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Role:
Lead UX Researcher & Designer
Duration:
18 weeks
Tools:
Figma, Photoshop,
MS Office, UserZoom, Zoom, Notion
Directed client meetings and strategic project planning, articulating key findings and decisions to stakeholders.
Conducted evaluative and generative research to analyze datasets for key user needs and usability issues.
Generated and validated 20+ solutions, converting research into functional designs.
Revised sitemaps and user flows, and crafted wireframes and prototypes through iterative process.
Assessed usability, refined designs based on user feedback and evaluated their impact using KPIs.
​Transforming Learning Experience with Data-Informed Redesign and Integrating AI, Interactive Features and Accessible Content for Young adults with Disabilities
Contributions:
Client:
Transition Discoevrie
Won "Best in Show" at IU Capstone Panel Presentation 2024
PROJECT OVERVIEW
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Project Context
​Transition Discoveries is a collaborative initiative supporting youth with disabilities transitioning to adulthood. The client focus on enhancing the learning experience through a digital platform equipped with AI-driven interactive tools, while also evaluating and improving website usability, accessibility and performance.
PROBLEM SPACE
To begin with let’s hear the story of Sarah...
Meet Stella,
A 17-year-old, home-schooled due to a traumatic brain injury, feels overwhelmed about life after high school. She turns to the Transition Discoveries website for gamified resources and data-driven guidance on transition topics.
However, she finds it overly dense with information, highly exhausting and less interactive than expected, making learning frustrating and unsatisfying. She anticipates a more engaging and easily accessible experience with fun elements to motivate her and ease the process.
How might we ensure that the Transition Discoveries website becomes a catalyst for a confident and well-supported transition experience to work or higher studies for Stella and other students with disabilities facing similar challenges?
SOLUTION SPACE
A glimpse of the final proposed solution
#1 Core Solution
Revamping the Website
Improved the website's usability to have better streamlined and informed user navigation.
Enhanced visual appeal by refining white space, colors, typography, and layout, aligned with their brand identity to maintain clear visual hierarchy and declutter the interface for effortless decision-making.
Before
After
#2 Supporting Solution
Introducing AI Chatbot
Leveraging conversational AI as companions, guiding users interactively as they complete each module to boost user engagement.
#3 Supporting Solution
Added More Interactive Features
Adapted vocabulary cards, progress bars and checklists for informed experience and integrated note-taking feature for quick info recording, situational quizzes for practical learning and a collaborative forum to exchange knowledge.
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THE IMPACT
THE IMPACT
Quantifying success with key performance metrics
Accelerated task efficiency by 1.5x with a 35% reduction in time, while increasing task success rate by 40.2% and user satisfaction by 52.3%
59.8%
Pre-redesign
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100%
Post-redesign
Avg. Task Success Rates (%)
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Pre-redesign
Post-redesign
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Avg. Time Taken on Tasks (mins)
Pre-redesign
53
Post-redesign
81
0
10
30
40
Not Acceptable
50
60
70
Marginal
80
90
100
Acceptable
Avg. SUS Score Calculated
MY UX WORK FLOW
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​How you approached the project from research to final implementation?
PHASE 1:
Research & Analysis
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PHASE 2:
Design, Testing and Handover
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THE FIRST STEP
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EXPLORATORY QUESTIONS
Questions to drive project strategy
Q1.
What are the key objectives, challenges, and workflows of the current platform?
Q2.
What are the key objectives, challenges, and workflows of the current platform?
What are the key objectives, challenges, and workflows of the current platform?
Q3.
What gaps and opportunities exist in current practices and market trends?
Q4.
What are the primary user needs, behaviors, and pain points?
Q5.
What design goals will best address the identified gaps and user issues to improve usability, navigation, and engagement?
Q6.
How will the redesigned platform show measurable improvements against the current website design in user metrics?
PRELIMINARY RESEARCH
Getting to know Transition Discoveries
Transition Discoveries intends to support its users transitioning to adulthood with a collaborative roadmap, tailored resources, and data-driven tools to enhance access to education, employment, and independent living.
The flowchart outlines the main user flow of the website in executing the initiative’s goal:
Target Users
Primary Users:
Youth with Disabilities (13-20 years old)
Transitioning from high school to higher studies or work.
Secondary Users:
Professionals & Family
Special educators, Therapists and family memebers
EVALUATIVE RESEARCH
HEURISTIC EVALUATION
Inspecting the functionality against Nielson’s heuristic principles
How does the interface measure up against usability principles in design and functionality?
Heuristic Broken 01: Consistency and Standards
Usability Issue:
1
Inconsistently designed navigation button, appearing as irregularly shaped images.
2
Textual elements styled as buttons and buttons styled as texts result in inconsistent UI patterns.
3
Cluttered and inconsistent website layout and graphics leadings to disrupts visual flow.
Severity Scale:
4 - Usability Catastrophe
User Impact:
Creates navigational friction, slowing task completion and frustrating users, especially novice users.
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Heuristic Broken 02: Visibility System Status
Usability Issue:
4
Skipping a video incorrectly tagged as "completed," misrepresenting actual user interaction.
5
The bookmark function lacks confirmation feedback and bookmarked resources are hard to find.
Severity Scale:
4 - Usability Catastrophe
User Impact:
Creates misleading experience causing confusion, wasted time, and reduced productivity.
Heuristic Broken 03: Flexibility and Efficiency of Use
Usability Issue:
6
There are two sets of search and reset buttons for filter option which performs the same function.
7
Accessing the video section requires two clicks when a single click could achieve the same result.
Severity Scale:
3 - Major Usability Issue
User Impact:
Redundant navigational elements and actions increases number of clicks, leading to unnecessary user effort.
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GRAPHIC USER INTERFACE TESTING
Testing the Visual Elements and Interactive Components
How effective are the platform's visuals in supporting its target users?
Inconsistency in Visual Hierarchy & UI Elements
1
Variations in spacing, color palette, font styles, and graphical elements create a disjointed visual experience and hinder users' readability.
2
Inconsistent placement, alignment, and design of interactive elements like buttons and links disrupt user expectations and create uncertainty
Severity Scale:
4 - Usability Catastrophe
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THINK ALOUD PROTOCOL
Getting to Know User’s Perspectives
How do users engage with product and What do users have to say about it?
Summary of the think aloud session
Number of Study Participants :
06
Number of Given Tasks for Study :
05
Users :
Young Adults
with Disabilities
(18-20 years old)
Type :
Novice Users
Goal :
To identify the main user challenges faced during their interaction with the platform and gather both qualitative and quantitative data to assess 3 key user metrics.
Qualitative findings of the think aloud session
Home Page
1
Lacked a clear call to action and felt overwhelming by information, hindering decision-making.
2
Locating the help or support section on the website was a time-consuming process.
3
Failed to convey the purpose and functionality of the platform at a glance
Discovery Board (Main Page)
4
The visuals were perceived as juvenile and overly stimulating, causing cognitive overload.
5
The task modules fail to provide an interactive and engaging experience for users.
6
Certain features like rewards, stores and stickers did not have expected motivating impact.
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Resources Page
7
The process of completing the onboarding was excessively lengthy and exhausting for users.
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8
The filter tool's ineffective checkboxes hindered content retrieval, prolonging task completion.
Onboarding Page
SECONDARY RESEARCH
LITERATURE REVIEW
Understand the Problem Space and Potential Solutions
“Motivating student-centered strategies, accessible and proactive support systems ensures a user-friendly learning experience.“
What best practices ensure an effective, inclusive and user-centered e-learning platform for our target users?
Finding 01
Design with accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles at the forefront to ensure equitable access for all learners.
Finding 02
Prioritize clear navigation, intuitive controls, non-distractive graphics and accessible multimedia to enhance usability for all learners.
Finding 03
Build in features for student-centered planning and tailored learning pathways to provide personalized guidance and actively support individual progress .
Finding 04
Integrate tools and features that encourage student self-assessment and progress tracking, fostering ownership of their learning.
MARKET ANALYSIS
Exploring the Current Market Trends and Practices
"Despite having strong accessibility features, the platform's usability issues hinder the learning experience, leading to a negative impact."
What best practices ensure an effective, inclusive and user-centered e-learning platform for our target users?
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Tailor the learning experience to each student's understanding levels, unique requirements and challenges.
Include interactive lessons, videos, role-play scenarios, and supplementary activities tailored for students with disabilities,
Use AI to offer real-time feedback, aid and adjust content displayed dynamically based on users’ performance and needs.
GENERATIVE RESEARCH
USER SURVEY
Curating information from Wider Audience with Similar Background
What best practices ensure an effective, inclusive and user-centered e-learning platform for our target users?
“Effective transition experience require accessible resources, regular mentorship, personalized support and opportunities for community engagement to foster both academic and personal growth.”
Overview of the User Survey
Number of Survey Responses :
15
Participants :
Young Adults
with Disabilities
(18-25 years old)
Goal :
To gather responses providing insights on their personal experiences, challenges, needs and expectations at the time of transitioning to higher studies or work.
Key Insights
FOCUS GROUP STUDY
Mining User Insights
What are the varying perspectives on the platform among users with similar goals, needs, and challenges?
“The study reveals interactive, accessible and visually engaging features with simplified navigation and regular support are valued, emphasizing the need for structured and personalized resources.”
Overview of the Focus Group Study Session
Number of Study Sessions :
02
Users :
Students with Disabilities
(18-20 years old)
Total Number
of Participants:
10 + 4
Type :
10 Expert Users + 4 Novice Users
Goal :
To gain a deep understanding of the users - their goals, needs and pain points, and their feedback on their experience with the current platform.
Expert User Group’s Study Key Insights
Need to optimize content presentation by balancing text and visuals for better clarity.
​Need to streamline the personal data collection process of user account setup.
​Need to streamline the personal data collection process of user account setup.
​Need to address navigational difficulties with intuitive designing and clearer labeling.
Expert User Group’s Study Key Insights
Need to incorporate visually appealing UI, interactive features, and flexible navigation
Need features that foster community engagement and active mentorship.
Need to streamline onboarding process for profile setup as it causes frustration.
Need to develop more inclusive, accessible online learning with personalized features.
SYNTHESIZING DATA
THEMATIC ANALYSIS
Putting the Pieces Together
What is the most prevalent insight recurring in the research outcomes?
Data from all the research methods were put together to categorize them based on recurring themes/patterns and placed them on a priority scale to inform design direction.
USER METRIC ANALYSIS
Let’s Talk Numbers...
How does the current platform measure up against key user metrics?
For a quick overview of the quantitative analysis, average of task success rate, time on task, and task error are calculated for the 5 given tasks performed by 6 participants and compared against industry benchmarking.
Final Result
SUS REPORT
Measuring the Usability
What is the perceived usability of the website?
Number of Study Participants :
06
Participants :
Young Adults
with Disabilities
(18-25 years old)
Goal :
To analyze data measuring the usability of the existing platform to understand how users perceive it and objectively compare the results with the redesigned one.
Final Result
ARCHETYPES
Illustrating the Users and their story
​The Brave Hero
The Career Builder
The Wisdom Seeker
“I'd love for the learning to be more interactive and engaging.“
Charting Unique Career Paths to
Lead Successful Life
“I wish there was a real-time support for dynamic learning.”
Acquiring Further Knowledge for Life After High School
“The website's steep learning curve challenges efficient use.”
Overcoming Various Barriers
with Courage and Hope
USER PAIN POINTS
Uncovering what we need to solve...
Need for tailored assistance and customizable interfaces for youth with different challenges.
Inconsistent Design, Complex Navigation, and Varied Aesthetics.
Insufficient mentor, parent, and community network support.
Unbalanced mix of text and visuals content lead to readability and information overloading issues.
Lack of standardized designs in interactive components, leading to increased time taken.
Lack of motivational and interactive features to sustain user engagement and learning.
IMPLEMENTING RESEARCH
IDEATION
Converting UX Insights into Solutions
Overview of Brainstorming Session
Supporting Solutions #3 : Integrating more interactive features like note-taking, quizzes and collaborative forum to enhance the learning experience.
Core Solution #1 : Improving user flow and refining visual experience to streamline user navigation, reduce cognitive overload and facilitate quick decision-making.
Supporting Solutions #2 : Implementing teaching oriented AI Chatbot as companion to guide students while working on modules, boosting user engagement.
CONCEPTUALIZATION
Translating Texts to Visuals
ITERATIVE DESIGNING
Designing and Redesigning
How we shaped the design concepts into final working prototypes based on concept validation and feedback?
Revamping the website
Enhanced visual experience by refining graphical elements including white space, color palette, typography, and layout, aligning with their brand identity to maintain clear visual hierarchy and declutter the interface to reduce cognitive overload.
Wireframe
Created low fidelity prototype to validate the redesigned layout with clients to ensure it meets their needs and expectations.
First Iteration
Hi-fi screens were created, improving user flow, usability, and UI elements within a clutter-free, minimalist design layout and presented to client.
Final Iteration
Based on feedback, it was revised again to align the color scheme with brand requirements, ensuring brand consistency in the final design.
Enhanced Learning Experience through UX
Simplified user interface design to reduce cognitive load and focus better on required content, and integrated interactive elements like AI companions, whiteboard, gamification to increase user engagement and make learning more enjoyable and motivating, ultimately encouraging active participation.
Wireframe
Created low-fi prototype to reorganize content display, standardize UI elements and add interactive features for discussion
First Iteration
Hi-fi screens were created, improving user flow, UI and integrating more interactive tools for learning and was validated
Final Iteration
After discussion, revised again to align UI colors with brand identity and content was reorganized as per client’s requirements.
Streamlining the Onboarding Process
Onboarding is divided into three parts with subparts and progress indicators, providing a clearer, less overwhelming introduction by reducing ambiguity and fostering a sense of accomplishment as they advance.
Wireframe
Created low fidelity prototype restructuring the information display for onboarding process, validating the concept with client.
First Iteration
Hi-fi screens were created, improving content organization, transparency and UI elements for better engagement, and presented to client.
Final Iteration
Based on feedback, revised again to align color scheme with brand identity and text size were increased for better readability.
Integrating Teaching-Oriented AI ChatBot
Incorporated a chatbot by leveraging conversational AL as companion to assist students while working on their modules , transforming the learning process from passive consumption to active engagement with continued guidance.
​Structured the chatbot's flow and script using Voiceflow.
Wireframe
Developed the concept of transforming companion as AI chatbot for guidance
First Iteration
Hi-fi screens of conversational UI was created and presented to client for further discussion.
Final Iteration
Redesigned chatbot with larger font and pre-defined data sets as per the feedback received
TAKING HOME
SELF REFLECTION
Transforming Experience into Wisdom
Learning 01
Developed clearer communication strategies to convey complex data insights to non-technical stakeholders.
Learning 02
Learned to manage expectations and foster collaborative relationships with a team of diverse background.
Learning 03
Enhanced my ability to identify core usability issues based on analyzed data and and ideate creative solutions effectively.
Learning 04
Refined my critical thinking skills to evaluate the effectiveness of design choices against user data and research findings.
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