University administrative messages can be easy to read. You may still be unsure what applies to you, what to do first, or who to ask.

Confident Next Steps started from a real attendance warning I received. I could read the email, but I was not sure what I was expected to do. This made me look beyond language.

For the research, I used recreated scenarios instead of real student emails. I worked with nine international postgraduate students through two rounds of testing and one final check. Participants compared university-style messages with different versions of the prototype. I used sorting activities, observation and Figma prototypes to see what helped, what caused confusion and what I needed to change.

The final concept responds to different situations in different ways. For a clear case, it shows the next action first. Sometimes the route depends on one detail, so it asks a short question. If more information is needed, it explains what is unclear and points the student to the relevant university service. Students can also prepare what they want to ask before contacting staff.