Empowering Students: Streamlining the Path to Real-World Experience
135% increase in student enrollment—simplifying internship applications and boosting success.
Client
The Ministry of Education, Research, and Technology of Indonesia
Year
2024
Work
Research, Product Design
Why This Matters
Empowering students to gain real-world exposure early in their academic journey can significantly improve employability and professional growth. Alongside researchers Alleya Hanifa, Annas Jiwa Pratama, Priyanka Nayahi, Metaniawati Limanto and designers/writers Gupita Prameswari, Elvaretta Angelina, Faris Fatahilah, and Rizqie Aulia, our team undertook a user-centered redesign that underscores our collective commitment to digital transformation in education and student success on a national scale.
Empowering students to gain real-world exposure early in their academic journey can significantly improve employability and professional growth. DotDesign user-centered redesign of the Merdeka Belajar-Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) and Magang/Study Independent Bersertifikat (MSIB) platforms underscores our commitment to digital transformation in education and student success on a national scale.
Context & Challenge
Understanding MBKM & MSIB
Merdeka Belajar-Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) is a policy initiative by Indonesia’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. Its core principle is to give students the freedom to pursue learning experiences beyond traditional classrooms—through internships, community projects, research collaborations, or entrepreneurship.
MSIB (Magang/Study Independent Bersertifikat) is a flagship program under MBKM, linking students directly with industry partners to gain real-world, on-the-job experience. By participating, students can earn certifications, broaden their professional network, and develop critical skills for the modern workforce.
The Problem Space for Students
Despite MBKM’s progressive vision, many students found the application and administrative processes overly complex. Key issues included:
Multiple Portals, Multiple Steps: Students often had to visit various websites, email multiple departments, or manually submit documents to confirm eligibility.
Paper or PDF-based Systems: Reliance on paper forms or PDFs caused confusion and frequent loss of paperwork.
No Centralized Guidance: Requirements sometimes varied by industry partner or by campus, leaving students uncertain about deadlines and documents.
Pain Points in Numbers
Over 50% of surveyed students struggled to track which documents they needed to submit.
Long Processing Times—applications could remain stuck in approval queues for weeks.
High Drop-off Rates for first-time applicants, primarily due to cumbersome, unclear instructions.
“I felt overwhelmed by all the different instructions. Some campuses wanted printed forms; others asked for scanned PDFs. It was easy to make mistakes or miss deadlines.”
— I Gede Oka Juniarti, 3rd-year Management Major
Approach & Design Solution
As part of a collaborative team, we set out to streamline the student experience through a unified, intuitive platform integrating MBKM and MSIB essentials. The primary goal was to reduce bureaucratic friction, ensuring students felt empowered and confident in their applications.
User Research & Persona Development
Campus Visits & Interviews: Our researchers (Alleya, Annas, Priyanka, Metaniawati) traveled to universities across Indonesia to gather direct feedback from students in various faculties.
Focus Groups: We conducted sessions with student councils and career services to uncover unique campus-level challenges and technology disparities.
Persona Definitions: We identified student archetypes such as the “Ambitious Senior,” “Curious Freshman,” and “Working Student,” clarifying distinct needs and behaviors.
Co-Creation Workshops
Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration: Lecturers, academic admins, and industry partners participated in brainstorming sessions, ensuring all perspectives were accounted for.
Feature Brainstorming: Workshops resulted in features like real-time status notifications, integrated FAQs, and automated email or SMS reminders.
Wireframing & Prototyping
Low-Fidelity Wireframes: The design team (Gupita, Elvaretta, Faris, Rizqie) iterated core navigation flows, validating clarity with real users.
High-Fidelity Prototypes: Modern UI patterns emphasized minimal steps, accessible design, and performance (crucial for campuses with variable internet speeds).
Before vs. After Visualization
Before: Manual PDFs, scattered portals for MSIB, delayed feedback loops.
After: Streamlined digital forms featuring progress trackers, automated notifications, and a unified knowledge base for quick referencing.
Usability Testing & Iteration
Small-Scale Pilots: Beta tests at select campuses captured performance metrics, error rates, and user satisfaction data.
Refinement Loops: Feedback shaped final UI improvements—like clearer tooltips, consolidated deadlines, and intuitive dashboards.
Results & Impact Metrics
Primary Metric: 135% Growth in Student Enrollment
Post-launch, over 30,000 students joined MBKM/MSIB programs—up from about 12,838 previously. This surge shows how a streamlined digital process can dramatically expand student participation in experiential learning.
Secondary Metrics
30% Faster Application Process
Why It Matters: With simplified forms and clearer guidance, average application time dropped from 50 minutes to 35 minutes, increasing completion and reducing frustration.
25% Increase in Application Completion
Why It Matters: Centralized instructions and in-platform reminders significantly reduced incomplete submissions, easing admin workloads and improving acceptance rates.
85% Positive Feedback
Why It Matters: Surveys and pilot studies saw an uptick in student satisfaction from 70% to 85%, reflecting the new platform’s improved usability and stability.
“I used to worry constantly if I had missed a step or the right deadline. With the new portal, everything is in one place, and the notifications keep me on track. It’s like having a personal application assistant!”
— Mahindra Yanuar, 4th-year Computer Science Major
Key Learnings & Next Steps
What We Learned
Human-Centered Design: Deep student insights must guide each design decision, especially in large-scale educational deployments.
Collaboration & Alignment: Aligning with government bodies, universities, industry partners, and diverse campus stakeholders is vital for cohesive, impactful design solutions.
Future Plans
Mobile Optimization: Further refine offline capabilities for students with limited connectivity.
Intelligent Matching: Use AI-driven algorithms to match student skill profiles with internship opportunities, raising successful placements.
Community Features: Potentially add discussion forums and peer-to-peer support channels to enhance collaborative learning.
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