About the Project
This group project involved creating an online learning manual based on data, research, and insights gained from the public about how online learning has impacted them (both positively and negatively). Everything included in the manual except for the actual images (found through Unsplash) were created and designed by myself or someone in the group. The manual itself was constructed by me in InDesign.
Every group needs a leader and I decided to step up and be the one to make sure the project runs smoothly throughout the duration. I made it known what needs to get done, when it needs to get done, kept everyone on track, presented progress to the class, and made sure the group is meeting all deadlines.
Thought Process
Since I was the leader for this project, I felt it was appropriate for me to take the initiative in the layout/sketches of the manual. I would be the one constructing the manual in InDesign when it was time, and I enjoy having a basic idea of the look/feel I want to achieve before moving into it digitally.
Brainstorming
The first step to beginning the project involved a lot of brainstorming about the pros and cons of online learning, the main tabs that should be present throughout all online school platforms, personal experience with online learning, and ways to improve or navigate a platform easier. The team met on zoom to conduct the brainstorming and create a chart to keep the main ideas and topics organized.
Google Forms
A Google Forms survey was created and everyone in the group shared the link with others to get as many responses as possible within a 2-day period. The responses from people helped gain more knowledge of the common strengths and weaknesses that comes with online learning for people. The results then helped to create graphs, a journey map, and potential solutions to the main problem areas.
Personas
Personas were created to help give a sense of pain points, experience with online platforms, some background knowledge about them as a person, etc. to help try to understand the audience we'd be focusing on for the project.
The personas were meant to be diverse as online learning does not just involve students between the age of 18-24 but of all ages. There is no limit on how old you can be to go to school. People of a higher age that are not technically advanced can struggle immensely during online learning which is why the group wanted to touch on key points involving user-friendly solutions.
Results
Above are 3 graphs that were created and designed to go along with the results of some of the main questions that were found in the Google Forms survey. The first graph focused on the most popular platform used for online learning. The second graph focused on the number of classes people had that were completely online. The third graph focused on what type of learning people most preferred. Statistics following the graphs can be seen on the full PDF of the Online Learning Manual.
Customer Journey Map
A customer journey maps helps tell a story of a customer's experience dealing with a specific scenario. This journey map focuses on an undergraduate who wants to have more communication with professors. Each phase takes the viewer through the progress of the student being able to achieve more interaction with his professors and how he was able to get to the end result.
Feature List
The feature list helped focus on the main areas students wanted improvement with or have struggled with before when dealing with online learning. Relevant stories included typical questions students would ask about the given topic. User actions then focused on potential solutions of ways to adjust online learning platforms to help suit common student needs/wants when going to school. Dependencies focused on the main requirements in order to achieve the goals of improving the pain point. Lastly, the priority (1 being a main priority) helped us as a group focus on the area we felt were the most important for students in order to help them have the best online learning experience as possible.
Contributors
Lexi Macht, Kaylah Chester, Joel Fagans, & Ashley Widlund