Study abroad counselling student and counsellor experience

Hi Amartya, 👋

Thanks again for sharing your updated project. I appreciate the effort you've put into expanding the scope and refining the visuals. Below is a consolidated review with specific observations and suggestions based on the most recent screens:

Red Accent Overuse

The bright red accent continues to dominate interface elements like selected sidebar items, badges, status bullets, and action buttons. While it ties to the university’s branding, its current usage creates semantic confusion, red is typically associated with errors, alerts, or destructive actions. Using it as a general highlight or positive action colour dilutes that meaning and may even create unnecessary tension.

Suggestion:

Introduce a secondary highlight colour (e.g., navy, charcoal, or a deep neutral) for active/selected states. Red should be reserved strictly for critical alerts or destructive actions to maintain clarity and emotional consistency across the UI.

Sidebar Contrast & Accessibility

The current red sidebar with white text is nearing the minimum WCAG AA contrast ratio. Smaller fonts and light weights make this more pronounced. On devices with dark mode enabled or through browser extensions, this could further impair readability.

Suggestion:

Lighten the background red slightly or increase text weight and size for better contrast. You could also use an off-white or warm neutral tone for better legibility without straying too far from the brand palette.

Icon Library Consistency

Icons across the platform appear to come from different sets, with variations in stroke width, corner radius, and size. For example, the logout icon and the KPI card icons don't feel visually cohesive, which affects the interface’s polish.

Suggestion:

Choose one icon library (such as Feather, Material Symbols, or Lucide) and use it consistently. Align on stroke weight, visual balance, and padding to build a more harmonious UI system.

Filter Integration

The date filter has been added to multiple views, but it still lacks context and appears disconnected from the components it filters. Without a clear label or visual grouping, users may not understand its purpose.

Suggestion:

Integrate the date filter into the card or table it controls, and add a clear label like “Date Range” or “Filter by Month.” This small change would improve usability and cohesion across your dashboard components.

(more in comments)

This is a well-thought-out and impressive project. I really appreciate the effort and creativity that went into it. Great job!