About the project
Details
My Responsibilities:
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, considering accessibility, and iterating on designs.
My Role: UX Designer, designing a responsive website for the Google UX Design Certificate Program from conception to delivery.
Date: June - July 2023
Education is a fundamental human right that works to raise people out of poverty, level inequalities, and ensure sustainable development. Free Academy is a website that provides free, high-quality education for all students. This personalised learning resource provides qualified lectures from professional teachers.
FreeAcademy
Although education is a universal human right, children living in poverty and with disabilities face many barriers to proper education. According to Unicef, over 600 million children and adolescents worldwide cannot attain minimum proficiency levels in reading, writing and mathematics, even though two-thirds of them are in school. Even in schools, a lack of trained teachers, inadequate education materials and poor infrastructure make learning difficult for many students.
The Problem
The Goal
Design a responsive website that will be a digital learning platform for children ages 4 to 16. Those learning resources will provide recorded lectures and a weekly review section carried out by various tests to document the students' improvement and knowledge so they can fulfil their dreams and go ahead in their careers.
User Research: Summary
I used the Department for Education’s data on barriers to accessing a high-quality education to develop interview questions, then used to conduct user interviews. Most interview participants reported feeling discomfort about their reading and writing skills. The feedback received through research made it very clear that users would be open and willing to study through a personalized learning dashboard at their own pace in and outside the online classroom if they had access to an easy-to-use tool to help.
Pain Points
Users feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of available courses and struggle to find ones that align with their interests and goals.
Users have difficulty tracking their progress, understanding where they stand in the course, and identifying areas that require improvement.
According to users, maintaining motivation and engagement in a virtual learning environment is a struggle, especially with limited interaction with instructors and peers.
Persona: Anika
The Problem Statement:
Anika is a year six student who needs help and more resources on her homework because she wants to pass the class with a good score.
Ideation
With problems and issues apparent in the other online learning platforms, I had to look for solutions. Because of the time limit, I did a quick ideation exercise using the Crazy Eights method to develop various ideas. I mainly focused on accessing high-quality academic resources and an easy learning experience.
Digital Wireframes
After drafting paper wireframes, I made sure to base screen designs on feedback and findings from the user research.
Low-fidelity Prototype
Using the completed set of digital wireframes, I created a low-fidelity prototype. The primary user flow I connected with was searching and studying a subject to use the prototype in a usability study.
Usability Study: Findings
Conducting a usability study is a crucial step in understanding how users interact with the system and identifying areas for improvement. First, I clearly outlined the objectives of the unmoderated usability study, including common areas such as navigation, course interaction, content accessibility, and user satisfaction. Then, I recruited 8 participants representing the platform's target user base and aimed for a mix of skill levels, including beginners and experienced users.
Users want to access subjects that they want to learn quickly.
Users want more customisation options.
The “Track your progress” functionality is confusing. Users find it challenging to track their progress within a course.
Users desire more interactive elements, such as quizzes, discussion boards, or real-time feedback, to enhance engagement and learning retention.
Users with disabilities struggle with accessibility features like screen readers and keyboard navigation.
Solution
01
Mainly focused on creating high-quality academic resources and an easy learning experience.
Implemented a powerful search feature allowing learners to find courses, resources, and specific content quickly.
Included filters to refine search results by topic, level, and format.
Solution
02
Easy navigation was a key. Users were addressed in the design, and the website was equipped to work with assistive technologies.
Implemented a clear and consistent navigation structure with well-labelled menus and categories.
Solution
03
Provide a user-friendly dashboard where learners can easily access their courses, assignments, and progress.
Offer personalised learning paths based on learners' interests, goals, and previous interactions with the platform.
Use algorithms to recommend courses and resources tailored to each learner's profile.
Do you have a project you need help with, or say hi 👋 Shoot me a line and let's talk.