PaperEase
My Role
Ux designer
UI designer
Date
2023
Client
ESD
Target
Students
Issue
The complexity of the French administration, often poorly taught, leaves many students helpless in the face of their procedures.
How can we enable them to better understand and manage these procedures with autonomy, efficiency, and confidence?
Project objective
Design a mobile-first solution to support students in managing their administrative processes. For a week, I collaborated as a UX/UI designer on the creation of a fictitious startup, with an educational website focused on user autonomy and digital pedagogy.
About PaperEase
PaperEase is a platform designed to simplify the administrative procedures for students through:
personalized coaching,
an interactive dictionary,
and a clear, intuitive interface suitable for beginners.
It aims to de-dramatize administration by making information accessible, quick to understand, and directly actionable.
Introspection
PaperEase
My role
UX/UI within a team of 4. I co-built the product direction by defining UX priorities and structuring deliverables. We progressed in sprint mode with collective and iterative decisions.
What I have learned
Design under tight time constraints,
Deliver a functional and realistic prototype
Quickly master no-code tools,
Adapt UX communication to a product team logic.
Highlights
Subject to strong social impact,
Real team synergy,
Agile process, user value oriented.
Areas for improvement
With more time, I would have detailed the user tests, broadened the range of profiles interviewed and refined certain secondary features. This would have strengthened the robustness of the journeys and optimized the alignment between the on-ground needs and the proposed solution.
The market
PaperEase
In Brief!
Before the design, we analyzed the student market in France to understand the administrative obstacles, digital usages, and the support needs. This data structured the product strategy.
Did you know?
Some key figures
We have consulted several sources to provide a reliable overview:
INSEE Statistics: over 2.7 million students in France, with a majority in situations of administrative precarity.
Student Forums (Reddit, Etudinfo, Diplomeo...): spontaneous feedback on the difficulties encountered (CAF procedures, social security, housing).
User reviews on competitors: lack of ergonomics, absence of centralization of procedures, limited support.
Identified targets
Students in France, French or international, in undergraduate or master's programs, often:
Dependent on their parents for administrative procedures.
Wasting time searching for administrative information.
Using their phones as the main channel.
Strategy
PaperEase
In Brief!
We have defined a product strategy focused on solving real problems to ensure the usefulness and adoption of the tool by students.
Strategic objectives
Centralize administrative procedures in a single accessible tool.
Encourage student autonomy in their procedures.
Reduce the mental load related to administration.
Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
Average time to complete a process.
Abandonment rate before validation.
Application reuse rate.
Search
PaperEase
In Brief!
We conducted an exploratory phase to confront our hypotheses with the realities on the ground and better understand the expectations of the students.
The search
User research methodology
User interviews : 6 students surveyed (bachelor's and master's).
Online survey : 40 respondents via social media.
Qualitative analysis of experience stories on forums.
User research summaries
Key results
Strong reliance on parents to understand the processes.
Recurring stress around the CAF, health insurance, and housing.
Difficulty identifying the necessary documents and steps.
Summary of quantitative research
Our quantitative analysis revealed significant trends:
Limited knowledge: 69.2% of students have very little knowledge about the French administration.
Dependence on parents: More than half of the students receive help from their parents or do not actively participate in their procedures.
About 30% manage them themselves or ask for help from their friends.
Complexity of procedures: French administrative procedures are perceived as long and complicated.
Lack of known platforms: More than half of the students do not know any platform to obtain information about their rights and administrative procedures.
Parental profile: Most students have parents born in France, which may partly explain their reliance on family assistance.
Summary of qualitative research
From our discussions, we noted the following points :
Dependence on parents: Students often seek help from their parents, who manage the majority of their administrative procedures.
Lack of accessible information: They find that the information online is either insufficient or too complex to understand.
Need for speed and simplicity: Many wish to receive clear and quick answers, which they are currently unable to find.
Little experience with the French administration: Some had never dealt with the administration before their studies.
Key observation: The majority of students are assisted by their parents and have little autonomy in their administrative procedures.
Questionnaire and results
Ux Implication
We have defined two representative personas (Julie and Léo) to guide the design.
Definition
PaperEase
In Brief!
This step allowed to frame the functional scope, prioritize user needs, and lay the foundations of the journey. Thanks to user flows, storyboards, and an initial definition of the MVP, we were able to build a clear foundation to design a product centered on the real expectations of students.
Perimeter and definition
Key deliverables
User flows : simplified paths for each procedure.
MVP : we have refocused the scope on priority procedures (CAF, social security).
Storyboard : concrete scenarios showing usage in context.
User journey
We have designed user flows based on key personas to define the different stages of the experience: first contact, information search, selecting a mentor, scheduling an appointment, and confirmation.
Each stage has been broken down with its actions, emotions, touchpoints, and opportunities for improvement.
User journeys
A thorough job has been done to map the typical situations, such as:
I want to declare my taxes.
I want to obtain financial assistance.
I am looking for housing or support.
These use cases have guided the functional decisions and the architecture of the application.
Navigation
We have defined three types of navigation:
Global : Search, citizenship, taxes, aid, etc.
Courtesy : Settings, mentor, profile.
Local : Search bar.
Functional matrix
A matrix helped prioritize the key features to be integrated into V1 (MMP) and to project developments for a V2, distinguishing between essential, optional, or to-be-confirmed needs.
Some user flows
Sorting the cards
A card sorting was conducted to prioritize the content according to user expectations.
The initial structure was then tested with Optimal Workshop, and adjusted based on user feedback to improve readability and navigation.
Tree structure
To effectively structure the application, we have defined a clear hierarchy, aligned with the priority needs identified during user research.
Approach:
A card sorting exercise first allowed us to organize the content according to the expectations and mental models of the users (taxes, housing, mentoring, rights…).
A first hierarchy was tested via Optimal Workshop, revealing readability issues in certain categories.
User feedback allowed us to evolve the structure towards a more intuitive V2 hierarchy.
Test synthesis
The tests confirmed the navigation difficulties in the initial structure.
The adjustments made it possible to offer a more intuitive V2, highlighting priority sections such as: Mentor, Housing, Labor Law, etc.
Tree structure V2
The final version:
Highlights the sections considered a priority: Mentor, Labor Rights, Housing.
Distinguishes paths according to needs (scanning, assistance, citizenship, profile...).
Facilitates navigation through a simplified and understandable hierarchy.
Graphic Charter
PaperEase
In Brief!
We have designed an artistic direction inspired by Bauhaus, combining simplicity, rigor, and modernity to reassure the user without overwhelming them.
A distinguished identity
Why a graphic charter?
Creating a striking graphic identity was a central challenge to strengthen the credibility of the service and its readability. The choice of a strong artistic movement provided a clear and differentiating framework.
Why the Bauhaus?
This trend, based on simple geometric shapes and complementary primary colors, has allowed us to:
Visually structure the information,
Create a modern and functional universe,
Reassure the user with a clear system and without visual overload.
What are the values of our logo?
The graphic elements have been designed to convey 6 key values of PaperEase:
Independence: the user takes control of their procedures
Simplicity: clear pathways, streamlined visuals
Accessibility: readable and inclusive design
Practicality: quick access to useful information
Youth: tone and visuals tailored to the student audience
Speed: fluid and structured navigation
The logo: a symbol of reliability and growth
The logo represents:
Administrative papers and files,
Geometric shapes inspired by Bauhaus (security, stability),
A flower shape suggesting growth, education, and the evolution of students.
What are the chosen colors?
We opted for a high-contrast duo:
Purple: innovation, reliability, support,
Yellow: optimism, clarity, dynamism.
These colors provide a good color accessibility and enhance the visual impact.
What are the chosen typographies?
Mandala : for main titles, a direct reference to the Bauhaus movement.
Poppins : for body text, a choice of readability and roundness.
The result creates a modern, structured, and warm universe, perfectly suited to the student audience.
Mockups
PaperEase
In Brief!
We have converted the wireframes into high-fidelity mockups in order to validate the usability and visual aspect of the final product.
Design of our mobile app
Zoning
Key Pages Designed
Homepage : clear presentation of the tool and direct CTAs.
Journey “I want to make my CAF application” : guided step by step.
Personal space : synthetic overview of the progress of the procedures.
UX/UI Design Approach
Highlighting essential information and removing any visual overload.
Wireframes
Mockups
Prototype
PaperEase
In Brief!
We used no-code tools to create a functional prototype, tested with users to validate the usability and the user journeys.
Prototype, no code and tests
No code
Designed with Bubble + connected tools (Airtable, Calendly).
Simulation of real interactions: appointment scheduling, document scanning, payments.
Functional diagram established in advance to ensure consistency.
Prototype
Tests
Objective : gather feedback before development.
Protocol : scenarios focused on actual usage.
Results : validation of the sequence of steps, points for improvement on navigation and wording.
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