PROJECT OVERVIEW
The university needed a unified training management system after repeated vendor failures disrupted registration and workflows. Students, staff, and administrators struggled with fragmented systems, siloed teams, and legacy constraints, threatening operational efficiency.
Our research laid the groundwork for a platform that would streamline operations, improve usability, and support nearly 300 degree and training programs.
What challenges were users facing?
How could we design a scalable, intuitive system that worked for all personas while maintaining academic and administrative integrity?
This project was critical to reducing registration errors, saving staff time, and ensuring users could complete training reliably across 300 programs.
I addressed these challenges through research, resulting in 4 strategic aims:
🎯 Define and Understand Users
Ensure all personas’ needs are met across 300+ programs to guide a user-centered system.
🎯 Intuitive Course Registration
Map registration flows to uncover bottlenecks that shape student and admin experiences.
🎯 Integrate Systems and Scores
Streamline scoring and progress tracking to remove cross-platform friction for all users.
🎯 Champion UX from Day One
Lead research and design thinking to align teams and build stakeholder buy-in from day one.
Budget
Managed Within Existing Resources
Team
Lead UX Researcher, Office of Information Technology senior leadership
Development Team & Training Team, C-Suite
Timeline
4 months
Research Goals & Approach
We conducted a multi-phase study to uncover pain points in course creation across delivery formats (online, in-person, hybrid) and clarify user expectations around prerequisites and completion. Our aim was to define user roles and guide a scalable, user-centered redesign for 300+ programs.
RG1: Analyze how users navigate course creation across delivery formats (online, in-person, hybrid)to uncover friction, bottlenecks, and workflow inefficiencies.
RG2: Investigate user interactions with prerequisites, progress tracking, and course completion to reveal inconsistencies that hinder smooth workflows.
RG3: Define user roles, goals, and pain points to inform personas and guide role-specific UX improvements.
🌱 DISCOVERY
Stakeholder Interviews
User Requirements Gathering
Process Mapping
Persona Development
🧠 DESIGN THINKING
Design Thinking Workshops
Brainstorming & Sketching
Wireframing
🔬 RESEARCH
16 1:1 Interviews
16 1:1 Usability Tests
A/B Tests
Surveys
Thematic Analysis
💡 SOLUTION DESIGN
Design Refinement
Prototype finalization
Internal & External Stakeholder Presentations
⚙️Process | 📦 Artifacts ▸
Intent
Explore user needs, workflows, and the problem space to inform design and drive strategic, user-centered decisions.
⚙️ Conducted stakeholder interviews to uncover pain points and align teams on priorities.
⚙️ Mapped workflows to identify bottlenecks and improve user efficiency.
⚙️ Developed personas and mental models to guide design decisions and inform strategy.
⚙️ Shared insights with stakeholders to maintain alignment and confidence in decisions.
📦 Problem Statements, User Personas, Mental Models, Workflow Diagrams
⚙️Process | 📦 Artifacts ▸
Intent
Facilitate workshops to generate and refine design concepts, ensuring alignment on user needs and goals.
⚙️ Defined mental models and information architecture to clarify complex workflows.
⚙️ Created wireframes to translate research insights into actionable designs.
⚙️ Iterated collaboratively to align solutions with user needs and strategic goals.
📦 Mental Model Diagrams, Process Flow Maps, Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
⚙️Process | 📦 Artifacts ▸
Intent
Validate prototypes and uncover usability and workflow issues through mixed-methods research to inform design decisions.
⚙️ Conducted 16 sessions combining 1:1 interviews and usability tests to uncover workflow inefficiencies and design issues.
⚙️ Deployed surveys to validate findings and quantify user needs.
⚙️ Synthesized insights to pinpoint critical bottlenecks and improve operational efficiency.
📦 Usability Reports, A/B Test Results, Revised Wireframes, Thematic Analysis
⚙️Process | 📦 Artifacts ▸
Intent
Finalize the system design based on insights to ensure usability and feasibility.
Demonstrate UX’s strategic value by aligning stakeholders and documenting decisions.
⚙️ Refined designs through feedback loops to ensure usability and feasibility for all workflows.
⚙️ Finalized wireframes and prototypes to meet research-validated requirements.
⚙️ Produced detailed specifications to enable smooth development handoff.
⚙️ Presented solutions to stakeholders to secure alignment and ensure cross-team buy-in.
📦 Final Wireframes and Prototypes, Design Specifications, Development Handoff Documents, Presentation Decks
Challenges
Stakeholder resistance & silos delayed research, impacting users.
Underutilized resources slowed wireframe production and iteration.
Legacy system & shifting scope disrupted design consistency, affecting workflows.
Used research to break silos and define a user-centered scope.
Facilitated focused workshops to speed wireframe production.
Adapted design amid shifting scope, balancing constraints with user needs.
''
I’m always double-checking entries and prerequisites —
the wrong people get assigned, the right people miss out, and I have to fix everything manually.
– Candidate 3
Key Discoveries
Insight
Solution
Impact
Course Creation Complexity
Insight 1: Users needed multiple workarounds to build courses across delivery formats, causing delays and repeated errors. ▸
- Faculty and admins duplicated effort for hybrid courses.
- Steps misordered, blocking workflows.
- Bottlenecks delayed course launches during peak periods.
Solution 1: Single, role-aware flows simplified creation and reduced errors. ▸
- Combined online, in-person, and hybrid flows into one streamlined system.
- Removed redundant steps and reduced dependencies.
- Embedded contextual guidance to prevent mistakes and speed task completion.
Impact
Faster course setup
Fewer workflow errors
Reduced duplicated tasks
Prerequisite Confusion
Insight 2: Users misapplied or skipped prerequisites, causing invalid enrollments and manual corrections. ▸
- Misapplied or skipped prerequisites → invalid enrollments
- Manual corrections required by staff
- Errors slowed setup → reduced trust
Solution 2: Clear rules and smart prompts improved accuracy and reduced user workload. ▸
- Automated validation prevented invalid enrollments.
- Intuitive prompts clarified completion rules for staff and students.
- Iteratively tested flows minimized errors.
Impact
Fewer invalid enrollments
Lower admin rework
Higher enrollment accuracy
Cross-System Score Integration
Insight 3: Disconnected scoring across platforms caused duplication, rework, and unreliable tracking. ▸
- Admins reconciled grades manually between third-party and internal systems.
- Delays in score availability eroded confidence.
- Users saw inconsistent completion records.
Solution 3: Real-time integration eliminated duplication and improved trust in progress data. ▸
- Synchronized scores across all platforms.
- Removed redundant manual entry and reconciliation.
- Ensured accurate, real-time visibility for every user.
Impact
Fewer duplicate scores
Faster score updates
Increased data reliability
Completion Tracking Breakdowns
Insight 4: Unclear completion rules caused reporting gaps and compliance risk. ▸
They scan for:
- Completion criteria inconsistent across methods.
- Staff couldn’t track progress reliably.
- Users’ completion status unclear, delaying workflows.
Solution 4: Clear, automated rules guaranteed reliable reporting and full compliance. ▸
- Defined clear, consistent completion criteria.
- Automated progress updates on dashboards.
- Reduced ambiguity to ensure reliable tracking.
Impact
Higher compliance
Fewer reporting errors
Real-time progress visibility
Misassigned Courses Disrupted Workflows
Insight 5: Users were frequently assigned incorrect courses or none at all, blocking tasks. ▸
- Incorrect or missing course assignments → workflow blocked
- Manual fixes increased error risk
- Slowed training completion
Solution 5: Automated and verified assignments ensured correct access and workflow continuity. ▸
To ensure momentum:
- Assigned courses based on roles, training requirements, and lab access.
- Alerts flagged misassignments before impact.
- Reduced manual intervention and ensured compliance.
Impact
Higher assignment accuracy
Fewer missed trainings
Faster user onboarding
