This is the single sheet a tester reads before a session. It tells you who you are for this run, the test account you use, the college you are testing, and the tasks to work in order. You stay in character, attempt each task the way that student would, and record what happens. One run is one persona at one college.
Your college rep gives you one persona, the test login created for that persona at your college, and your path. Fill in the card below and read your persona so you can stay in character.
Each task is a felt need, never a place to go. Start the way a student would, usually a search on the college website, and find your own way. Do not use insider knowledge.
For every task, capture the path you took, time and clicks, where you landed, and a severity score. Log one record per task in the capture form.
The test login is a real account created for each persona at your college (coordinate with IT). No real student data is used. Use your college’s own service names throughout.
First-gen · Workforce / Nursing or a CTE path · works ~25 hrs/wk. Lives with family, no car some days, Spanish at home, navigates English jargon slowly.
Highest stakes: application, MEID and login, financial aid (FAFSA, missing docs), placement, bilingual navigation, transportation, food security.
Built-in barriers: does not know the words “prerequisite” or “bursar”; FAFSA flagged for verification; placed into developmental math; gets a financial-aid hold.
Returning adult, working full-time, two kids · Business AA, transfer-bound · swirls. Has old credits, needs evening or online classes, no patience for systems that waste time.
Highest stakes: transfer-credit evaluation, advising vs self-enroll, enrolling at a second college (swirl), aid consortium, registration conflicts, payment plan, career and transfer.
Built-in barriers: old transcripts not evaluated; self-enrolls into the wrong courses; prerequisite block; only free time is 9pm; swirl barriers (second application, residency re-proof).
Direct from high school, undecided · Exploratory / Digital Media · uses they/them · swirls. Digitally fluent but institutionally naive, assumes everything works like an app.
Highest stakes: onboarding and orientation, “what do I do first,” advising while undecided, Canvas basics, belonging, disability accommodations, mental health.
Built-in barriers: skips orientation and misses steps; does not know who their advisor is; cannot tell counseling from advising; needs Disability Resources but does not know the term.
| # | For | The task (the felt need you read as the student) | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage A · Decide & apply | |||
| 1 | All | You have decided to go to college here. Become an official, registered student. | Applied, MEID created, admitted, program or major chosen. |
| 2 | All | You cannot pay for this out of pocket. Figure out how to get money to cover it. | Found an aid path; started FAFSA or a scholarship; knows the school code and deadline. |
| 3 | All | Prove you belong in Arizona and sort out what you will be charged. | Residency and tuition status resolved, or knows how. |
| Stage B · Get ready to start | |||
| 4 | All | You need classes. Decide how you will figure out what to take, ask someone or do it yourself. | Registered in the correct courses for the program. |
| 4a | Degree · Explore | There may be a required first-semester step or course for new students. Find out if it applies to you. | Completed, or confirmed not required, the orientation or FYE step. |
| 4b | Cert | You are in a certificate or workforce program. Get into your program’s specific sequence. | Enrolled in the certificate sequence. |
| 4c | Self-advise | You chose to register on your own. Try it without help first; escalate only if blocked. | Attempted self-registration; escalated only when blocked. |
| 5 | All | You are not sure where you place in math and English. Get that sorted before you register. | Placement completed or understood. |
| 6 | All | There is a charge on your account. Pay it, or set up a way to pay over time. | Paid, or a payment plan set up. |
| 7 | All | You cannot log in to everything yet, and you have no student email or ID. | Email working, can log in, has or ordered a student ID. |
| 7b | All | You need to print an assignment, get on the campus wi-fi, or use a campus computer. | Printed, connected, or logged in, or found tech help. |
| 8 | All | It is almost your first day. Figure out where to go, where to park, and how to get there. | Knows first-day logistics, parking or transit, campus map. |
| Swirl · enroll at a second college (Personas B and C) | |||
| S1 | Swirl B·C | A class you need is not offered at your home college this term, but another college offers it. Enroll there. | Admitted or registered at the second college for that course. |
| S2 | Swirl B·C | Make sure your financial aid will still pay for a class you take at the other college. | Understood or started a consortium agreement or aid arrangement. |
| S3 | Swirl B·C | Make sure the class at the other college actually counts toward your degree. | Confirmed the course applies, or learned how to petition it. |
| S4 | Swirl B·C | You are now in a second college’s systems, with office names you have never seen. Find help. | Found help at the second college despite unfamiliar local names. |
| Stage C · Live in the semester (Canvas) | |||
| 9 | All | Get into your online class space and find your classes, the syllabus, and the first due date. | Logged into Canvas; located the course, syllabus, and first due date. |
| 10 | All | Turn in an assignment and take a quiz online, then check your grade. | Submitted work and a quiz; found the grade in Canvas. |
| 11 | All | You have a question for your instructor. Reach them the way you are supposed to. | Contacted the instructor through the correct channel. |
| 12 | All | A class you signed up for is not showing up online, or you think you got dropped. Sort it out. | Resolved the missing course, or knows who fixes it. |
| 13 | All | You need your textbooks and course materials without overspending. | Obtained or rented materials; knows about the book advance. |
| Stage D · When things get hard | |||
| 14 | All | It is week four and you are sinking in math. Do something about it. | Found and started help (tutoring, instructor, counseling, or drop). |
| 15 | All | You are out of money for food or rent this month. You need help now. | Found food or emergency support, or a referral. |
| 16 | All | You are overwhelmed and your mental health is slipping. Find support. | Reached counseling, wellness, or a crisis resource. |
| 17 | All | You have a condition that affects your learning and you need adjustments. | Found and started the disability accommodations process. |
| 18 | All | Something happened that does not feel right or safe, and you need someone. | Found the CARE, conduct, Title IX, or safety path. |
| 19 | All | This class is not working. You want out, but you do not want to wreck your aid. | Understood add, drop, and withdraw, and the aid impact. |
| Stage E · Belong & grow | |||
| 20 | All | You want to find your people, a club, team, or activity that fits you. | Found a club, activity, or event to join. |
| 21 | All | You need money coming in. Find a campus job or work-study. | Found a campus job or work-study path. |
| 22a | Degree · Explore | Figure out your next step, transferring to a university for a bachelor’s, and a job in your field. | Reached transfer and career services; explored options. |
| 22b | Cert | Figure out how this certificate gets you to a job, licensure, or the next credential. | Reached career services, a licensure, or an employer path. |
| 23 | All | You want real-world experience before you finish. Find an internship or practicum. | Found an internship or practicum pathway. |
| Stage F · Finish & leave | |||
| 24 | All | You think you are almost done. Make sure you actually qualify, and apply to finish. | Ran a degree or certificate audit and submitted the completion application. |
| 25 | All | Your university or employer needs proof of what you did. Get your transcript to them. | Ordered an official transcript to a destination. |
| 26 | All | You are about to lose your school account. Before it is cut off, save your email, files, and coursework. | Exported or saved student email, Drive files, and Canvas or portfolio work. |
If a service does not exist at your college, that is a finding too. Record “not offered here” and move on. Screenshot dead ends, confusing pages, and error messages.