Making essential academic information available when decisions need to be made
Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB) is one of Indonesia’s leading state universities, with a long-standing role in education, research, science, technology, and the arts. Its academic community includes students, lecturers, and staff who depend on timely information to plan classes, manage obligations, and make decisions throughout the semester.
ITB’s Academic Information System, SIX, already contained much of this information. But it was available primarily through a web-based platform, which meant users often needed a desktop or browser to check schedules, attendance, grades, tuition payments, installments, scholarships, and academic notifications.
Suitmedia worked with ITB to develop MySIX, a mobile application connected to the existing academic system. The goal was not to replace SIX, but to make its most important information easier to reach, more convenient to use, and more relevant to the way students and lecturers manage academic life.
A capable academic system was not always accessible at the right moment
1. Web access was limiting everyday academic decisions
The existing SIX platform supported important academic processes, but access through a web interface created practical limitations.
Students may need to check a schedule while moving between classes, confirm a payment status outside office hours, or review an academic notification when they are away from a computer. A web-only experience makes these moments more dependent on device access, browser availability, and connectivity.
The issue was not that the information was missing. It was that users could not always reach it when they needed it.
2. Academic information is time-sensitive
Schedules, attendance, grades, payment statuses, and scholarship information can affect immediate decisions. A student may need to know whether a payment has been recorded before registering for a course, or whether a schedule has changed before traveling to campus.
If users receive information late or must repeatedly check a website, they may miss important actions. Delays can create unnecessary stress for students and additional questions for academic and administrative staff.
MySIX needed to make information more available and notifications more timely.
3. Students and lecturers have different patterns of use
Students may check schedules, attendance, grades, tuition payments, installments, and scholarship status frequently. Lecturers and internal stakeholders may need different academic information and notifications.
The mobile experience had to be flexible enough to support different users without making the application feel complicated.
This required more than transferring web pages to a phone. The application needed to identify which actions and information mattered most in a mobile context.
4. A mobile application had to feel easier than the web system
A mobile app can improve accessibility, but it can also create frustration if it simply reproduces a desktop interface on a smaller screen.
Students needed a clear way to find the information most relevant to them. The app had to prioritize common tasks, reduce unnecessary navigation, and make key information understandable at a glance.
The challenge was to simplify access without losing the depth of the existing academic system.
5. Users needed one consistent academic experience
MySIX was intended to work with ITB’s existing web and internal systems. This created a requirement for consistency.
Students should not see conflicting information on the web platform and mobile app. They should also be able to move between the two without having to learn completely different structures or rules.
The mobile application needed to extend SIX, not create a separate academic reality.
6. Financial and scholarship information needed stronger visibility
Academic access is closely connected to administrative and financial requirements. Students may need to review tuition payments, installment details, or scholarship status as part of continuing their studies.
These details can be difficult to manage when they are available only through separate or inconvenient workflows. MySIX needed to bring them closer to the student’s everyday academic view.
This was particularly important because financial information can influence registration, planning, and peace of mind.
7. The platform needed to support a large academic community
ITB needed a solution that could serve many active users with different devices, schedules, and academic needs.
A mobile application needed to be reliable enough for regular use and structured enough to support future feature growth. Adoption would depend on whether users found the app genuinely useful, not simply whether it was available in an app store.
The project therefore needed to combine user research, system integration, clear design, and dependable delivery.
8. ITB needed to modernize access without replacing its core system
SIX already represented a significant institutional system and data source. Replacing it entirely would have created unnecessary risk and disruption.
The more practical opportunity was to create a mobile layer that used existing data and systems while improving the user experience.
This approach protected ITB’s investment and allowed the university to modernize access in a focused, manageable way.
Designing MySIX around the way academic users actually work
1. Start with mobile user research
Suitmedia conducted UX research to understand the needs of students and other academic stakeholders using a mobile application.
The research focused on what users wanted to check most often, when they needed the information, where they experienced friction, and how they expected a mobile academic service to behave.
This prevented the project from becoming a simple technical conversion. The design was based on user behavior and priorities rather than on a direct copy of the existing web platform.
2. Use focus group discussions to uncover shared problems
Focus group discussions helped reveal common expectations and frustrations among potential users.
Group discussion was useful because academic information affects people in similar but not identical ways. Students could describe challenges around schedules, payments, grades, and notifications, while internal stakeholders could explain operational requirements.
The findings helped identify which needs were broadly shared and which required role-specific treatment.
3. Add qualitative research to understand context
Quantitative usage data can show what people do, but qualitative research helps explain why.
Suitmedia used qualitative methods to understand how users thought about academic information and what made a mobile interaction feel clear or confusing.
This insight shaped the app’s structure and language. The objective was to create an experience that matched users’ mental models rather than forcing them to adopt the system’s internal logic.
4. Define the mobile feature set around essential tasks
The research informed the features and functions included in MySIX.
The mobile experience focused on information that users needed to access frequently or quickly, including class schedules, lecture notifications, payment updates, installment information, scholarship status, attendance, grades, and other academic details.
Prioritization was important. A mobile app should not expose every possible system function at the same level. It should make the most important actions easy to reach.
5. Design the app as an extension of SIX
MySIX was integrated with ITB’s existing web and internal systems.
This ensured that the mobile application could use established academic data while presenting it through a more accessible interface.
The integration also protected consistency. Students could trust that the information on the app reflected the university’s existing academic records rather than a separate manually maintained version.
6. Use a mobile-first information hierarchy
The interface was designed around the limited space and attention available on a mobile screen.
Important information needed to appear clearly, while secondary details could be accessed when needed. This created a more focused experience than simply compressing the web layout.
The hierarchy helped users answer common questions quickly: What do I need to do today? What is my next class? Has my payment been recorded? Is there a new academic notification?
7. Make schedules easier to check
Lecture schedules are among the most frequently used parts of an academic information system.
MySIX made schedule access more convenient through a mobile interface. Students could check their classes wherever they were instead of relying on desktop access.
This reduced uncertainty and helped users manage their time more effectively.
8. Deliver academic notifications more directly
Mobile notifications helped ITB communicate relevant academic updates in a more timely way.
Students did not need to remember to open the website repeatedly to check for changes. Important information could reach them through a channel they already used regularly.
Timely notifications also supported engagement. The app became a more active part of academic life rather than a system used only when users had a specific administrative task.
9. Improve access to attendance and grades
Attendance and grade information can affect how students understand their academic standing.
Making this information easier to access helped students monitor progress and identify issues earlier. They could review their status without waiting for a desktop session or asking an administrator for basic information.
The benefit was greater transparency. Students had more direct visibility into their academic experience.
10. Bring tuition payments and installment details into the mobile journey
MySIX provided access to lecture payment information and installment details.
This helped students manage financial obligations alongside their academic responsibilities. They could check relevant payment information through the same platform used for schedules and grades.
Integrating administrative and academic information reduced the need to switch between separate systems and made the student experience more complete.
11. Make scholarship status easier to follow
The application also provided access to scholarship-related status information.
This was important because financial aid can affect a student’s ability to plan and continue their education. Clearer visibility reduced uncertainty around the progress or current status of support.
The feature also aligned MySIX with ITB’s broader effort to improve access to financial aid information through integrated digital systems.
12. Create a consistent experience across internal systems
The application was designed to work with ITB’s existing internal systems rather than operating as an isolated mobile product.
This reduced the risk of conflicting data and created a more unified digital experience for the academic community.
Users could access mobile convenience without losing the reliability of the university’s established academic information infrastructure.
13. Use usability testing to refine the interface
After the initial design was developed, usability testing helped evaluate whether users could complete key tasks easily.
Testing helped identify areas where labels, navigation, or information presentation required improvement. A feature that seems obvious to a project team may still confuse a student seeing it for the first time.
This iterative process helped ensure that the final app was based on actual user response rather than internal assumptions.
14. Design for students and wider academic stakeholders
Although students were a primary audience, MySIX also needed to support lecturers and other internal users.
The platform needed to provide relevant access according to user roles without making the application feel generic or overloaded.
Role-aware design helped ensure that each user could find the information most relevant to their academic responsibilities.
15. Build for adoption across devices
The app was designed for mobile use across the platforms used by ITB’s academic community.
This helped remove the device and location limitations of the previous web-only model. Users could access information through the device most available to them.
Cross-device accessibility increased the chances that MySIX would become part of regular academic behavior.
16. Keep the experience simple enough for frequent use
Academic information apps are most valuable when they are used repeatedly. Students may open the app several times a week or several times a day.
The interface therefore needed to support quick, familiar interactions. Users should not have to navigate a complex process every time they wanted to check a schedule or notification.
Simplicity supported habit formation. The easier MySIX was to use, the more likely it was to become part of students’ daily routines.
17. Prepare the platform for future academic services
The mobile application created a foundation for additional features and improvements.
As ITB’s academic systems evolve, new information and services can be introduced through a familiar mobile environment.
This made MySIX more than a web-to-mobile conversion. It became a platform for continuing the university’s digital modernization.
Adoption showed that mobile access was solving a real academic need
1. MySIX downloads grew during the first three months
The application showed steady download activity after launch.
For Android, downloads were recorded at:
- December 2023: 3,092
- January 2024: 4,903
- February 2024: 3,827
For iOS, downloads were recorded at:
- December 2023: 2,204
- January 2024: 3,063
- February 2024: 2,478
The growth indicated that users were adopting the mobile application as a new way to access ITB’s academic information.
2. The application reached approximately 15,080 downloads
As of November 2024, MySIX had reached approximately 15,080 downloads.
This represented significant adoption for a university academic application. Users were actively choosing the mobile platform to manage information that had previously been accessed primarily through the web.
The result supported the underlying product decision: mobile access was not simply a modern feature; it addressed a real convenience need.
3. MySIX reached 37,000 active users
The application recorded approximately 37,000 active users as of November 2024.
This demonstrated that the platform was supporting more than initial downloads. Users were returning to access academic and administrative information.
Active use is particularly important for an academic app. It suggests that students and other stakeholders found ongoing value in features such as schedules, notifications, payments, attendance, grades, and scholarship status.
4. Students gained more control over academic information
MySIX allowed students to access important information whenever and wherever they needed it.
This improved autonomy. Students no longer needed to depend as heavily on desktop access or administrative assistance for routine information requests.
Greater access also supported faster decision-making. Users could respond to academic and financial information closer to the moment it became relevant.
5. Academic administration became more accessible
By bringing academic and financial information into a mobile interface, the app reduced the separation between learning and administration.
Students could check a schedule, review grades, confirm payments, or monitor scholarship status within one environment.
This made the university’s digital services feel more connected and reduced the effort required to move between different information sources.
6. Notifications improved responsiveness
The mobile platform created a more direct route for academic updates and notifications.
Timely information can help students avoid missed deadlines, schedule changes, or important administrative requirements.
The app therefore improved not only convenience but also the speed at which users could respond to university communication.
7. The platform supported both academic and financial planning
Students often need to consider academic choices alongside payment and scholarship information.
MySIX brought these areas closer together. Students could understand their academic schedule and progress while also accessing information about payments, installments, and financial aid.
This created a more complete student experience and reduced the fragmentation between academic and administrative responsibilities.
8. ITB reduced the friction of web-only access
The mobile application provided an alternative to navigating the academic information system through a desktop browser.
This was useful for students and lecturers who needed information while moving around campus, commuting, studying at home, or working away from a computer.
The improvement made access more flexible without requiring ITB to abandon its existing web system.
9. ITB gained a stronger platform for future digital services
The integration between MySIX and ITB’s existing systems created a foundation for additional mobile capabilities.
New features could be developed within a platform that users already understood and used regularly.
This improved the efficiency of future digital transformation. ITB could expand from a stronger base instead of creating a new application for each academic need.
10. User research improved the quality of adoption
The adoption results were supported by a design process grounded in focus groups and qualitative research.
Because the app was shaped around user needs, it was better positioned to make sense to the people expected to use it.
The lesson is important: adoption did not come from mobile technology alone. It came from matching the technology to real academic behaviors.
11. ITB reported strong satisfaction with the solution
ITB expressed satisfaction with the improved accessibility and the quality of the platform’s design.
The university highlighted Suitmedia’s responsive approach and well-designed UI/UX, as well as the collaborative discussions during feature development.
This feedback confirmed that the project addressed both functional and experience requirements.
12. The university endorsed Suitmedia’s contribution
ITB selected Suitmedia through a tender process based on its relevant portfolio and ability to address the university’s needs.
Following the project, ITB recommended Suitmedia for future internal initiatives and endorsed its services to other organizations.
This qualitative result supports the broader outcome: MySIX was not only delivered, but viewed as a valuable addition to ITB’s academic service infrastructure.
The deeper lesson: mobile academic systems should reduce the distance between information and action
1. Mobile access matters when information is time-sensitive
Schedules, notifications, grades, payments, and scholarship status can influence immediate decisions.
A mobile application puts that information closer to the moments when users need to act. Accessibility becomes valuable when it reduces delay.
2. The right mobile app extends existing systems rather than duplicating them
ITB did not need to replace SIX to improve access. MySIX created a mobile layer connected to the existing platform.
This reduced disruption and protected existing institutional investment while improving the experience around it.
3. Academic and administrative information belong in one student journey
Students experience schedules, grades, payments, and scholarships as connected parts of their university life.
Platforms should reflect that reality. Separating information by internal department can force students to manage complexity that the institution could manage for them.
4. User research should guide feature priorities
Students may not use every academic function equally. Research helps identify which information requires immediate access, which actions need simplification, and which notifications matter most.
This leads to a more focused application and a higher chance of adoption.
5. Active use is a stronger signal than downloads alone
Downloads show initial interest, but active users indicate ongoing usefulness.
For MySIX, the combination of approximately 15,080 downloads and 37,000 active users demonstrates the importance of measuring how people actually use an academic platform over time.
6. Notifications should support timely academic decisions
Academic alerts are useful when they help students respond to schedules, payments, deadlines, and other requirements.
The goal is not to send more messages. It is to deliver the right information early enough for users to act.
7. Mobile design must respect frequent, short interactions
Students may open the app briefly to check one piece of information.
A strong academic app supports these quick visits through clear hierarchy and predictable navigation. It does not force users through long journeys for simple answers.
8. Adoption creates a foundation for broader transformation
Once students and lecturers begin using a trusted mobile platform, the university can introduce additional services through a familiar channel.
The first app may focus on access, but its long-term value lies in creating a reusable relationship between the academic community and the institution.
Strategic Insights for the C-Suite
- Use mobile to bring time-sensitive academic information closer to decisions. Schedules, grades, payments, and scholarship status are more useful when students can access them wherever they are.
- Extend established systems rather than replacing them unnecessarily. A mobile layer connected to the existing academic platform can improve access while protecting institutional investment and reducing disruption.
- Design academic platforms around the student’s complete reality. Learning, attendance, grades, payments, and financial aid are connected in students’ lives. Digital services should reflect that connection.
- Prioritize features through research, not assumption. Focus groups and qualitative methods reveal which information students need most and how they expect to use it. Better prioritization improves adoption.
- Measure sustained use, not only launch activity. Downloads show reach, but active users show recurring value. Academic platforms should be evaluated by whether they become part of daily student and lecturer workflows.
