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Canvas

Learning Management System

Canvas

Learning Management System

Canvas

Learning Management System

O V E R V I E W

Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) is pivotal in digital education, yet users often encounter challenges such as a steep learning curve for advanced features, inconsistent performance across browsers, and limited customization.

M Y R O L E

Environmental Analysis, Designing and Analyzing Online Surveys, Analyzing Qualitative & Quantitative Data, Performing User Interviews, Developing Product Strategy and Architecture, Prototyping, Usability Testing, Gathering Feedback, and Implementing Iterations.

C L I E N T

Indiana University, Indianapolis

I N D U S T R Y

EdTech

D U R A T I O N

March 2024

3 Months

March 2024

3 Months

T O O L S

P R O B L E M O V E R V I E W

We started by understanding Canvas

struggles across all users

We started by understanding Canvas

struggles across all users

We started by understanding Canvas struggles across all users

Inefficient Visual Structure

Users navigate through a cluttered interface with poor visual hierarchy, hindering their experience.

Inefficient Visual Structure

Navigation Challenges

Users encounter confusing navigation in course sections, leading to misclicks and inefficiencies.

Navigation Challenges

Accessibility Issue

Users find inaccessible features that hinder

effective engagement in daily activities.

Accessibility Issue

Users find inaccessible features that hinder effective engagement in daily activities.

Inefficient Shortcuts

Users struggle with ineffective shortcuts

due to poor naming, size, and placement.

Inefficient Shortcuts

User Retention Issues

Users frequently switch to alternative platforms

for various tasks, disrupting overall efficiency.

User Retention Issues

Users frequently switch to alternative platforms for various tasks, disrupting overall efficiency.

D E S I G N P R O C E S S

This meant adopting a user-centered

approach to get real answers

This meant adopting a user-centered

approach to get real answers

This meant adopting a user-centered approach to get real answers

Our redesign process began with comprehensive research on primary users—Students, Professors, and Administration Staff. After gathering user insights, we selected one focus group. We analyzed findings, ideated solutions, designed prototypes, with multiple testing cycles before presenting our work.

U X R

Our research began with diving

deep into existing problems

Our research began with diving

deep into existing problems

A five-stage process transformed data into actionable

insights for students, professors & administrative staff.

A five-stage process transformed data into actionable insights for students, professors & administrative staff.

A five-stage process transformed data into actionable

insights for students, professors & administrative staff.

ONLINE SURVEYS: The questionnaire included 10 high-level survey questions, yielding 25 online responses, with 18 respondents expressing interest in participating further.

HEURISTIC EVALUATION

Nielsen's Heuristic Evaluation identified key issues: Information overload, excessive jargon, missing 'Back' buttons, inconsistent layouts and unclear tab functions. These insights informed our design improvements.

P R O J E C T S C O P E

But we had to make a crucial decision:

who deserves our focus?

But we had to make a crucial decision: who deserves our focus?

As the research progressed, we had to decide who our design should serve.

Students, Professors or Administrative Staff?

U S E R A N A L Y S I S

We chose students -

they're hit 🥊hardest by usability issues

Creating personas based on real data

We chose students -

they're hit hardest by usability issues

Creating personas based on real data.

We developed two student personas to accurately capture their attributes, identifying critical themes in the user experience.

Students had plenty to say about Canvas problems

U S A B I L I T Y M E T R I C S

Then we observed how students

actually interact with Canvas

Then we observed how students

actually interact with Canvas

To gain a deeper understanding, we observed real students using Canvas.

We conducted 10 observational tasks with 16 students to evaluate their interactions with the LMS interface, capturing key usability metrics like Duration, Click Count, Success Rate, and Satisfaction Scores (SEQ and SUS). User performances were measured with KPIs, including Success Rate, Time on Task, and CSAT, providing a comprehensive view of user flow, pain points, and overall experience.

Get High-Res Usability Metrics & KPIs here.

4/10

tasks had 100% Success Rates

87.5

seconds total time for 10 tasks

9.72

seconds average time per task

57.5%

average Error Occurrence Rate with Tasks 2 and 6 at 100%

80.62

average SUS Score

3.47

average SEQ

50%

User Satisfaction Score

The real breakthrough came when patterns started emerging

Our insights highlight the need for strong user support from the beginning. Improving interface organization and navigation boosts usability, while clear feature access increases engagement and retention.

Challenge 1

Enhancing Visual Hierarchy

Challenge 2

Reducing Navigation Cognitive Load

Challenge 3 & 4

Optimizing Feature Accessibility & Shortcuts

Challenge 5

Improving User Retention

I D E A T I O N

While ideating, we asked: what if we just rearranged what was already there?

Too many useful features were hidden. We surfaced the best features so students could focus on what mattered.

W I R E F R A M E S

Low-Fidelity

Mid-Fidelity

Further development improved the course landing page and streamlined the messaging system, introducing shortcuts to reduce task time and clicks.

Hi-Fidelity

Low-Fidelity

Mid-Fidelity

Further development improved the course landing page and streamlined the messaging system, introducing shortcuts to reduce task time and clicks.

Hi-Fidelity

I S T H E R E D E S I G N E A S Y T O U S E ?

To make sure our ideas worked, we

ran usability tests with the students

To make sure our ideas worked, we ran usability tests with real students.

The usability of the new designs was tested in an unmoderated setting with 12 participants. The results are summarized below.

6 hours spent on testing

10 tasks per person

95%

Easiness rate

96%

Success rate

The testing revealed issues we hadn't anticipated

A list of most frequent and most severe usability issues that the testers faced.

10/12 found the Dashboard cluttered with too many widgets.

12/12 were confused by different colors for subjects in the calendar.

10/12 were confused about finding and messaging people.

U S A B I L I T Y C H A N G E S

From here, we went after the biggest frustrations:

messy dashboards and confusing colors

From here, we went after the biggest frustrations: messy dashboards and confusing colors

Before - Dashboard

After - Dashboard

R E S U L T S

Here's how our changes performed

against the original Canvas

Here's how our changes performed against the original Canvas

The following metrics are based on a comparison with the existing LMS platform and are focused on a selected number of tasks.

Get High-Res Canvas Optimization Blueprint here.

36.2%

increase in Average Success Rate from 65% to 100%

14.1

seconds reduction in overall task time

2.37

seconds average reduction per task

average Error Occurrence Rate with 57.5% improvement

91.13

average SUS Score with a 13% rise

+2.1

improvement in SEQ

100%

User Satisfaction Score

F I N A L S C R E E N S

Finally, we designed solutions that don't 🥊hit them hard anymore

F I N A L S C R E E N S

Fixing What Slowed

Students Down.

C HA L L E N G E 1

How do we fix the cluttered, confusing visual hierarchy?

Visual hierarchy that guides

students through their tasks

C H A L L E N G E 1

How do we fix the cluttered, confusing visual hierarchy?

Visual hierarchy that guides

students through their tasks

The design enhanced visual hierarchy by employing a vibrant color palette and clear section delineation for visual hierarchy, customizable widgets for task prioritization, and intuitive navigation elements, enhancing usability and accessibility while aligning with heuristic principles.

Customizable widgets that adapt to

how each student works

Customizable widgets that adapt to

how each student works

Improved dashboard with

customizable widgets.

Multiple layouts because no two

students are the same

3-Course Dashboard

6-Course Dashboard

C HA L L E N G E 2

The design optimized course navigation by consolidating tabs into a list layout, enhancing accessibility and reducing navigation time through clear labels, visual hierarchy, and intuitive design, while feedback mechanisms keep users informed and minimize misclicks.

How do we reduce confusing navigation that causes misclicks?

Navigation that thinks

like students do

C H A L L E N G E 2

How do we reduce confusing navigation that causes misclicks?

Navigation that thinks

like students do

C HA L L E N G E 3

C H A L L E N G E 3

How do we fix Canvas's accessibility issues?

Quick reminders for

assignments

How do we fix Canvas's accessibility issues?

Quick reminders for

assignments

Enhanced accessibility with a personalized reminders shortcut and a "+" icon for quick To-Do additions, boosting visibility and engagement.

C HA L L E N G E 4

C H A L L E N G E 4

How do we redesign poorly designed shortcuts?

Focused shortcuts

that actually work

How do we redesign poorly designed shortcuts?

Focused shortcuts

that actually work

Improved shortcut effectiveness with clearer naming, larger buttons, and strategic repositioning based on user task flows.

The shortcut icon for quick submission, bypassing the lengthy conventional process.

Improved shortcut effectiveness with clearer naming, larger buttons, and strategic repositioning based on user task flows.

C HA L L E N G E 5

C H A L L E N G E 5

How do we improve user retention and stop platform switching?

Communication tools that

make students want to stay

How do we improve user retention and stop platform switching?

Communication tools that

make students want to stay

The redesign improves usability by effectively integrating messaging and collaboration tools, enabling seamless peer interactions and access to course histories, which fosters a supportive learning community and drives higher user satisfaction and retention on the platform.

Reflection

Key Learnings &

Take-aways