UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As a direct result of feedback from students that Penn State's current LionPATH interface was not intuitive and difficult to navigate, the LionPATH team began beta testing a new LionPATH interface with a cross-section of current students. During the beta test, which began in March 2017, the LionPATH team asked the beta testers to provide their feedback, both through surveys and help tickets. At the end of the beta test, survey results showed a 77 percent increase in user satisfaction with the new, improved interface compared to the prior one.
Having incorporated beta testers’ feedback, the LionPATH team is ready to unveil the new interface to all students. Within the next week, when students log in to LionPATH, they will notice that the LionPATH Student Center has a more robust, contemporary look.
The most significant change that students will see is on the home page. Many of the links within LionPATH have minor cosmetic changes, but still look similar to the original interface. Other less-frequently used pages will continue to look the same as the original interface.
Although changes are being made to the appearance of LionPATH, it’s important to note that the content has not changed. All processes have stayed the same, and the LionPATH team has been mindful to use the same terms and language within the new interface.
Throughout the beta testing, LionPATH team members monitored students’ usage of and questions about the new interface. They observed that students had few questions about site navigation because the new interface is much more intuitive than the prior one.
Nevertheless, the team is updating relevant reference and tutorial materials to ensure students have access to documentation that reflects the student-user interface’s new look and feel. When the new interface goes live, these materials can be found at http://lionpathsupport.psu.edu/help/.
At this time, the new user interface is solely for students. For staff members who advise students, the LionPATH team has developed training and help materials to assist in the advising role.
- Students are able to switch to “Classic LionPATH” at any time, so they will see the same view that their adviser sees, if necessary.
- Help materials are being updated to reflect the new interface, and will be available for advisers to reference. The help materials will be available at http://lionpathsupport.psu.edu/help/.
- A LionPATH demo has been developed, so advisers can help students navigate through the new interface. This demo is available at https://tutorials.lionpath.psu.edu/LionPATH_Demo.
For questions about the new user interface, visit: http://lionpathsupport.psu.edu/faqs/interface-faqs.