Our CARE Agenda programs echo Queen Mary’s Strategy 2030’s ambition to become “the most inclusive university of its kind, anywhere”, expanding access to higher education for learners who may not otherwise have the opportunity. In Digital Education Studio, this means creating world-class online learning experiences that accommodate full-time clinical and caring commitments, reinforcing our position as digital education leaders.
The growing demand for online learning is clear. According to Student Digital Experience Insights Survey 2024/25 (JISC, 2025), nearly half of students now prefer online or blended formats, citing flexibility and reduced travel costs. Many juggle work and study, with 68% take on paid work during term time, and 27% study while on the job. As competition intensifies in the digital learning space, the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry’s (FMD) reputation for quality and innovation matters more than ever.
Excellence must be visible. That’s why we’ve teamed up across FMD to reimagine the FMD Online Course Finder, a user-focused tool that helps prospective online learners quickly discover, compare, and explore Queen Mary’s online medical and dental programs, making high-quality options clear, accessible, and easy to navigate. This has made it easier than ever for prospective learners to find and engage with our expanding portfolio of premium online programs. The design and development of the FMD Online Study website project was grounded in a user-centred design approach using the Double Diamond framework. This ensured that the Course Finder was visually refined and strategically aligned with learner needs, institutional priorities, and the realities of studying online alongside.
Course finder
The Double Diamond
Discover: Understanding learners and their context
The process began by widening our understanding of how prospective online learners currently experience the FMD website. A preliminary UX audit examined existing Online Study and course-related pages, identifying friction points that made it difficult for users to quickly understand what was available to them. Issues such as unclear pathways to online provision, inconsistent labelling, and the unavailability of a dedicated FMD online course finder page, risked obscuring the faculty’s strengths at the very moment learners were making high-stakes decisions.
This evaluation was complemented by the development of scenarios representing FMD’s priority audiences. These scenarios helped surface key motivations and clarity alongside constraints such as limited time, cognitive load, and competing responsibilities. Competitive analysis of comparable institutions further reinforced the expectation that high-quality online programmes should be easy to find, clearly explained, and confident in their presentation.
Define: Sharpening the challenge
Insights from the discovery phase were synthesised to define a clear design challenge. While FMD offers a growing portfolio of high-quality online programmes, prospective learners struggled to locate, compare, and evaluate these options within the existing site structure. This disconnect posed a risk to engagement and recruitment in an increasingly competitive online learning market.
Collaboration across the Digital Education Studio, FMD marketing, the Technology Enhanced Learning Team, and web stakeholders helped refine the project scope. The focus centred on reimagining the Course Finder and Online Study pages as a clear gateway to FMD’s online offer. Success was defined by reducing friction and enabling learners to quickly answer essential questions and next steps
Develop: Exploring solutions collaboratively
With the problem clearly defined, we moved into exploration and iteration. User flows were mapped to reflect realistic routes through the site, highlighting critical decision points where users needed reassurance or clarity. Information architecture and navigation were refined to surface online programmes earlier and more consistently, reducing reliance on insider knowledge or trial-and-error browsing.
Low- and mid-fidelity wireframes created in Figma, allowed the team to test content hierarchy, filtering logic, and layout patterns before committing to final designs. Emphasis was placed on scannability, consistent language, and filters aligned to how learners when searching for online courses. Regular stakeholder reviews ensured that emerging solutions balanced user needs with technical feasibility and institutional requirements.
Deliver: Making excellence visible
The final phase focused on refinement and delivery. High-fidelity designs translated research insights into a clear and confident Course Finder aligned with Queen Mary’s brand. Content was streamlined and standardised to support comparison and reduce uncertainty around online study.
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Usability testing and quality assurance supported final improvements, ensuring accessibility across devices and clarity for diverse audiences. The result is a Course Finder that reflects FMD’s commitment to inclusive, high-quality education, making it easier for learners to see themselves at Queen Mary and take the next step. As the redesigned Online Course Finder has only recently launched, quantitative impact is still being gathered, but early feedback indicates improved clarity, navigation and visibility of FMD’s online offer, making it easier for learners to discover and compare courses. The project has also strengthened cross-team working and established shared UX standards now being reused across other initiatives. Next steps will focus on analytics review and UX audits to inform iterative improvements, with the Course Finder providing a scalable foundation for future programme growth and enhanced discovery features.
References
Jisc (2025) Student digital experience insights survey 2024/25: UK higher education survey findings. Bristol: Jisc. Available at: https://repository.jisc.ac.uk/10242/1/DEI-2025-student-he-report.pdf (Accessed: 5 February 2026).
Design Council (2019) The Double Diamond: A framework for innovation. London: Design Council. Available at: https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/our-resources/the-double-diamond/ (Accessed: 5 February 2026).
Design Council (2019) Framework for innovation: The Double Diamond. London: Design Council. Available at: https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/our-resources/framework-for-innovation/ (Accessed: 5 February 2026).
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) (2023) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 overview. Available at: https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/ (Accessed: 5 February 2026).
Queen Mary University of London (2025) Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry online study: Course finder. Available at: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/fmd/study/online-study/ (Accessed: 5 February 2026).