To comply with my NDA, I have omitted confidential information and assets.
The Challenge:
The client needed a better way for users to search for and access their educational resources. They were using a learning management system to house their resources. However, this platform was not intuitive and lacked the features, resulting in a frustrating user experience.
My Role:
Product Designer
The Team:
Me, Program Design, Technology
Tools:
Figma
Skills:
User research, interaction, visual design, design thinking, prototyping
Understanding users and their motivations is an important part of the design journey. In addition to analyzing existing user feedback, I designed and distributed surveys to gain some insight about users’ pain points with our existing platforms.
Users LOVED the resources but they HATED how much time they spent trying to find them. The most common frustration was navigating our platforms and accessing our resources.
(As a former educator, I could really empathize with this. Time is a finite resource for all of us, but teachers especially.)
As a leader, inclusivity is a priority for me, ensuring that everyone's perspective is valued. In my experience, the most effective solutions often arise when those closest to the work are actively involved.
Creating a collaborative environment that encourages ambitious thinking is a critical component of this. While acknowledging the existence of business or technological constraints, it's important to establish a space where creativity can flourish, generating multiple ideas.
To incorporate these principles, I facilitated design sessions with our design and technology teams, focusing on prioritizing user needs and exploring potential solutions. We collectively determined the need for a resource library platform that allowed users to search, favorite, and download resources.
Expanding on the team's shared vision, I created a clickable prototype using Figma to visually demonstrate how these features could function in real-time.
Throughout the prototype development, I maintained a focus on addressing both the business requirements and the end user's needs.
Considering the substantial investment associated with building or buying a new platform, I recognized the importance of validating the concept with users. Creating a prototype serves not only to gather user feedback but also to gain valuable insights into the feasibility of actual implementation.
Users’ primary frustration with the client's platforms centered around the challenge of finding resources.
Within this prototype, educators could search for resources through different methods – by using keywords, specifying grade levels, subjects, or resource types. This approach caters to both educators with specific search criteria and those seeking inspiration through browsing.
Additionally, educators could download resources directly or mark them as favorites for future reference. This functionality adds flexibility and convenience to their experience.
After clicking on a specific resource, users would see a brief summary about the resource, and view related resources. They also had the option to both read existing reviews or contribute their own.
This feature aligns seamlessly with the client’s broader objective – fostering an online community. Additionally, the review functionality serves a dual purpose by actively collecting valuable feedback for future resource iteration. It not only promotes engagement within the user community but also contributes to the ongoing enhancement and refinement of the client's resources based on user insights.
One feature I envisioned was a user-friendly dashboard with quick access to users' favorite resources. Drawing from my own experience as a former educator, I recognized the common challenge of recalling where I initially discovered specific resources.
Regrettably, due to shifting business priorities, this project was put on hold – a familiar occurrence in my professional journey. While I occasionally feel disappointed about not seeing a project through to completion, I remain appreciative of the valuable experiences gained.
Had the project progressed, my next steps would have involved conducting usability tests with users to validate the design's effectiveness in addressing their pain points. Additionally, collaboration with the technology team would have been essential to develop the resource library.