Application Portal

A public-facing web application optimized for user experience, performance, and accessibility, designed to guide applicants through a streamlined application process.

Student-First Experience: Solving the "Email Problem"

Students used to send scattered emails with attachments, never knowing if Accenture received them.

Our Solution: One clear form, instant confirmation, and a professional experience that reflects well on Accenture.

Real Impact: From "Did they get my email?" to "Application submitted successfully!"

Watch a video preview of the application portal in action.

Core Principles

Reducing Cognitive Load

  • Progressive Disclosure: Start with one student, add more as needed (don't overwhelm with 5 empty forms).
  • Smart Defaults: First student becomes group leader automatically (but you can change it).
  • Visual Hierarchy: Clear sections that guide you through step-by-step.

Familiar Patterns

  • Job Application Flow: Borrowed UX from platforms like Teamtailor that students already know.
  • Summary Page: Summary page before final submission.
  • Allowing Expressiveness: Rich text editor with formatting options and shortcuts students expect.

Error Prevention & Recovery

  • Session Storage: Your work is saved automatically - refresh won't lose everything.
  • Real-time Validation: Red borders and helpful messages before you submit.
  • Clear Requirements: Red asterisks show what's required, descriptions explain what we need.
Application form showing dynamic fields and real-time validation

User Journey Optimizations

Landing Page Strategy

  • Engage the Students: Some marketing stuff is nice, but allow the students to skip it by clicking "Apply Now" at the top.
  • Task Previews: Rich text descriptions with a clear picture of what you're applying for.
  • Group Size Guidance: "3-5 students recommended" sets expectations early.
Landing page with clear task selection for applicants

Form Flow Design

  • Pre-selected Tasks: URL magic means clicking "Apply" pre-fills the right task.
  • Dynamic Groups: Add/remove students without breaking the flow.
  • Drag-and-Drop Priorities: Visual task reordering that actually feels good to use.
  • File Upload Feedback: Clear progress indicators and format validation.
Application form layout and structure

Smart Form Features & Technical Excellence

Performance First

  • Instant Loading: Critical content loads immediately, heavy components (rich text editor) load in background.
  • 100% PageSpeed Score: Because slow forms make people give up.

Accessibility Excellence

  • 100 PageSpeed Insights score on accessibility.
  • Keyboard Navigation: Complete form without touching mouse.
  • High Contrast: Text that's readable for everyone.
  • Semantic HTML: Proper heading structure for navigation.

Mobile-Friendly Design

  • Responsive Forms: Works perfectly on phones and tablets.
  • Auto-sizing Text Areas: Rich text editor grows with your content - using a brand new feature in CSS (with fallback of course).

File Handling

  • PDF Previews: Click uploaded files to verify you picked the right one.
  • Format Validation: Only accept what Accenture can actually use.
  • Size Limits: Clear feedback before upload fails.

Rich Text Editor

  • 2500 Character Limit: With live counter so you know where you stand.
  • Keyboard Shortcuts: Ctrl+B for bold, etc. - works like Word.
  • Formatting Options: Headers, lists, emphasis - make your cover letter stand out.
  • Auto-save: No losing your carefully crafted cover letter.
Advanced rich text editor with auto-resizing feature

Lessons from User Testing

What Students Asked For

  • Better heading hierarchy, and structure in general
  • More detailed descriptions of what to include in cover letters.
  • Flexibility in choosing group leader (originally, it was always set to be the first person).
  • Preview functionality for uploaded documents.

Iterative Improvements

  • Multiple Design Alternatives: Tested different layouts with wireframes to find what worked best.
  • Think-Aloud Sessions: Watched students actually use the form.
  • Feedback Integration: Real changes based on real student confusion.

Real-World Impact

For Students

  • Professional application experience that builds confidence in Accenture.
  • Clear process with immediate feedback.
  • No more "Did my email get lost?" anxiety.

For Universities

  • Easy to share direct links to application portal.
  • Students can apply independently without university admin overhead.
  • Professional reflection on the partnership.