University Campus Map: UX Case Study

On campus today

What's live on campus

I proposed and led a campus wayfinding redesign at St. Edward's: search, filtering, and accessibility data on every building. Shipped as an MVP in Fall 2025 and still iterating with university staff.

A live wayfinding MVP shipped to campus in Fall 2025, with accessibility data required on every building and non-technical staff able to update content without code.

View live campus map

Live

MVP Status

Launched Fall 2025, still iterating

100%

Accessibility Coverage

Every building ships with entrance & elevator data

Design Iterations

Wireframe patterns explored and tested

People Interviewed

3 stakeholders and 5 students

Impact so far

Impact So Far (Before/After):

Before: A 4MB static PDF with zero search, filters, or accessibility data.

After (Live MVP): Deployed an interactive beta to campus users to test search, filtering, and accessibility location data in the real world.

Foundation Set: Built a CSV-driven content workflow so non-technical university staff can update building details without touching code, setting up the project for long-term success after my graduation.

MVP Iterations & Future Plans:

•MVP Feedback Implemented: Added a "Get Directions" button that pushes exact building coordinates directly to Google Maps.

•Data Expansion: Actively expanding the CSV data model to capture and surface quiet spaces, charger availability, and bike racks based on student requests.

View live campus map

Context

Background

St. Edward's University's campus map was a static, 4MB illustrated PDF with no search capabilities. Students and visitors navigated a sprawling campus in the Texas heat with essentially a paper map on a screen. Content updates required a graphic designer, leaving building hours and accessibility information perpetually outdated or missing entirely.

The problem

•The Problem: The existing map was a static PDF with no search, no filters, no accessibility info, and an 8-second mobile load. I observed a parent and prospective student wandering the quad for 10 minutes looking for admissions while holding it.
•The Agitation: "I called ahead to ask about wheelchair access. They didn't know." (Student with mobility needs). The lack of data forced users to abandon the map entirely and just follow whoever looked like they knew where they were going.
•The Solution: Build a live, data-driven wayfinding app that makes finding an accessible entrance as easy as finding building hours.

The approach

I designed a mobile-first wayfinding app built on Google Maps that treats accessibility as a core feature:

•Typo-forgiving search with nickname matching
•Category filtering reachable one-handed
•Persistent map context via a half-height bottom sheet
•Comprehensive Accessibility Data: Displays wheelchair ramps, elevator locations, floor counts, and whether elevators service all floors.

Scope

Project goals

Deliverable: A live, mobile-first wayfinding MVP shipped to campus in Fall 2025.

•Replace the static PDF with an interactive map
•Require accessibility data (elevators, entrances) on every building
•Enable non-technical staff to update content via CSV without code
•Design for one-handed mobile use in bright sunlight

The process

01 · Discover

Research & Synthesis

Working within an agile intern team, I evaluated the existing map and ran rapid research cycles: informal interviews, lo-fi prototype interviews, and MVP testing before launch.

The surprising insight from informal interviews wasn't about new students. It was staff:

"I've been here three years. I still don't know where half the buildings are." (Sarah, Administrative Coordinator)

And the #1 unmet need wasn't "better design." It was "tell me if there's an elevator before I walk across campus in July heat."

02 · Define

Behavioral Archetypes

Two archetypes drove the tradeoffs. Maria needed speed between classes; Alex needed accessibility data before making the trip.

Maria

Freshman, Biology Major · 18

“I have 10 minutes between classes and I'm already lost.”

Needs

Find classroom buildings quickly between classes
Discover dining options and study spaces

Friction

Static maps don't show where I am

Alex

Junior, Uses wheelchair · 22

“I need to know if there's an accessible entrance BEFORE I get there.”

Needs

Find accessible entrances and elevators
Plan routes that avoid stairs

Friction

Accessibility info is never on maps

03 · Ideate

Wireframing & Key Decisions

I explored five interaction patterns through mid-fidelity wireframes. The core challenge was showing building detail without losing map context.

Step 1 of 3

Full-screen detail

Full-screen detail cards were kept for diving deep into a building's services and accessibility data.

Quick Actions (Killed)

Tag Filters (Kept)

Trade-off Analysis

Quick Actions Menu at the bottom was killed because testing showed users struggled to reach and understand them.

Tag Filters were kept, replacing the quick actions and moving category filtering directly under the search bar to match standard map mental models.

04 · Design

Accessibility as a First-Class Feature

Most campus maps treat accessibility as an afterthought: a small icon buried in a details page, if it exists at all.

My approach:

Accessibility features are displayed at the SAME visual level as hours and contact info. If a building has no accessible entrance, the app says so explicitly.

Validation:

I tested with 2 users with disabilities: one wheelchair user, one VoiceOver user. The wheelchair user said: "This is the first campus map I could actually use independently."

Technical accessibility:

•Color is never the only indicator

•4.5:1 minimum contrast ratio

•44px touch targets

•Full keyboard navigation

•VoiceOver-tested on iOS

05 · Deliver

Final Design & Validation

Usability testing surfaced three concrete fixes on the shipped MVP, and I implemented all three:

"Munday" returned no results: only "Munday Library" matched. → Added nickname matching across all buildings.

Some users missed the filter buttons entirely (gray-on-gray). → Increased contrast and added a subtle border.

Users tapped the collapsed bottom sheet to expand it; the design required a swipe. → Added a tap-to-expand affordance.

This is still an active product. I'm continuing to test and iterate as the MVP evolves.

Step 1 of 4

Search

Autocomplete search with typo-forgiving nickname matching across buildings.

06 · Iterate

Spring MVP Evolution

The product has continued to evolve past the initial Fall MVP based on active student usage. We kept the core UX patterns but significantly expanded the data and refined the visual hierarchy.

Key Spring Updates:

•On-Brand Color Palette: Updated the interface to reflect St. Edward's official brand colors, creating a more cohesive and trustworthy university tool.

•Expanded Search: Search now supports broader queries and surfaces new data points like study spaces and parking.

•Refined Filters: Redesigned the filter system into a cleaner, more scalable modal making it easier to parse dense categories.

Step 1 of 3

On-Brand UI

The new Spring Iteration introduces a heavily branded color palette and floating pill menus to maximize map visibility.

Looking back

Retrospective

Key Takeaways

Stakeholder Pushback is Data

When people resist a feature, I usually have not communicated the research clearly enough yet. Sharing direct quotes from students with disabilities turned the content team into advocates.

Constraints Breed Creativity

Rough, fast wireframe iterations surfaced the winning bottom-sheet pattern quicker than polished mockups would have.

Leading a Team is a Design Skill

I directed UX students to verify data, photograph locations, and audit accessibility. Clear delegation was as important as the wireframes.

Designing for Handoff

Because I was graduating, the MVP couldn't just work. It had to be maintainable. Setting up a CSV workflow for content updates ensured that the remaining team and non-technical staff could continue scaling the beta without needing a dedicated front-end developer.

What I'd Do Differently

•Start accessibility testing even earlier in the process.

•Explore indoor wayfinding for complex, multi-floor buildings.

•Build in-app feedback collection for ongoing, passive improvement.

See it in action

Explore the final high-fidelity prototype and interact with the complete user flow.

View live campus map

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