Projet Overview
What is Moodle?
Moodle is a free, open-source learning management system used in schools, universities, workplaces, and other online learning programs.
Monash University utilizes Moodle to provide access to online materials for all courses. Students can use the platform to access and retrieve weekly course materials and information, find links to online classes, participate in and read posts on class forums, and submit assignments.
Why is a redesign necessary?
As the designated teaching and management platform for many Australian universities, Moodle plays a crucial role in the productivity of nearly 90,000 students and staff at Monash University. However, the 3.9 version of Monash Moodle has been in use for many years, and its interaction design and functional architecture have failed to keep up with the evolving needs of users, resulting in a lagging user experience.
Focus of the Redesign
Consulting with teachers for feedback on assignments and collaborating with group members on projects are among the most crucial aspects of academic life. However, due to the lack of certain functionalities in Monash Moodle, both students and teachers have been forced to turn to external software for assignment-related communication.
Different teachers often require students to use various platforms. For example, in the "Master of Design" course, different instructors have mandated the use of five different external tools (such as email, Google Docs, and Slack) for assignment communication. This has compelled students to manage their work across multiple platforms, which not only increases the number of steps involved but also raises the risk of missing important assignment updates, leading to significant inconvenience.
In response to this, we have developed MooSpace for Monash Moodle, with the aim of creating an integrated system within Moodle that facilitates communication between teachers and students, thereby enhancing user productivity.
Project Scope
Online Learning System, Web
Tools
Figma, Protopie, Photoshop
Role
UX designer/ Researcher, User Testing
Team
Collabrate with group of 4, with feed back from the professor
Duration
2023 5 weeks
Design Process
1. Research
Identify the key problems Gather requirements
2. Define
Visualize User Experience and Establish User-Centric Foundations
3. Solution Development
Design and develop solutions based on gathered insights and validated user needs.
4. Data Validation
Confirm effectiveness and ensure accuracy post-redesign
5. Summary
Riview this project and plan for future enhancements and scalability based on feedback and ongoing user research.
1. Research
Methodology
Distribute surveys and questionnaires to educators, administrators, and students to gather quantitative data on their experiences and challenges with existing LMS platforms.
Key areas of focus include user interface satisfaction, ease of use, efficiency, and specific pain points.
Conduct in-depth interviews with a representative sample of users, including teachers, IT administrators, and students.
Outcome
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Efficiency and Productivity
Users report that current LMS(Learning management system) platforms often have repeating processes that reduce productivity.
The absence of an integrated online feedback system in Moodle leads to cumbersome steps of downloading and uploading assignments for feedback.
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Limited Engagement:
Written feedback can be less engaging for some students, leading to a lower impact on learning outcomes.
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Accessibility Issues:
Students with disabilities, such as those with reading disorders or visual impairments, may find text-based feedback challenging to process.
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Time Cost for Instructors:
Educators spend additional time trying to personalize feedback for each student, which can be inefficient and impractical.
2. Define
Teacher
Teachers can provide positive feedback on student work within MooSpace, highlighting attributes that meet the criteria. This can be achieved through text, video, and audio feedback. Teachers can point out gaps in student work and provide specific improvement suggestions and steps.
Student
Students can view teacher feedback within MooSpace. The system can feature a feedback viewing module to help students understand teacher comments and suggestions.
Students can mark areas that need clarification and record their strengths and weaknesses within the system.
Persona
Journey Map
Identify the Key Stage and Strategy
3. Solution Development
Integrated Feedback System:
Develop a system that allows educators to provide feedback directly within the Moodle platform without the need for downloading and uploading documents.
Accessibility Features
Ensure the system supports screen readers and other assistive technologies to make feedback accessible to all students.
Multimedia Feedback
Incorporate text, audio, and video feedback options to engage students in different ways.
Automated Personalization:
Utilize AI and machine learning to assist educators in providing personalized feedback efficiently.
Key Stage 1:
Searching for Historical Assignment
Before : Use Different Multiple Platforms
Navigation Path is Too Long
Users need to go through multiple pages to reach the assignment upload page.
Difficult Information Retrieval
The hierarchical structure is poorly designed, and pages lack search and sorting functions, leading to inefficient information retrieval.
Information Display is Not Intuitive
The presentation of course and assignment information lacks visual hierarchy, using only text and lists, making it difficult for users to quickly scan and understand the information.
Inconvenient Updates
It’s not intuitive to find the latest assignments or updated information, which may cause users to miss important assignment reminders or notifications, affecting their progress in learning.
After：Optimize search sorting, information columns, and layout design to enhance the efficiency of information management and the user experience.
Simplified Navigation Process
The user navigation path has been simplified to fewer steps, allowing users to find the assignment page more quickly, reducing time and operational costs.
Rapid Information Location
Search and sorting features allow users to quickly find specific courses or assignments using keywords, reducing search time and improving operational efficiency.
Centralized Information Display
All relevant course and assignment information is displayed on a single page, allowing users to easily view the status of assignments for each course, avoiding the need to switch between multiple pages.
High Visual Clarity
The layout is more intuitive, making it easier for users to find and access the latest assignments and related information, enhancing the overall user experience.
Key Stage 2:
Uploading Assignments
Before : Information available for filling out is incomplete
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When uploading documents, there is a lack of necessary input windows for information such as student ID numbers, class, group information, etc.
Teachers require students to manually modify the assignment document names according to a specific format to capture this information. Different courses often have different format requirements, and students are prone to omissions and errors when manually changing names.
After：Guide the upload process through input fields and upload portals
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By completing the input windows, the possibility of information confusion is reduced.
Pop up Window:
The notification window will pop up at the bottom of the Moodle interface with the latest message notifications.
Invitation
The invitation interface will display the project's information, including courses and group members.
Key Stage 3-5:
Finding contact + Seeking Feedback +Improving Assignments
Before : Use Different Multiple Platforms
Inefficient Asynchronous Communication
Does not support real-time collaboration; communication between teachers and students is often asynchronous, leading to slower information transmission and feedback.
Numerous Operational Steps
Requires frequent uploading and downloading of attachments, managing various email threads, increasing the complexity and workload of operations.
Limited Collaboration Features
Lacks real-time editing and collaborative commenting features, making multi-party collaboration inconvenient.
Difficult Information Management
Information is scattered across different email threads, making it less centralized and intuitive to find and track than on online platforms.
After：Integrate communication platforms into a unified collaboration tool. Online embedded document editing, shared workspace for centralized management and discussion.
Integrated Real-time Communication Platform
Implement a platform that supports real-time messaging and video conferencing. This platform should be integrated into the learning management system, allowing for seamless communication between teachers and students, reducing delays in feedback and improving the efficiency of information exchange.
Enhanced Collaboration Tools
Upgrade the existing digital workspace to include features like real-time document editing, collaborative commenting, and shared whiteboards. These tools should allow multiple users to work on the same document or project simultaneously, facilitating more efficient multi-party collaboration.
Optimized Document Management
Implement a system where a document needs to be uploaded only once, and subsequent modifications can be made directly in the version control system. Users will always see the most recent version when editing online, preventing any confusion over document versions.
Unified Information Zoom
Establish a unified zoom that centralizes all inquiries and issues on a single page. Each item will be clearly marked with a serial number and a selection area, making it easy to identify. The status of each issue can be instantly recognized through color-coded status lights, providing a quick visual reference to the current status of each inquiry.
Multiple Comment Types
Offering video, text, image, and voice comments accommodates different learning styles, enhances information delivery, and improves interactivity and the learning experience.
AI Comment Style Conversion Feature
The AI comment style conversion feature, based on deep learning technologies and large-scale language models, facilitates intelligent style transformation of comments. It enhances the flexibility of personalised feedback, the learning experience, and communication efficiency. It also caters to the needs of students with special requirements, adapting to various learning abilities and communication preferences, thus offering a more inclusive and supportive learning environment and promoting diverse learning and team collaboration.
Before Conversion (Text)
AI Converting
Conversion Complete
Test Classification and Personal Prefrence board
Each student has different commenting preferences, such as some preferring to explain with examples, while others prefer bullet-point descriptions. Personalized learning feedback demands are more readily accepted by users. We have new users take a learning/teaching style test before using moospace to ensure every user understands their own needs and those of their collaborators, enabling more effective use of suitable tools and features on the platform.
This design can establish a more effective communication foundation among teachers, students, and team members, reduce conflicts, and promote efficient interaction and outcomes.
4. Data Validation
5. Summary
Holistic Optimization Approach
During the design process, learned how to optimize operational processes from a holistic perspective. By shortening the usage path, simplifying operational steps, and integrating information management, it is possible to effectively enhance user operational efficiency. This requires comprehensive consideration of the platform’s characteristics and actual usage scenarios to ensure that each design decision accurately addresses user pain points and reduces unnecessary steps throughout the user journey.
Enhanced Information Display Hierarchy
Learned how to enhance the user experience by optimizing the visual hierarchy of information. Through card-style design, status lights, and thumbnail features, important information is made instantly visible, reducing the time users spend searching for and processing information. This method of information presentation not only improves readability and intuitiveness but also enhances user operational perception in complex interfaces, making the overall interface more concise and effective.
Personalization and Flexibility in Design
Throughout the design process, the personalized needs of users were fully considered, learning how to use AI technology to achieve the transformation of various comment styles, meeting the preferences of users with different learning styles and special needs. This flexible design enhances the personalized experience of users, ensuring that each user receives the most suitable feedback and support, while a deep understanding of user needs effectively enhances the platform’s inclusiveness and adaptability.
Future-Learning Data Analytics
Plans to integrate data analytics functionality, utilizing AI to help teachers track students’ learning progress and feedback effectiveness, optimizing teaching methods through a data-driven approach.
Intelligent Study System (Future)
Develop an intelligent Study system that automatically alerts users to unresolved issues or provides learning recommendations based on feedback, ensuring that users do not miss important tasks and updates.
Mobile Optimization
To accommodate more use cases, further optimize the mobile interface and user experience, enabling users to more conveniently use the platform’s features on mobile devices.