Table of Contents

PATHWAY

Empowering International Students Navigate Immigration with Confidence.

Role

Full Circle Designer

Reading Time

7 min

Timeline

Oct - Dec 2024

Tools

Figma

Method

Design Thinking

User Center Design

Usability Testing

The Problem

Canada's 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan will increase opportunities for permanent residency (PR) but introduce stricter, skill-based eligibility criteria that will change annually.

With 59% of international students aiming for permanent residency, they will face greater challenges in navigating this complex process. Errors or missed qualifications can significantly affect their chances of success.

The Solution

Pathway is a mobile app that helps individuals navigate Canada’s immigration system, focusing on the Express Entry and Canadian Experience Class programs.

While the process can be stressful, Pathway reduces uncertainty by providing clear insights and actionable steps, empowering users to make confident decisions toward achieving Permanent Residency.




Eligibility Questionnaire

Simulates the real CRS tool to help users accurately assess their eligibility points before applying.

Tools to Understand the Process

Provides tailored guidance to answer questions correctly, reducing errors, delays, or rejections.

Personalized Predictions

Delivers CRS scores with insights on how they align with current immigration requirements, helping users decide their next steps.

Guidance on Improving CRS Scores

Offers actionable strategies to boost eligibility, empowering users to work toward their PR goals confidently.

Simplifying a Complex Process

An interactive interface that simplifies complex information into clear, manageable steps.

Building Confidence

Prepares users for the official application by making the process clearer and more manageable.

Step 1: Research

Getting the full picture

Before brainstorming potential solutions, it was crucial to deeply understand the problem. To achieve this, I conducted both primary and secondary research to gather insights, uncover user pain points, and identify opportunities.

Primary Research

I conducted interviews with two key groups to gain diverse insights into the immigration process:

Recent Graduates

Group 1

They shared challenges, mistakes, and missed opportunities from their PR journey.

Goal: Identify pain points, knowledge gaps, and early difficulties where support is most needed.

Permanent Residents

Group 2

They discussed their experiences, concerns and uncertainties they faced during the process.

Goal: To highlight misconceptions and confusion applicants encounter and address these proactively.

This method was essential for creating a solution that tackles existing challenges while revealing opportunities that applicants may not yet realize they need.


Affinity Mapping

My interviews revealed key insights, highlighting opportunities and constraints to guide impactful design solutions.

Insights #1

Students underestimate the complexities of obtaining PR and the challenges of meeting minimum requirements upon arrival and after graduation.

Conclusion #1

Most applicants understand PR eligibility requirements and the steps to improve their scores but struggle with accurately completing the eligibility questionnaire.

Insights #2

Recent policy changes have heightened fears among graduates, making them feel that their chances of success are slim despite their efforts

Key Insight

A major challenge in the immigration process occurs at the eligibility questionnaire stage, where providing incorrect answers leads to delays or rejections.

Insights #3

Successful applicants emphasize the value of support from friends, family, or community groups throughout the process.

Conclusion #2

Although applicants know how to improve their scores, they often lack confidence in whether their efforts are proactive and effective.


Constraints

Solution can not offer:

  • Guarantee PR outcomes.

  • Provide legal advice.

It was essential to consider that I am not an immigration expert nor can I predict future immigration changes.

Opportunity

The solution could offer:

  • Clear and accessible information.

  • Actionable resources.

  • Guidance rooted in the latest policies.

  • Community insights.



I identified this as the key insight because most interviewees who obtained permanent residency emphasized that this stage was crucial in their entire application process. Any challenges they encountered were often traced back to this step. Given the constraints, this area presented the most promising opportunity for developing an effective solution.

How might we empower international students to feel informed in order to navigate the required steps for transitioning from study permits to permanent residency in Canada?

Step 2: Define and Ideate

Mapping the path

With the research completed, it was time to focused on identifying our users and translating their needs into actionable insights to guide the design process.

Say Hello To Our User!

Natalia Gomez

Graphic Designer

Age:

25

Bachelor's Degree

Education:

62 k

Income:

Toronto, ON

Location:

Single

status:

“I’ve worked hard to meet all the immigration requirements; it would be disheartening to miss my goal due to a preventable mistake”

Frustrations

  • Rejection due to inaccurate information.

  • Visa expiry prevents reapplication.

  • Uncertainty about point system score.

  • Fear of policy changes.

  • Stress from ambiguous outcomes.

Goals

  • Understand & master eligibility criteria.

  • Enhance application skills.

  • Navigate process confidently.

  • Spot and correct inconsistencies.

  • Monitor requirements and points.

Application Guidance

Guiding users through each step of the PR application process, offering clear instructions and support so they understand how to approach and complete each requirement.


“As a PR-Seeking International Student I want to have step-by-step instructions on each section of the PR application so that I can avoid errors and complete my submission accurately”

Eligibility
Insight

Supports international students preparing to enter the draw pool. It provides detailed information on eligibility criteria and score requirements. 

“As a PR-Seeking International Student I want to see my current likelihood of meeting the draw pool score as a percentage so that I can clearly understand my eligibility status and make informed decisions about my application”

Document Management

Strategies for effective document organization and management, supporting users in preparing accurate and complete submissions before and during the application.

“As a PR-Seeking International Student I want to be able to keep record of important dates, address and travel history so that I can have a clear timeline to present to immigration”

Community
Insight

Supports international students preparing to enter the draw pool. It provides detailed information on eligibility criteria and score requirements. 

“As a PR-Seeking International Student I want to see my current likelihood of meeting the draw pool score as a percentage so that I can clearly understand my eligibility status and make informed decisions about my application”

I chose Eligibility Insight as the core epic because it directly addresses a key research finding: the challenges international students face with the Eligibility Questionnaire.

By providing users with tools to better understand and strengthen their applications, this approach not only improves their scores but also minimizes errors, reducing the risk of delays or rejections and ensuring a smoother process.

Mapping The Journey

Profile could include:

  • User can input or update their profile details.

  • Click on icons to see detail on each question

  • Community insight, comments and insight that help users answer the questions

Profile could include:

  • Users score overview with point system metrics.

  • User will see their probability of obtaining the PR based on recent data.

  • Let users know what to do next.

  • Recent Draw Cut-offs. Help users understand the current landscape.

Profile could include:

  • Prediction on how much their score could increase.

  • Resources to achieve point specific increase.

  • How long it could take to achieve them.

Profile could include:

  • Offer list of options on how to increase points on the long term and short term.

  • Access to community chat to read on what people are currently suggesting or what they did to increase their score.

Legend:

With a clear understanding of the problem and my goals, I grabbed a pen and paper and began sketching ideas.

Change of plans

Community Feature

Problem:

  • Users appreciate the support from successful applicants, but time constraints hinder the development of a community feature.

  • Including this feature would have delayed other prioritized tasks.


Solution:

  • Focused on higher-priority features for the current iteration.

  • Included information cards with links to external community resources as an alternative.

  • Plan to revisit the community feature in the future to assess its potential impact and value.

Filter information by categories.

To organized information between filling questionnaire and seeing community based information, user will be able to change pages by selecting

Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Tool

Use this tool to calculate your (CRS) score based on your responses.

Once you’ve answered all the questions, you’ll get an estimate of your chances of meeting the current draw score.

9:41

Home

Eligibility

Saved

Process

Questionnaire Experience

Problem:

  • Completing the full questionnaire during usability testing would take over 20 minutes, potentially overwhelming participants.

  • Long testing sessions could limit the focus and quality of feedback on specific areas of the design.


Solution:

  • Prototyped only one section of the questionnaire to streamline the testing process.

  • Ensured testers could provide focused, actionable feedback without feeling overwhelmed.

Initial Prototype

Step 3: Testing

Iteration and Refinement Cycle

With my initial prototype, I conducted two rounds of user testing and used a prioritization matrix to ensure my solution effectively met the project goals.

Round 1

  • Objective

    Conduct usability testing with 5 participants to evaluate.

    • Insights on how effectively users navigate complex information and understand immigration requirements.

    • Use insights to guide design improvements for enhanced clarity and usability.

    • Ensure the process is more intuitive, user-friendly, and supportive of user needs.

    User Roles

    Group 1

    Background:

    • 2 New User.

    • No Immigration Background.

    • Has experience with filling out government forms or similar tasks.

    Goal:

    Evaluate how easily a new user with no immigration background can navigate and understand the app.

    Group 2

    Background:

    • 3 New User.

    • Immigration Background.

    • Has experience or knowledge of the Permanent Residency Process.

    Goal:

    Assess if relevant information is clear and identify any additional information that could improve user guidance.

  • Overview

    • Users completed the task without major issues.

    • Navigation difficulties arose from a prototype auto-layout issue.

    • Testers struggled with visibility of info icons, white text, and interaction with information cards on the "Score Band Page."

    • Interactive cards successfully prevented users from feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information.

    Test Results

  • Prioritization Matrix

Revised Prototype

Round 2

  • Objective

    Conduct usability testing with 5 participants to evaluate.

    • Assess the impact of content and visibility changes on the user experience.

    • Gather insights from returning users to evaluate the effectiveness of updates.

    • Explore new users’ perspectives to identify overlooked issues.

    • Determine if additional information improved task completion.

    • Evaluate whether the added content caused users to feel overwhelmed or enhanced their experience.

    User Roles

    Group 1

    Background:

    • 3 Users (2 returning testers).

    • No Immigration Background.

    • Has experience with filling out government forms or similar tasks.

    Goal:

    Evaluate how easily a new user with no immigration background can navigate and understand the app.

    Group 2

    Background:

    • 2 Users (1 returning testers).

    • Immigration Background.

    • Has experience or knowledge of the Permanent Residency Process.

    Goal:

    Assess if relevant information is clear and identify any additional information that could improve user guidance.

  • Overview

    • Users were able to complete the tasks without any issues.

    • They engaged with the additional information, such as the info icons and the Draw Pool Guide.

    • Some users expressed concerns about the design of the "My Prediction Page" and the "Home Page."

    • Users noted that there was a lot of information within the app but did not feel overwhelmed by it.

    Test Results

  • Prioritization Matrix

Step 4: Branding

Building a Visual Identity

After addressing the tester's feedback, it was time to developed the brand identity and incorporate it into the final prototype. While adhering to all accessibility requirements for ADA as well as full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance.

Mood board

-

Typography

-

Color Palette

-

Accessibility

Our goal was to design a brand that feels approachable and friendly while maintaining a sense of professionalism and authority. We aimed to encourage users to engage with the app while ensuring the tone reflects the seriousness of the subject matter. Striking the right balance between inviting and formal was key to creating a brand that builds trust and confidence.

Step 5: Solution

Bringing It All Together

I incorporated branding elements and addressed user testing feedback to create the final prototype.

Have fun exploring the prototype!

Note: To complete the task flow, when you reach the "Choose Your Areas for Growth" step, select "Work for 1 more year" under the Work category to proceed to the final step.

Prototype not showing? Access file here.

Conclusion

We where able to create a design solution that helps users like Natalia navigate the system with more confidence. While taking into consideration our limitations as we are not immigration lawyers nor can we predict policy changes.

Key Learnings

  • Designed solutions within constraints to effectively address and reduce user pain points.

  • Recognized the need to adapt plans quickly when faced with time limitations, ensuring project goals remain achievable.

  • Compensated for changes with thoughtfully planned and well-justified alternatives.

  • Found that interactive elements, clear workflows, and encouraging language greatly enhance usability and user engagement.

Next Steps

  • Conduct user testing to evaluate how users interact with the app and gather actionable insights for refinement.

  • Expand the user experience to continue beyond receiving the PR invitation, offering a more comprehensive solution.

  • Reevaluate the potential addition of community insights by testing their value and impact to determine if they should be integrated.

  • Explore incorporating a graph to visually represent the increase in eligibility points based on tester feedback, enhancing user comprehension.