Melina Sandel
Huntington, NY
Advisor: Christine Vasington
Artist Bio
Melina Sandel, a Digital Media & Design senior at the University of Connecticut, is passionate about UI/UX design and user research. Originally from Long Island, New York, she discovered her love for design early on when her mother entered her into a photography competition in second grade. A year later, she was introduced to Adobe Photoshop, sparking a fascination with digital tools that led her to explore UX/UI design in high school. Melina’s inquisitive nature drives her interest in user research, blending creativity with problem-solving. As an Interaction Design Intern at Allegion, she redesigned the user interface of a developer portal, created illustrations for technical documentation, and standardized CSS to improve the development handoff process. After graduating in December 2024, she will continue as a UI Designer at Allegion. In her free time, Melina enjoys reading celebrity memoirs, solving Rubik’s Cubes, and spending time with family.
Artist Statement
For my senior project, I conducted a comprehensive case study on the UConn Student Administration System, known as “Student Admin” by the UConn community. This platform is essential for students and parents, providing resources to schedule classes, pay fee bills, and apply for graduation. Through this project, I aimed to improve its user experience by identifying and addressing key pain points. Throughout my academic journey, I encountered challenges with Student Admin and realized I wasn’t alone—many of my peers shared similar frustrations. This inspired me to take on the project, leveraging the entire student body as a research base to inform my design decisions. With a strong background in user interface design, I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone to focus on user experience research. Over the course of a semester, I conducted extensive research, including card sorting, user interviews, and usability testing, ensuring that every design choice was backed by data. Under the guidance of my senior project advisor, Christine Vasington, I developed high-fidelity prototypes in Figma that reflect the insights gathered. This project has deepened my understanding of UX research and reinforced my belief in the importance of user-centered design. I hope my work contributes to a more intuitive and accessible experience for future UConn students.
