After briefing the customer on their needs and expectations, we were able to conduct 4 user interviews with students on initial, work-study and sandwich courses. We had a wide range of students, some in their first year, others in Masters programs. This enabled us to interview most student profiles.
After analysis, we were able to confirm certain customer needs and add new elements.

First insight :

The search for information was often mentioned during our interviews. It is one of the main components that will ensure the application's adoption and use.
This topic covers several sub-topics:

• Planning
• Notes
• Events

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The students surveyed expressed the wish to have a single platform for viewing the administrative and pedagogical information they need to make their weeks run smoothly.
Their generally smartphone-oriented digital habits lead students to use non-responsive sites that are not adapted to mobile use.
Some students expressed frustration at receiving up-to-date timetables by e-mail, which are not always up to date.
The majority of students surveyed would like to be notified of future BDE and school events.
In terms of form, they would like to have easy access and a single, personal space for all this information.
Finally, it should be noted that students tend to look for information on their own, through various channels such as external sites, fellow students or the administration.

Second Insight :

Communication from the school to students is the first subject spontaneously raised by all the students interviewed.
They expressed a lack of communication on several levels:

• News and events
• Course reports and materials
• Administrative information
• Differences between the school, the speakers and the ACE Education group.

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This sometimes fuels frustration and stress.
Communication with students needs to be further developed to avoid any form of frustration and maximize student satisfaction, whatever the course.
Information communicated in advance, at the right time, would help to facilitate students' daily lives on their campuses, while enhancing the image of the schools.

Third insight :

During their studies, students are required to collect a great deal of pedagogical and administrative information.
Students are quite satisfied with the way they obtain this information:

• Contact by e-mail
• Physical contact directly at the school

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There is a tendency for students to contact their academic advisors directly. However, there is still room for improvement. Some students were obliged to go up a level of contact, and therefore to contact people from ACE Education and not from their school. Variations in information on the same subject gave rise to some misunderstanding.
The introduction of an FAQ would enable students to obtain information quickly, without first having to contact the teaching staff. In the absence of answers to their questions, they can then turn to their school's staff. Striking the right balance between autonomy in finding answers and rapid, targeted access to campus teaching staff is one of the keys to the future application's success.

Last insight :

Notifications are essential for disseminating information to as many people as possible. Over time, they build user loyalty by proving their usefulness. But it's important to define the degree of acceptability. While students are generally willing to receive notifications, they want to be able to retain a degree of control over their nature and frequency, just as they do with their favorite applications.  Used for information that is important to the student, notifications keep them informed in real time.
An excessive number of notifications can therefore have a negative impact on user acceptance, and may even lead to deactivation. Notifications must enable users to be aware of any changes in their organization.
Distribution rules and the possibility for users to set their preferences as to the nature and frequency of the notifications they receive will, in our view, help to justify mass adoption of the application.