Challenge
Design thinking is a human-centered, prototype-driven process for innovation that can be applied to product, service, and business design.
Our challenge during the Design Innovation course was to reflect on where in your digital life there is a platform or application that isn't serving your interests as well as it could be and propose a clear solution to resolve that pain point.
Objective
My team took a look at an app we all commonly use in our everyday lives as students: Canvas!
We quickly came to a consensus that the discussion-based assignments were extremely inefficient and this inefficiency had a direct impact on the students' productivity and output.
Building on this understanding, our goal was to redesign Canvas Discussions and establish a holistic product development framework within the context of a larger corporate entity, Instructure.
User Persona
Journey Map
Voice of the User:
Current State
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"Honestly, I think I could be more thoughtful with these [assignments] if they didn't take so long to just sort through" - graduate student, 30
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"I hate scrolling through 200+ posts just to find one that doesn’t already have a reply" - graduate student, 24
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“I know I could probably get [Discussions] done quicker but there’s so much scrolling, it’s annoying." - graduate student, 27
Canvas Discussion Interface
Our Proposal
Voice of the User:
Using the Prototype Demo
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"I really like this - I can see this making my life easier - I didn’t even realize that is what I needed." - graduate student, 25
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"I like that I could also filter to see my own replies because I do like to go back and check what I said." - graduate student, 24
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“The sorting and filtering is awesome - what a great idea!" - graduate student, 27
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"Wow, I’m surprised something this simple doesn’t already exist in Canvas - it makes so much sense." - graduate student, 30
Value Added
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Engagement: Enhanced student engagement and improved learning outcomes
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Time Efficiency: An estimated 20-40 minutes saved with the addition of the new features
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Accessibility: Reduce excessive scrolling and eyestrain
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Productivity: Increased productivity and focus to complete the assignment
Why does this matter?
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Instructure's Mission: [They are] “an education technology company with a mission to elevate student success, amplify the power of teaching, and inspire everyone to learn together.”
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Canvas's Value: “Our software makes lifelong learning easier. We strive for clarity and ease of use across the board, from product design to communication to customer experience. Simpler is smarter.”
Our proposed feature aligns with Instructure and Canvas's mission to elevate student success in a clear and simple way.
Reflections
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Simple is valuable: In the beginning, our team had a hard time pinpointing an app that we wanted to redesign. We brainstormed and thought of all kinds of different and overly complicated new ideas for existing apps. Once we shifted perspective and started focusing on what was currently around us, we were able to find specific user frustrations concerning something we were all very familiar with, the Canvas app. Our simple proposal has proven to be something current students wish to see in Canvas in the future.
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Designing with the Business in mind: Our design came to fruition after creating User Personas, Journey Maps, Lean, Value Canvas, Business Model Canvas, Minimum Viable Product, Value Proposition Canvas, and a Positioning Statement. Not only do I have to have the user in mind when I design, I also have to think about how my design will impact the business.