heyclass
Enhancing the online learning experience for university students - UX/UI design
Course:
Design for Experience (IXXN201)
Project basis:
Individual project
Tools:
Figma, Illustrator & DaVinci
Time frame:
Mar '22 - Jun '22
May '25 - Jun '25
Project Overview
The challenge for this assignment was to identify an aspect of the online university experience that needs improvement, and propose a solution to facilitate this.
I originally completed this project during my second year at university. After gaining professional experience as a Product Designer, I revisited the project to apply new skills and insights I’d gained.
The version here blends my original student work with updates shaped by my professional experience.
User Research
Secondary Research
I began the project by conducting a literature review.
Due to the rise of the covid pandemic in a society with rapidly advancing technologies, we have seen a stark increase in our dependence on computer systems as we lean on our technologies to manage our daily lives. Our education system has adapted to be accessible online from the comfort our own homes. This does, however, beg the question on whether online studying can be as effective as in person studying.
Investigation into the effectiveness of online studies is still fairly limited at this stage. Previous studies have found contrasting results, where working online is understood to either increase one’s performance or reduce one’s productivity (Li, Zhang & Wang, 2021). Other studies have highlighted a number of challenges and factors which students face in their studies.
Learner autonomy is a proposed concept essential to online learning, where one must learn independently through their actions (Eneau & Develotte, 2012). Furthermore, self-awareness, ways of using the screen and learning the predictors of mental health (Merchant, 2021) are several other methods suggested when considering what strategies are needed to manage studies online. These studies have suggested that online studying is a skill which must be developed in order for students to excel, which is important to consider when contemplating how we can address working in the online environment.
Eneau, J, & Develotte, C. (2012). Working together online to enhance learner autonomy: Analysis of learners’ perceptions of their online learning experience. Recall. 24(1), 3-19. doi:10.1017/S0958344011000267.
Li, Y., Zhang, W. & Wang, P. (2021). Working online or offline: Which is more effective? Research in international business and finance. 58, 101456. doi:10.1016/j.ribaf.2021.101456.
Merchant, J. (2021). Working online due to the COVID‐19 pandemic: a research and literature review. Journal of analytical psychology. 6(3), 484-505. doi:10.1111/1468-5922.12683
Primary Research
From this literature review, I wanted to get a deeper understanding of students' needs, behaviours, and pain points. I aimed to explore this through primary research. To guide this process, I developed a set of core user questions that clarified the specific insights I was hoping to gain:
The user questions:
1. Why do students think they struggle with remote studying?
2. What actions do they take to navigate these challenges?
3. What resources are currently available to them to help with these challenges?
4. Why do these resources work? Why don't they work?
5. What changes are needed to improve their experience studying remotely?
Based on these user questions, I selected interviews as the most effective method for my research. Interviews allow for a deeper exploration of the why behind participants’ feelings and behaviours – providing rich, nuanced insights that other methods may not capture.
I then developed interview questions that closely aligned with my research objectives, ensuring I kept them open-ended and neutral to avoid leading participants or influencing their responses. The questions gave the interviews some structure, but I aimed to keep them conversational in nature so participants felt at ease and able to share whatever came to mind.
The interview questions:
1. What is your least favourite part about studying remotely?
2. Can you recall when you last struggled with [your least favourite part]?
3. Walk me through what actions you took to overcome this struggle.
3a. If they didn't take action: When you were struggling, what was going through your mind? What
held you back from getting the support you needed?
3b. If they did take action: Are there any limitations to [the actions]?
4. If the course was in person, what do you think you would have done?
5. Are there any other resources provided to you that are meant to help you with [your challenge]?
6. How often do you use them?
6a. If they do use them: Do you find them effective? Why/Why not>
6b. If they don't use them: When you think about using those resources, what is it that deters you from
using them?
7. If you could wave a magic wand, what would you change to make [your least favourite part] easier?
I interviewed six university students from diverse academic backgrounds, including Design, Computer Science, Marketing, Theatre, Politics, and Communications. Each student has had first-hand experience with remote study following the transition to online education during the Covid pandemic.
Interview highlights:
[On getting support from teachers through emails]
"It's just a lot slower and they might answer your question but not answer it in the way that you need, and then you have to go back and forth over a few days."
[On collaborating with peers in breakout rooms]
"The first five/ten minutes is just like awkward silence because nobody really wants to talk, and nobody really knows how to take the lead or take the rein..."
"I don't want to be the one always asking the questions...There's a small group of people who usually ask the questions [on slack]... you do notice that."
"I feel like the meetings with my teachers are always so rushed, and I have to wait a long time until I eventually get to talk to them. Then when I do get that chance they have to rush off somewhere else."
The interview data was thematically organised using affinity mapping, which was iterated several times to deepen my understanding of emerging trends. This process helped identify areas warranting further investigation as I worked towards identifying these students' behaviours, pain points, needs, and goals.
Define
The Results
1. What do these students struggle with when studying remotely?
These students Communication. Collaboration. Connection.
2. What actions do they take to navigate these challenges?
Online resources. Email teacher. Message classmates. Ask during class.
3. What resources are available to help them with these challenges? Why do they work/not work? Online resources: Sometimes work, but can't get into the specific questions. Email teacher - Back and forth
4. What changes are needed to improve their experience studying remotely?
The synthesis from this research lead to the creation of the problem statement:
The problem statement:
"Remote learning environments make it challenging for students to form connections with their peers. This lack of connection hinders their ability to seek support when needed, as collaboration and communication can feel unsafe and intimidating."
Ideate
How might we... Improve the online learning experience for... university students, so that...they feel empowered to ask questions and seek support from their peers.
As a... university student who has fallen behind on their assignment, when... I am confused about an assignment, I want to... ask my cohort to get clarity on the assignment, So that... I can get good grades.
As a... university student, when... I still am not getting clarity on a question from my peers, I want to... raise this confusion with my tutor, So that...
As a... university student who has fallen behind on their assignment, when... I ask my cohort to get clarity on the assignment, I want to... do so anonymously, So that... I don't feel judged by my peers.
As a... university student, when... I still am not getting clarity on a question from my peers, I want to... raise this confusion with my tutor, So that...
As a... university student, when... a question that I want answered has already been asked by another student, I want to... know when it has been answered, so that... I can also get clarity from the answer.
As a... teacher, when... students discuss confusion over a course question, I want to... only be brought in when needed, so that... I can
Prototype
Test and iterate
Implement
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