Getin College App

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.

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.

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.