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As we received feedback from our peers, user tests, and instructors, we drastically changed the flow of our website by suggesting more of a two-step process. The first page is for searching for schools. The second page is a combination of selecting schools, planning an itinerary, and reviewing the itinerary. We made this decision because we realized that those three tasks are very much intertwined with each other, and it would be very inefficient for the user to have to switch back and forth between two pages.
Searching for schools:
We want to make it as easy as possible for the user to get started. The user can click "Find Schools" immediately, and be taken to the results. However, we'd also like to give the user control over what type of schools to search for. Usually, users have a general idea of what sort of schools they are looking for - for example, they may be looking for schools that will best match the user's test scores and GPA. We realize that the home page is where all new users will first land, so we want to make sure that they can get started immediately. This is why we put the 'Find Schools' button at the very top, in plain view.
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