Blackboard
UX + UI (web and mobile) + Graphics
About the Project:
This is a quick user interface (UI) exercise, based on the educational technology web platform known as Blackboard. Designs were based on the current website, collected user feedback from teachers and students, and personal experience. Below are conceptual website redesign concepts along with a possible future Mobile App concept.
My Role:
This project was a exercise that was self-motivated due to my frustrations using this platform during college. I personally noticed a lot of teacher to student disconnect even thought the tool is suppose to help users have a more seamless online learning experience. I took it upon myself to create new user friendly and customizable interfaces.
Discovery Process
During the first phase, although I had used Blackboard in the past during my college career, I further examined the current website homepage and started to make notations of things I noticed after careful examination of the site. Looked carefully at terminology and iconography that may seem confusing to a first time user. Still within the discovery phase, I asked close friends about their Blackboard experiences and aquired some initial user feedback.
User Feedback
Collecting user feedback for an existing product is a very important process when redesigning a tool. Discovering and organizing pain points help to drive home what part of the tool needs to be updated for a more simplified usability.
“What is the difference between the ‘To Do’ box and the ‘My Tasks’ box?”
“Uploading class content is more complicated than it should be.”
“Class content placement is not consistent between my classes. One professor puts all of our assignments within the ‘assignment folder’ and others put assignments in ‘course content folders’.”
Concept Development
After collecting and prioritizing user feedback suggestions and pain points, overall both students and teachers wanted the ability to customize their class homepage. Students also wanted the ability to message other students in the course to clarify an assignment or work on a group project.
Please flip through the various concepts using the arrows on the left and right sides of the image.
Mobile App Concept
Now users (students) can learn on-the-go with the new Blackboard Mobile App. Students now have a for a more simplified way to view assignments and jump between class projects.
Concept was designed using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
