UCI Designathon
2025
Creating a VISA Management App
Overview
Why the U.S. VISA process?
The U.S. visa process is confusing, slow, and often frightening for the people going through it. With rising concerns about visa revocations over minor errors and unclear bureaucratic requirements, many applicants feel overwhelmed and unsupported. This project set out to design an app that simplifies visa applications and renewals through clear step-by-step guidance, real-time status updates, and accessible resources, reducing anxiety in a process that offers very little transparency today.
Problem
People navigating U.S. immigration face a system that's difficult to understand and easy to get wrong. Our research surfaced four consistent pain points:
Confusion & lack of transparency — complex terminology and unclear instructions leave users unsure what's actually required
Stress & uncertainty — long, opaque processing times make it hard to know where an application even stands
Limited access to help — timely assistance is hard to find when something goes wrong
Fear of revocation — many worry a minor, unclear mistake could put their status at risk
These aren't simply usability gaps, as they can become a source of real, ongoing anxiety for the people affected.
Research
Understanding our user research and findings
We gathered insight from international students, families with immigrants, and U.S. citizens through surveys, interviews, and reporting on recent visa-related news.
100% of respondents agreed the current process is difficult to navigate, citing bureaucratic language, excessive paperwork, and a lack of transparency
75% of citizen respondents personally knew someone on a visa or green card show that this issue touches a wide network of people
Awareness of existing support systems was very low, with most respondents rating their own knowledge at the bottom of the scale
Every participant believed a secure, tech-based solution could meaningfully ease the burden of managing immigration status
This told us the opportunity wasn't just to organize information better but in addition, to build trust and reduce fear through transparency.
