Helping International students meet work permit requirements in Canada

Helping International students meet work permit requirements in Canada

Helping International students meet work permit requirements in Canada

Helping International students meet work permit requirements in Canada

PermitPal

PermitPal

UX Research, Design

2023

About

About

About

About

In Canada, over 20% of international students struggle to meet work permit requirements. Despite contributing $37.3 billion annually to the economy and making up 68% of universities' revenue.

In Canada, over 20% of international students struggle to meet work permit requirements. Despite contributing $37.3 billion annually to the economy and making up 68% of universities' revenue.

In Canada, over 20% of international students struggle to meet work permit requirements. Despite contributing $37.3 billion annually to the economy and making up 68% of universities' revenue.

In Canada, over 20% of international students struggle to meet work permit requirements. Despite contributing $37.3 billion annually to the economy and making up 68% of universities' revenue.

My Role

My Role

My Role

My Role

I primarily led UX research while also contributing to design decisions and refinements.

I primarily led UX research while also contributing to design decisions and refinements.

I primarily led UX research while also contributing to design decisions and refinements.

I primarily led UX research while also contributing to design decisions and refinements.

Team

Team

Team

Team

2 Designers, 1 Engineer

2 Designers, 1 Engineer

In a nutshell, my contributions include

In a nutshell, my contributions include

80%

Reduction in student anxiety

0%
290$

Saved per student

0%
50%

Questions and Doubts clarified

20+

Countries supported

80%

Reduction in student anxiety

0%
290$

Saved per student

0%
50%

Questions and Doubts clarified

20+

Countries supported

80%

Reduction in student anxiety

0%
290$

Saved per student

0%
50%

Questions and Doubts clarified

20+

Countries supported

80%

Reduction in student anxiety

0%
290$

Saved per student

0%
50%

Questions and Doubts clarified

20+

Countries supported

Research (Round 1)

Research (Round 1)

Research (Round 1)

Research (Round 1)

I interviewed 20 students and collected 60 survey responses

I interviewed 20 students and collected 60 survey responses

I interviewed 20 students and collected 60 survey responses

I interviewed 20 students and collected 60 survey responses

to understand what work permit requirements students fail to meet?

to understand what work permit requirements students fail to meet?

to understand what work permit requirements students fail to meet?

to understand what work permit requirements students fail to meet?

Research (Round 2)

Research (Round 2)

Research (Round 2)

Research (Round 2)

I interviewed 2 international advisors and reviewed 15+ discussion boards

I interviewed 2 international advisors and reviewed 15+ discussion boards

I interviewed 2 international advisors and reviewed 15+ discussion boards

I interviewed 2 international advisors and reviewed 15+ discussion boards

to identify the gaps and assess available resources and tools for international students.

to identify the gaps and assess available resources and tools for international students.

to identify the gaps and assess available resources and tools for international students.

to identify the gaps and assess available resources and tools for international students.

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3 Major insights after analyzing 125 data points

3 Major insights after analyzing 125 data points

3 Major insights after analyzing 125 data points

3 Major insights after analyzing 125 data points

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6 Families emerged from 30 distinct codes, with 3 categories accounted for over 71% all coded references

6 Families emerged from 30 distinct codes, with 3 categories accounted for over 71% all coded references

INSIGHT #1

School portal doesn’t specify whether a student is considered full-time or part-time.

School portal doesn’t specify whether a student is considered full-time or part-time.

INSIGHT #2

Information on how to deal with part-time status is not specific and reliable on forums and groups, often leading to confusion.

Information on how to deal with part-time status is not specific and reliable on forums and groups, often leading to confusion.

INSIGHT #3

Immigration consultants charge $150–$250 for a 30-minute session, which is often unaffordable for students.

Immigration consultants charge $150–$250 for a 30-minute session, which is often unaffordable for students.

Ideation

Ideation

Ideation

Ideation

I ran a 90-minute ideation workshop with a team of 4 which led to 4 key ideas.

I ran a 90-minute ideation workshop with a team of 4 which led to 4 key ideas.

I ran a 90-minute ideation workshop with a team of 4 which led to 4 key ideas.

I ran a 90-minute ideation workshop with a team of 4 which led to 4 key ideas.

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Why did not we integrate it with the school portal (yet)?

Why did not we integrate it with the school portal (yet)?

We all voted for Idea #4 because it directly connects to existing student data, making the solution accurate and low-effort for students.

We all voted for Idea #4 because it directly connects to existing student data, making the solution accurate and low-effort for students.

We all voted for Idea #4 because it directly connects to existing student data, making the solution accurate and low-effort for students.

We all voted for Idea #4 because it directly connects to existing student data, making the solution accurate and low-effort for students.

However, We deferred full data integration since accessing student data via APIs involves privacy approvals and institutional restrictions. We traded off full data integration (high accuracy, high engineering effort) for manual input (lower accuracy, faster validation).

However, We deferred full data integration since accessing student data via APIs involves privacy approvals and institutional restrictions. We traded off full data integration (high accuracy, high engineering effort) for manual input (lower accuracy, faster validation).

School Portal - already stores all the up-to-date student data

  1. Registered courses

  2. Total credits

  3. Year of study

However, it lacks the essential information:

Doesn't show semester status (part-time/full-time)

Doesn't show impact on work permit eligibility

PermitPal fills the Gap

Evaluates Semester Status (Full-time/part-time) for each semester

Finds work permit eligibility based on semester status

Integrating with School Portal

4 out of 5 users couldn’t understand the eligibility status from the existing design

4 out of 5 users couldn’t understand the eligibility status from the existing design

User testing revealed major usability gaps with our current designs.

User testing revealed major usability gaps with our current designs.

It took users 45 seconds on average just to understand if they were full-time or part-time and why should they care.

It took users 45 seconds on average just to understand if they were full-time or part-time and why should they care.

I started with an earlier draft from another designer - refining them to improve usability, visual consistency based on user feedback.

I started with an earlier draft from another designer - refining them to improve usability, visual consistency based on user feedback.

Conducted a collaborative design critique with the team to review the existing screens. We identified key user pain points, usability gaps, and improvement opportunities.

We explored different ways to communicate part-time status from minimal warnings to detailed credit breakdowns, refining which approach will help students understand impact and take action.

We explored different ways to communicate part-time status from minimal warnings to detailed credit breakdowns, refining which approach will help students understand impact and take action.

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What went wrong with our design solution that led to drop in student interest?

What went wrong with our design solution that led to drop in student interest?

What went wrong with our design solution that led to drop in student interest?

What went wrong with our design solution that led to drop in student interest?

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the problem was students only saw the impact on their eligibility after they dropped or added a course. By then, the damage was already done.

the problem was students only saw the impact on their eligibility after they dropped or added a course. By then, the damage was already done.

Went back to the basics with the team and shifted gears.. what if users can preview part-time status impact beforehand?

Went back to the basics with the team and shifted gears.. what if users can preview part-time status impact beforehand?

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Reflections

Reflections

Reflections

Reflections

Start, middle and..

Start, middle and..

Start, middle and..

Start, middle and..

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01

Visual Communication is beyond aesthetics. Small shifts in hierarchy, color, and grouping dramatically changes how quickly user understood the information and product value.

Visual Communication is beyond aesthetics. Small shifts in hierarchy, color, and grouping dramatically changes how quickly user understood the information and product value.

Visual Communication is beyond aesthetics. Small shifts in hierarchy, color, and grouping dramatically changes how quickly user understood the information and product value.

Visual Communication is beyond aesthetics. Small shifts in hierarchy, color, and grouping dramatically changes how quickly user understood the information and product value.

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02

Research can easily turn into Analysis Paralysis. At one point, the amount of data, edge cases, and user scenarios became overwhelming. Progress came when I focused on the strongest patterns instead of trying to solve every possibility at once.

Research can easily turn into Analysis Paralysis. At one point, the amount of data, edge cases, and user scenarios became overwhelming. Progress came when I focused on the strongest patterns instead of trying to solve every possibility at once.

Research can easily turn into Analysis Paralysis. At one point, the amount of data, edge cases, and user scenarios became overwhelming. Progress came when I focused on the strongest patterns instead of trying to solve every possibility at once.

Research can easily turn into Analysis Paralysis. At one point, the amount of data, edge cases, and user scenarios became overwhelming. Progress came when I focused on the strongest patterns instead of trying to solve every possibility at once.

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03

Sometimes knowing when to pull back helps teams move forward. Going back to the drawing board together helped us refocus on the minimum "correct version" we needed for fast validation and better outcomes.

Sometimes knowing when to pull back helps teams move forward. Going back to the drawing board together helped us refocus on the minimum "correct version" we needed for fast validation and better outcomes.

Sometimes knowing when to pull back helps teams move forward. Going back to the drawing board together helped us refocus on the minimum "correct version" we needed for fast validation and better outcomes.

Sometimes knowing when to pull back helps teams move forward. Going back to the drawing board together helped us refocus on the minimum "correct version" we needed for fast validation and better outcomes.

Next Project

University of Guelph

Helping new incoming students find their first home on-campus

Helping new incoming students find their first home on-campus

Helping new incoming students find their first home on-campus

Helping new incoming students find their first home on-campus

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© 2025 Ananya Thukral. All Rights Reserved.

I'm available for UX internships from

Summer 2026

© 2025 Ananya Thukral. All Rights Reserved.

I'm available for UX internships from

Summer 2026

© 2025 Ananya Thukral. All Rights Reserved.

I'm available for UX internships from

Summer 2026

© 2025 Ananya Thukral. All Rights Reserved.

I'm available for UX internships from

Summer 2026