REDESIGNING BLACKBOARD
A menace to all Srishti students
What is blackboard?
Blackboard LMS is an online platform designed for course management, communication, and collaboration in educational settings. The platform aims to facilitate a digital learning environment.
market segment
Ed-Tech Segment
product type
e-learning platform
personal statement
Deciding to revamp Blackboard LMS comes from the daily struggles we face in college while using it. We chose this product because of the close connection we had with it, thus helping us redisign the product better.
my role
UX Head | Planning | Organising | Teaching
tools
Figma, Notion, Pen & Paper
problem
Complicated flow
Bland UI
Bad integration of tools
methods used
Heuristic Analysis
Geurilla Usability Testing
SWOT Analysis
Competitor Analysis
Affinity Mapping
1
2
Understand
Research
3
4
5
Analyse
Sketch
The redesign
1
UNDERSTAND
Understanding the problem
Knowing the organisation’s objectives
2
RESEARCH
Conduct user research
Learning about target users & user problems
3
ANALYSE
Do affinity mapping
Empathy mapping
Creating User Personas
4
SKETCH
Creating paper representation
of solution
5
THE REDESIGN
Create High Fidelity Wireframes
In this UX case study focused on Blackboard, we aim to transform the platform into a user-centric and streamlined experience.
To achieve this, we will simplify content flow and navigation, ensuring users can effortlessly reach their goals.This includes adhering to an efficient information hierarchy. We'll strike a harmonious balance between aesthetics and functionality, keeping in mind that every element added serves a vital purpose.
Our overarching goal is to streamline user workflows, delivering a more intuitive interface that caters to users' needs, ultimately elevating the overall user experience.
Team Goal
- Lead a team of four juniors in redesigning Blackboard LMS for improved user experience.
- Emphasize user simplicity and efficiency in the redesign process.
- Foster a collaborative and creative team environment for optimal results.
- Prioritize skill development among team members.
- Ensure each team member contributes their unique strengths to the project.
- Commit to refining leadership skills throughout the project.
Personal Goal
: as the Head of UX
Understanding the problem
SWOT Analysis
I chose to do a SWOT analysis as it enhances UX design by identifying team strengths and weaknesses, aligning design with opportunities in the market, and proactively addressing threats like competition, enabling a more effective design process.
Flow picked:
The Submission flow
This flow was one that was used by everyone regardless of their major. It also had the most pain points (from a designer's perspective).
We then conducted a heuristic & competitor analysis
The heuristics helped us in evaluating the effectiveness, efficiency, and overall usability of the submission flow on Blackboard
We gained valuable insights into what works and what doesn't in other similar service providers. We conducted the competitor analysis on 3 websites:
Google Classroom
Manage-
Bac
Moodle
KEY INSIGHTS
What could be done/ What is needed ?
- Comprehensive Course Information
- Well-Organized and Aesthetically
- Customized Interface
- Effective Communication and Interaction
- Dedicated Assessment Area
- Task and Deadline Management
- Efficient Scheduling and Countdowns
-Flexible Submission Options
PROBLEMATIC AREAS
- Inconsistent User Experience
- Limited User Guidance
- Navigation and Accessibility Issues
- Real-world Alignment and Efficiency
Understanding our users
Since we were redesigning blackboard in a Srishti (college) context. All our users had to be students in college.
Guerrilla Usability Testing
We conducted
To understand how different types of users interacted with the submission flow.
The types of users included:
- The Novice : A first time user
- The Foundie : A user who has just started their journey with Blackboard
- The Seasoned User : A user who has been using it for a considerable amount of time.
PROBING QUESTIONS
-
What do you major in/ what do you study?
-
How long have you been using blackboard?
-
Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 on your comfortability using BB
-
Have you used any submission portal before? how was the experience?
-
Did the submission flow feel intuitive?
-
What difficulties did you face while performing the task? Were you confused at some point?
-
Were there any specific elements or features of the submission flow that stood out to you, positively or negatively?
-
Did you have to search for a specific feature? if yes what?
-
Do you want more information on your submission?
-
Do you know of there is any difference between journals and blogs?
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How do you keep yourself updated on bb? and manage your assignments?
-
Have you had any unpleasant submission experiences? if yes, what?
-
How do you usually attach files on bb or anywhere else? (drag and drop or attach)
-
Final thoughts/ suggestions/ recommendations?
28
USER INTERVIEWS
WHAT WE OBSERVED
-
The sequence in which the user interacts with the screen. (Where they click first)
-
Where the user makes mistakes(Goes off course of task)
-
How the user gets back to the stage where they left off
-
What are the questions they ask
-
Where they spend the most time to figure out what they have to do.
WHY
-
How user’s behave in the flow chosen.
-
The pain points.
-
What are the questions and doubts that arise in the user’s mind when using that particular flow?
-
What the user thinks could be better?
-
How would each user ideally use this app.
-
If the user wouldn’t use this app ( with regards to flow chosen), what would make it more attractive to them?
Neha
the foundie
Has just joined Srishti and is excited to embark on her educational journey. She is starting with her classes soon and has to navigate BB for the first time.
Needs: They don’t need external help or guidance to navigate the website.
Pain point: The navigation was not intuitive at all.
Goals: To submit all assignments on time.
Sakshi
the seasoned user
She has been using BB for 3 years and has gotten used to its working; it’s become a habit for her and finds comfort in it. She hates the way the website looks.
Needs: The option of setting timer in journal or blog and it would pop up as a reminder like FIGMA
Pain point: Larger file size, has a problem during exams.
Goals: Submitting large assignments for thesis and pre-thesis.
Needs: A more organised course and assignment list.
Pain point: No deadlines visible and misses out on assignments because he never realises a submission is due.
Farhan
the novice
Has been at Srishti for half a year and has just started to get comfortable in his new environment, he found it overwhelming at first but finds himself becoming proficient in his BB usage each time he uses it.
However he doesn’t particularly like using it. He also finds it hard to keep track of deadlines as he is relatively new to having multiple assignments
Goals: Understanding the software and utilizing its multiple features
User personas
the usability testing helped us gain insights on on the different types of our users, thus helping us categorise them into
Key pain points
the usability testing helped us gain insights on how our users interacted with the flow, we then used these insights by categorising them, performing an affinity mapping exercised and then creating a user flow. This helped us validate the problems we identified in the affinity mapping.
old flow - 8 steps
Log in -----> Select Course ------>Go to tools ------->Select 'Blog'------> Pick particular blog ------>Click 'Create Blog' -------------------> Fills form accordingly -------Submits
new flow - 4 steps
Log in -----> Select Course -------> Select Task ------>Fills form accordingly -------> Submits
or
Log in -----> Select Task ------>Fills form accordingly -------> Submits
Sketching
Middle Fidelity Screens
Keep track of deadlines
Upcoming submissions are placed at the top of the screen to help users keep track of upcoming deadlines and provides them with a shortcut to submitting their assignments.
All the course are displayed in blocks for ease of location, they are also categorised by Semester.
All your tasks displayed in the same place regardless of type.
Active tasks are categorised using symbols, They also give you information on submission deadlines
No more searching
Quickly attach files
More importance is given to the attachment option therefore alloting it more space than the body text.
Submit & Re-Submit
- Make changes until the deadline
- You can submit once after the deadline passes to turn in late assignments.
-
Search for what you are looking for directly with a smart search bar.
Get notified of approaching deadlines, comments on assignments, taskes being created & other course related announcements
Search for what you are looking for directly with a smart search bar.
Get notified about approaching deadlines, task creation, comments on assignments, messages & other course related assignments.
Interface design
An online platform designed for course management, communication, and collaboration in educational settings at a college level (in this case). The platform aims to facilitate a digital learning environment therefore needed to be something that looked professional.
A monotone colour scheme with tones of blue was chosen to emphasize this feeling. User's didn't want to feel like they were in school, a clean and minimalistic interface was used to channel this experience.
#F7BC45
Lincoln Green
#C3DCDC
Light Blue
#1B3936
Dark Slate Grey
#F6F9F9
Seasalt
What would I have done different?
Upon reflection, this is one of the only projects that I have truly worked on with a participative team. Furthermore, I was presented with the opportunity of heading this team as well, which consequently made most of my learnings that of communication and working with various perspectives, opinions and people.
However, I would have liked to have been able to redesign more of Blackboard instead of only picking one flow, hence helping my team understand how these processes could feed into each other. Time was also something I would have liked more of to conduct conduct a usability test to understand whether we succeeded in solving issues that we were hoping to solve.