Econiti · UX & Product Design
Redesigning Econiti for clearer discovery and enrollment
A design story about turning a passive content repository into a guided enrollment funnel — from student anxiety to confident action
context
A platform that had to do more than list courses.
Econiti is an economics education platform focused on conceptual prep for highly competitive exams. As the sole UX design intern, my challenge was to redesign the platform from 0 to 1
The Business & User Problem
The legacy website was built on a no-code tool, serving its original purpose as a basic digital footprint. But as traffic and course options grew, the platform became a passive content warehouse. It listed syllabus details and exam names, but it didn't guide students toward making an enrollment decision
High engagement, low conversion.
Traffic
High
↓
Exploration
Active
↓
Multiple pages
Curious
↓
Conversion
less
How I Uncovered the Friction
To move past guesswork, I ran a multi-layered research process combining quantitative data, qualitative evaluation, and social listening
Heuristic UX Audit
I evaluated the legacy site against standard usability heuristics and created an audit scorecard. This flagged a major cognitive barrier: course details were buried in dense, unscannable text blocks with zero visual hierarchy, and navigation was built around system logic rather than user goals (requiring "too many clicks" to reach key information)
See Detailed Audit
Social Listening (Reddit & Quora Sentiment Analysis)
I analyzed community discussions on economics education forums to map student psychology. I discovered three major user anxieties
See Insights
Quantitative Analytics
I reviewed user data from Jan–Aug 2025. The metrics confirmed a classic conversion bottleneck: traffic was growing steadily and users were clicking frequently and exploring multiple pages per session, yet conversion rates remained flat. The issue wasn't visibility; it was friction in the decision funnel
Competitor Benchmarking Matrix
I audited direct competitors (Arthapoint, Ecopoint, and Edusure) across dimensions like visual hierarchy, IA, trust signals, and CTA clarity. I discovered a clear market gap: while competitors optimized heavily for content volume and exam results, they under-optimized for structural clarity, consistent design systems, and beginner onboarding
See Detailed Matrix
MY DESIGN INSIGHT
“The problem wasn't a lack of valuable content. It was a lack of guided decision-making.”
Students weren't dropping off because of the curriculum. They were dropping off because the cognitive effort required to navigate syllabus details, verify instructor credibility, and identify the next action was simply too high
DESIGN CHALLENGE
How might we build enough visual trust and information clarity upfront to give serious aspirants the confidence to enroll, while designing low-friction pathways for intimidated beginners who just need career guidance first?
KEY DECISIONS & STRATEGIC TRADE OFFS
Decision 1: Transforming the Homepage into an Active Decision Hub
What changed
I replaced the vague, abstract headers above the fold with a concrete, outcome-focused value proposition and primary action CTAs. To tackle the trust gap head-on, I elevated instructor credentials, brought student achievements to the front, and integrated a direct contact form
HOVER TO SEE THE "BEFORE"
Why it solved the problem
Our Reddit research proved that students rarely purchase courses without assessing faculty credibility first. Placing instructor profiles and a low-barrier contact form above the fold addressed this emotional barrier immediately.
Structure over Minimalist Emptiness
Many modern landing pages favor ultra-clean layouts with massive white space. But in academic exam prep, leaving things unsaid kills trust. I intentionally chose a highly structured, content-rich layout to prioritize total transparency.
Decision 2: Taming Exam-Prep Overload with a Sticky Information Bar
What changed
On exam pages (like UPSC and IES), I replaced dense, overwhelming paragraphs of text with visually segmented tabs controlled by a persistent, sticky horizontal navigation bar: Exam Structure, Why Economics Optional, Syllabus & Lesson Plan, Course Timeline, and Testimonials
HOVER TO SEE THE "BEFORE"
Why it solved the problem
Aspirants need to cross-check complex syllabus and exam patterns to evaluate a course. The sticky bar lets them navigate these intense details on their own terms
Progressive Disclosure over Content Reduction
The easiest way to make a page look "cleaner" is to cut text. But competitive aspirants need exhaustive details to evaluate a course. Instead of cutting crucial syllabus information, I chose to structure it.
Decision 3: Resolving Undergraduate Scroll Fatigue via Sticky Semester Bars
What changed
On university undergraduate pages, I introduced a sticky semester navigation bar (spanning Sem 1 to Sem 8) that allows students to jump directly to specific college resources in one click
HOVER TO SEE THE "BEFORE"
Why it solved the problem
The old layout buried courses vertically, creating immense scroll friction and drop-offs. Moving to a user-intent structure enabled non-linear exploration and drastically cut down task completion time
Intent-Driven Paths over Free-Exploration Chaos
I chose to strictly force an intent-driven layout. By prioritizing speed-to-content, I reduced the physical work a student has to do, turning a frustrating scavenger hunt into a direct, two-second action.
Decision 4: Designing an Empathetic Entry Point for Confused Beginners
What changed
Alongside the main course finder, I designed a prominent card specifically targeting confused aspirants: "Confused About Your Economics Career? See where your degree can take you... Get a Career Guide!"
HOVER TO SEE THE "BEFORE"
Why it solved the problem
Forum listening showed that undergraduate and first-time aspirants feel deeply intimidated by economics career paths. While competitors immediately push aggressive course catalogs, this widget serves as an empathetic, low-pressure entry point that builds trust before asking for a financial commitment.
Pipeline Building over Immediate Sales
Dedicated premium, above-the-fold homepage real estate to a free, non-transactional resource card . By offering value upfront, we capture warm leads who will eventually become high-intent customers.
Status
The developer-ready designs and comprehensive design system have been handed over to the founders for implementation
Post-Launch Metrics
Success will be validated quantitatively by tracking conversion rates from homepage to enrollment, click-through rates (CTR) on primary CTAs, drop-off rates on exam pages, and improved time-to-decision.
Early Validation
In early qualitative usability sessions, users understood the platform's core value proposition and navigated to their specific course pathways significantly faster than in the legacy version
OUTCOME & VALIDATION STRATEGY
HOW I THINK AS A DESIGNER NOW
This project shifted my perspective from designing interfaces to designing decision-making experiences
My role as the sole designer wasn't to "make Econiti look pretty." It was to analyze Analytics, identify the core user drop-offs, listen to community anxieties on Reddit, and build an information architecture that aligns with how students actually make career-defining decisions. By choosing structural clarity over visual complexity, I designed a system that respects the user's intent and guides them toward confident action.