Icon Development for

Tulane University
School of Professional Advancement

Intro to UX Design Fall 2018

Initial Icon Design

Design Intentions
Create an icon that is already familiar to users.

Make it look like an application and writing utensil.

Needs to legible at small sizes.

Use sheild abstraction from the current Tulane branding suggestions.

communications.tulane.edu/branding/graphic-elements

Use Mardi Gras green from the Tulane color palette that is used on the current Apply button on
sopa.tulane.edu.
communications.tulane.edu/branding/color
Web 78BE20

Initial Sketches

Original SoPA Homepage

Anthony DelRosario Intro to UX Design Fall 2018

Participant One

Participant One was a staff member of Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, male, 28 years old.

Mock-ups of desktop/laptop web page and of mobile web page were created. Participant One was asked
if he would use a phone or a desktop/laptop computer to submit an application for school or a job. He
replied that he would use a laptop computer.

Participant One was shown mock-ups of the SoPA homepage as seen on a desktop/laptop computer
and asked to act as if he were applying to SoPA.

He did not recognize the icon on the top of the page. He contemplated that the TAKE THE NEXT
STEP box might be the application process but noticed that it read REQUEST MORE INFORMATION.
He then choose to see what was under ADMISSIONS. In the dropdown menu, he thought that
Admissions Process might be it. He then choose to see what was on the ADMISSIONS page. Again he
thought that Admissions Process would be it.

After finding out for what the testing was done and
seeing the original SoPA page, he provided some
feedback. He suggested to move the icon back to
the left side on top next to the SoPA Home button.
After seeing the sheild abstraction on the left of the
home page, he suggested adding more of the sheild
to the icon design. He said that the icon did look like
an application form. Since everything else was text,
he was looking for text that said Apply.

For the next iteration of the icon, more of the sheild

abstraction was added around the edge. The icon
was moved next to the SoPA Home button.
Admissions Process was removed from the
ADMISSIONS dropdown menu and page.

Anthony DelRosario Intro to UX Design Fall 2018

Participant Two

Participant Two was a staff member of Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, female, 31 years old.

Participant Two was shown mock-ups of the updated SoPA homepage as seen on a desktop/laptop
computer and asked to act as if she were applying to SoPA.

She did not recognize the icon on the top of the page. She contemplated that the TAKE THE NEXT
STEP box might be the application process but noticed that it read REQUEST MORE INFORMATION.
She then choose to see what was under ADMISSIONS. She saw the icon and realized that was an
application icon.

She recognized that the icon represented an application form. After noticing the sheild abstraction, she
said that she liked the sheild abstraction and that it made the icon standout from looking like a checklist
icon. She mentioned that a screen reader might not read the icon as Apply. Alternative text can be
added to image so that a screen reader can read “Apply Button” for the icon.

Anthony DelRosario Intro to UX Design Fall 2018

Participant Three

Participant Three was a staff member of Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, male, 31 years old.

Participant Three was shown mock-ups of the unchanged SoPA homepage as seen on a desktop/laptop
computer and asked to act as if he were applying to SoPA.

He did not recognize the icon on the top of the page right away. He contemplated that the TAKE THE
NEXT STEP box might be the application process but noticed that it read REQUEST MORE
INFORMATION. He then did recognize the icon at the top of the page as an application icon.

He liked the icon design very much and said that the sheild abstraction helped make it Tulane specific.
He did suggest to move the Apply icon a little bit away from the SoPA Home button. This change was
made to test with Participant Four.

Anthony DelRosario Intro to UX Design Fall 2018

Participant Four

Participant Four was a librarian at Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, female, 32 years old.

Participant Four was shown mock-ups of the updated SoPA homepage as seen on a desktop/laptop
computer and asked to act as if she were applying to SoPA.

She did not recognize the icon on the top of the page right away. Surprisingly she did not think that the
TAKE THE NEXT STEP box might be the application process. She then wanted to see what was under
ADMISSIONS. She saw the dropdown menu but did not realize that the icon was a button for clicking
to apply. She then wanted to see the ADMISSIONS page and again did not realize that the icon was a
button for clicking to apply. She then wanted to the dropdown menu for DEGREES & PROGRAMS. She
failed to recognize the apply icon. She said that she was looking for text of the word Apply or
Application since the page is text heavy. She said that if the menus had been all icons then she would
have realized right away. Knowing that Apply button was designed to have no words, she said that “it
looks great.”

Anthony DelRosario Intro to UX Design Fall 2018