Online Learning Platform

OVERVIEW

Project: Strategy, Online Learning Platform
Duration: 6 months
Consultant: Research + Strategy Director

PROJECT TEAM

Researchers (engagement team)
UX research team (Client)

RESPONSIBILITIES

Project plan and scope management
Manage client and engagement research team

Provide oversight and guidance on user research activities and deliverables

Data analysis and key findings documentation

Present findings to Project Sponser and stakeholders

Plan and moderate user requirements priortization workshop

DELIVERABLES

Survey protocols and key findings
Contextual Inquiry protocol and key findings
Customer Feedback protocol and key findings
Priortized User requirements
Personas and user journeys
Final strategy and research report

NOTE: The content in this project has been scrubbed or altered due to Client NDA.

the ASK

Plan and conduct user research to provide insights needed to create a market-leading, configurable “single solution”
for Higher Education Math and Chemistry that combines homework management and adaptive learning using Online Learning technologies.

the Approach

A mix of both quantitative and qualitative research was conducted to provide insights into understanding the educator needs and barriers to adoption, inform the future state of the Online Learning Platform (OLP) experience and guide the discussions for the product strategy and roadmap. 

TOUCHPOINT SURVEY

A Weekly survey focused on understandings users’ current experiences as they interact with competitors online learning platforms (OLPs) or tools to complete activities from setting up a course through final grading. This was conducted over the course of 10 weeks at the beginning of the school year as this was when educators were most active in using OLPs to plan or revise their courses, assess student's knowledge comprehension and assign homework accordingly.

CONTEXTUAL INQUIRIES

In parallel with the Touchpoint survey, we conducted in person observational interviews with educators to understand their current motivations, behaviors, needs, and main tasks as they utilize online learning platforms or tools.

Personas were developed to communicate key goals, needs, jobs to be done and the teaching styles of each type of educator. 
The personas were developed based on analysis of demographics, survey, and research data gathered from our project engagement.

Current and future state user journeys were created to provide an overview of educators' activities during the school year, their challenges and opportunities for improving the experience at key touchpoints.

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK SESSIONS
Collaborated with the client's design and research team to plan and conduct customer feedback sessions with existing online learning platform concepts. Up to 60 sessions were conducted over 5 weeks by both the client and engagement teams with potential and existing customers.

OUTCOMES

Developed baseline assessment of users’ need for specific Online Learning Platform controls and configurations 

Marketing team were able to confidently adjust marketing and product content based on a deeper understanding about “adaptive learning” and Online Learning Platform(OLP) from the educators/buyers perspective

Client Design team was able update design concepts and quickly move towards detailed designs based on Customer Feedback Session findings

Marketing and product team adjusted buyer profile and sales strategy based on learning through our research that long-term tenured educator is not an indicator that they can influence adoption of a new online learning platform in their organization

Improved UX research team recruiting and user research processes by establishing best practices, guidelines, and templates during the project

Priortized user requirements allowed product team to identifiy opportunities for improvement which would have immediate impact to the user experience and competitive positioning of the product.

Product team adjusted OLP roadmap and strategy to provide a more flexible experience based on identification of barriers to usage and adoption from our research