Redesigning the Internship Service for a More Seamless Student Journey
An integrated internship management experience designed to simplify the student journey from application to completion. The redesigned PROAKSI service consolidates key internship processes, provides transparent status tracking, and guides students through each stage in a clearer and more structured way.
Project
PROAKSI
Expertise
Product Design
,
Research
Role
Product Designer
Year
2025
Duration
5 Months
OVERVIEW
PROAKSI is the official academic administration portal for Faculty of Computer Science students at Universitas Brawijaya. This case study focuses on redesigning the internship (PKL) service, transforming a fragmented, multi-channel process into an intuitive, human-centered digital experience. Grounded in WebQual 4.0 and Importance-Performance Analysis, the project restructures the entire journey into a single, unified portal. The new interface simplifies administrative steps, enhances tracking transparency, and delivers clear guidance, empowering students to navigate every stage with clarity and confidence.
THE CHALLENGES
01
How can we unify a fragmented multi-channel workflow into a single cohesive experience?
Students had to juggle external forms and disconnected portals. The challenge was centralizing the entire internship lifecycle into one seamless, structured platform.
02
How do we eliminate uncertainty and provide real-time status transparency?
Lacking tracking forced students to do manual follow-ups. We needed an interface that clearly communicated real-time progress, approval status, and next actions.
03
How can we streamline complex document management and procedural guidance?
Outdated guides and scattered files caused administrative confusion. The challenge was embedding contextual guidance, downloadable templates, and inline validation directly into each step.
The PROAKSI PKL redesign was born out of a critical observation: while higher education administrative services are shifting online, the actual internship journey for students remained heavily fragmented across disconnected web pages, external Google Forms, and manual verification channels.
In this project, I challenged myself to redesign the internship service using a Human-Centered Design (HCD) approach. Rather than treating administration as a series of isolated paperwork submissions, the goal was to unify the entire internship lifecycle (from proposal to final evaluation) into a cohesive, transparent, and user-friendly web portal.
DESIGN PROCESS
Human-Centered Approach
Great UX turns complex bureaucracy into effortless progress. By listening closely to student struggles and validating solutions directly with them, this Human-Centered Design framework transformed fragmented multi-channel workflows into a transparent, stress-free, and empowering digital experience.
01
Understand
Understand the existing PKL journey and its fragmented touchpoints.
02
Research
Uncover student pain points through observation, surveys, and interviews.
03
Prioritize
Identify high-priority problems using WebQual 4.0 and IPA.
04
Synthesize
Turn research findings into key pain points and user needs.
05
Define
Define design principles and opportunities based on user needs.
06
Structure
Restructure the information architecture and core PKL flows.
07
Design
Develop wireframes and high-fidelity interfaces for the redesigned experience.
08
Validate
Test the prototype to evaluate usability and identify areas for iteration.
UNDERSTAND & RESEARCH
Understand the Current Experience
The existing PKL journey is fragmented across PROAKSI, Google Forms, and other communication channels. Students often need to search for scattered information, switch between platforms, and manually check their application status. These friction points create confusion and extra effort throughout the process, especially during application and completion stages.
Information Architecture (As-Is)
I looked at how the existing PKL services are organized in PROAKSI. While the portal acts as the main starting point, most services lead students to separate Google Forms or other platforms. This means students often have to move between different systems to complete each step of their PKL journey, making the overall experience feel fragmented.
User Research
I started by observing the current PKL system to understand how the service works and identify its existing challenges across different stages. I then gathered quantitative insights through a questionnaire with 74 students and explored user needs further through interviews with relevant stakeholders.
The findings from these methods were combined into key research insights, helping translate real user problems, behaviors, and expectations into clear design inputs for the redesign process.
Key Research Findings
The research revealed several recurring challenges throughout the PKL journey, from fragmented platforms and unclear information to limited status visibility and manual communication. These findings helped identify where the experience needed improvement and guided the direction of the redesign.
Fragmented Experience
Students need to switch between multiple platforms to complete the PKL process.
Unclear Information
Requirements and procedures are scattered, unclear, and not always fully up to date.
Lack of Transparency
Students cannot easily track their application progress and must wait for manual updates.
Scattered Documents
Required documents and forms are spread across multiple links and different formats.
Reliance on Manual Communication
Students rely on WhatsApp, email, or staff communication to resolve questions and issues.
Confusing Finalization Process
Final document approval and completion requirements can create uncertainty for students.
PRIORITIZE
Prioritize the Problems
I used Importance-Performance Analysis(IPA) to prioritize design opportunities by comparing what users considered important with how well the existing service performed. Six attributes fell into Quadrant I, revealing the areas that needed the most attention, particularly around information, service reliability, usability, and overall experience.
Top Priority Problems
The IPA results helped narrow down the most critical issues in the existing PKL service. Combined with observations and user feedback, four key problems emerged around information clarity, progress visibility, experience fragmentation, and finding the right information and documents. These became the main focus areas for the redesign.
IQ3
IQ5
IQ6
Unclear and Incomplete Information
Requirements and guidance are difficult to understand, incomplete, or not always up to date.
SIQ7
Limited Progress Visibility
Students cannot clearly track their application status and often rely on manual updates.
U4
U8
Fragmented User Experience
Multiple platforms create unnecessary complexity and make the PKL service harder to use.
IQ5
IQ6
U4
Poor Information & Document Discoverability
Students struggle to find the right information and documents throughout the PKL journey.
SYNTHESIZE
Synthesize Insights into User Needs
I grouped recurring findings from observations, interviews, open-ended responses, and IPA results to identify the core problems students faced throughout the PKL process.
The research findings were synthesized into five core user needs. Each need represents a recurring problem in the current PKL experience and defines what the redesigned service should help students accomplish.
Information Clarity
Students need clear, complete, and up-to-date information throughout the PKL journey.
User Need
Clear process & requirements
Service Integration & Navigation
The PKL experience feels fragmented across multiple touchpoints.
User Need
An integrated service with clearer navigation
Progress & Transparency
Students lack visibility into what is happening with their application.
User Need
Transparent application status & progress
Documents & Task Completion
Managing documents and completing each stage can feel unnecessarily complicated.
User Need
Organized documents and guided task completion
Support & Communication
Users need accessible support when they get stuck.
User Need
Contextual help and clearer communication
THE SOLUTIONS
Define the Solution
The synthesized user needs were translated into a set of design principles and opportunities to guide the redesign of the PKL experience.
Make the PKL Journey Clear
Users should always understand where they are, what they need, and what comes next.
User Need
Clear process and requirements.
Design Principle
Make the journey visible.
Design Opportunity
Create a guided PKL journey that brings process steps, requirements, and key information into one clear flow.
Centralize the Experience
Reduce unnecessary switching between different platforms and touchpoints.
User Need
Integrated service and navigation.
Design Principle
Keep the experience in one place.
Design Opportunity
Bring core PKL tasks, forms, and service information into a unified PKL workspace within PROAKSI.
Make Progress Transparent
Users should be able to understand their current status without needing to ask for updates.
User Need
Transparent application status and progress.
Design Principle
Always show what is happening.
Design Opportunity
Introduce clear status tracking, progress indicators, update timestamps, and next actions.
Put the Right Information in the Right Place
Show relevant requirements, documents, and actions based on the user's current stage.
User Need
Organized and guided task completion.
Design Principle
Keep information contextual.
Design Opportunity
Organize documents, forms, and guidance by PKL stage to make tasks easier to find and complete.
Support Users When They Get Stuck
Users should always understand where they are, what they need, and what comes next.
User Need
Contextual help and clearer communication.
Design Principle
Make support easy to reach.
Design Opportunity
Provide contextual help, FAQ, and clear communication channels alongside relevant PKL stages.
Information Architecture (To-be)
I restructured the information architecture to make the PKL journey easier to understand and navigate. General information stays under "Home", while all PKL-related tasks and progress are grouped under "PKL", creating a clearer path from submission to completion.
User Flow
The redesigned flow organizes the PKL process into connected steps, making it easier for students to understand what to do at each stage and track their progress.
Internship Application Process
I mapped the PKL submission into a clear flow, from application and data confirmation to document submission and supervisor requests, ending with successful PKL registration.
FINAL RESULTS
High-Fidelity Design
Work In Progress
VALIDATION
Validate & Iterate
Work In Progress
REFLECTION
Work In Progress
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