further refinements. Final usability testing at Davis High School saw 30 students complete college applications in under 10 minutes—validating our core design premise.

Reflections & Impact

The Getin App has moved beyond concept to active fundraising and partnership development, demonstrating its value to college admissions offices nationwide. The pilot with Weber State University validated our approach, helping increase applications among first-generation students by 20% in Utah. The company is addressing critical barriers that prevent qualified students from pursuing higher education through the mobile-first solution that reduces application time from hours to just 10 minutes. The company’s vision extends beyond a simple application tool—we’re creating educational pathways that transform individual lives and entire communities. By democratizing college access regardless of time constraints, family background, or technical resources, the Getin App represents a fundamental shift in how universities connect with previously overlooked talent pools.

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Fas Lebbie