CONTACT

REDROCK CONTENT TUTORING SCHEDULING REDESIGN

UC San Diego Association of Computing Machinery


Project Overview:

Role: Lead UX and Product Designer

Team: Ashley Nguyen, Ellen Chang, Joanne Tsai

Skills: User Interviews, User Research, UI Design, Prototyping

Timeline: September 2023 – January 2024

At UC San Diego, the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) has created an opportunity for students to create and design efficient mobile application per quarter. With our website, we intend to create a more accesible application that allows users to access information regarding content tutoring and schedule tutoring appointments at Geisel Library’s Teaching and Learning Commons.

PROBLEM:

How might we promote the tutoring services and improve user experiences with creating online appointments on Redrock?

What is RedRock?
RedRock is a platform or website associated with content tutoring services for UC San Diego undergraduate students. The platform appears to facilitate the scheduling of tutoring appointments for services related to course-specific learning skills and strategies.

Why redesign RedRock:

  1. Visual appeal
  2. Lack of comprehensive information
  3. No search functionality
  4. Need for streamlined navigation
  5. Compact interface

My Contributions

During the RedRock redesign initiative for the Geisel Library’s Teaching and Learning Commons tutoring scheduling webpage, I played a central role as the lead designer. My contributions began in the research phase, where I directed our efforts in conducting interviews, surveys, and usability tests. This work was crucial in uncovering user preferences and identifying common challenges faced by students and tutors alike. The insights gained from this research were instrumental in guiding the project’s direction, ensuring that the redesign met the actual needs of its users.

My involvement extended beyond research; I took the helm in the prototyping and wireframing stages of the design process. Leveraging my deep understanding of UX/UI design principles, I led the development of prototypes and wireframes that laid the foundation for our redesigned interface. These efforts were geared towards creating intuitive user flows and visually engaging interfaces that would significantly improve the usability and visual appeal of the RedRock scheduling webpage.

USER RESEARCH

Our research findings, derived from interviews with undergraduate students at UC San Diego through Google Forms and task-based interviews, uncovered several areas for improvement in the teaching and learning commons tutoring scheduling website:

  • Users struggled with menu options, search functionality, and overall portal navigation, indicating a need for a more intuitive layout and improved navigational aids.
  • Difficulties were noted in scheduling, canceling, and rescheduling appointments, highlighting the necessity for a more streamlined and user-friendly appointment management system.
  • Criticisms included small buttons, unclear affordances, and an outdated visual design in the user interface, suggesting that modernizing the design and focusing on clearer, more accessible elements are essential.
  • The search for availability feature was found to be confusing or challenging for users, pointing towards the importance of enhancing the clarity and functionality of the search tool.
  • Some users faced challenges in confirming or canceling appointments, underscoring the need to ensure reliability and ease in the appointment management process.

8/10 users had never heard of the Teaching and Learning Commons
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10/10 users took classes that had tutoring offered for them
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6/10 users took expressed confusion with the poor navigation when viewing the website

Competitive Analysis

UCI’s Cluttered Dropdown Interface: The interface from UCI utilizes dropdown menus for students to access drop-in hours and tutoring availability. Despite its intention to provide comprehensive options, the result is a cluttered layout requiring extensive scrolling. This observation influenced the design of our system to prioritize clarity and minimize the need for excessive navigation, aiming for a more streamlined and intuitive user experience.
UCLA’s Tutor Detail Approach: UCLA’s platform, while lacking an integrated tutoring scheduler, offers detailed information on each tutor, including methods of contact. This feature highlighted the importance of transparency and accessibility in tutor profiles. It informed our design decision to incorporate clear, detailed tutor information within a streamlined scheduling process, ensuring users have all necessary details at their fingertips without complicating the scheduling flow.
USC’s Streamlined Scheduling System: USC’s approach with a date and time scheduling system provides an efficient method for students to select classes, choose tutors, and schedule sessions. This model inspired our design by demonstrating the effectiveness of a straightforward scheduling process. It led to the adoption of a similar, user-friendly framework in our system, ensuring a consistent and hassle-free experience for scheduling tutoring sessions.

DESIGN PROCESS

Low Fidelity Prototypes

High Fidelity Prototypes

Solutions and Functions

Redesigned Welcome Screen Featuring Upcoming Appointments and Map: Experience a revamped starting screen that not only neatly displays your scheduled tutoring sessions but also integrates a dynamic map guiding you to the Teaching and Learning Commons in the Geisel Library. Enhanced with intuitive hover buttons, students can effortlessly explore the wide range of subjects available for tutoring, making the discovery process both engaging and efficient.
Enhanced Scheduling System for Effortless Appointment Setting: Dive into a seamlessly organized scheduling experience with our improved system. Navigate through a series of user-friendly screens designed to simplify the process of selecting your class, choosing the preferred date and time, and browsing available tutors. This streamlined approach ensures that finding the right tutor for your needs is quick, easy, and stress-free.

Final Prototype

Review and Reflection

The review of the portfolio’s last portion highlights several key areas for improvement. Firstly, it suggests conducting more in-depth interviews with individuals familiar with the Teaching and Learning Commons to gather comprehensive data. This would involve refining interview questions to elicit more thorough responses and insights. Additionally, the review emphasizes the importance of conducting further research and analysis on other tutoring websites to gain a broader understanding of industry practices and trends.

In reflection, it’s evident that there were challenges encountered throughout the project. Difficulty in coordinating meeting times within the group and limited access to data due to the Teaching and Learning Commons’ low visibility posed significant obstacles. Furthermore, certain constraints, such as the limited availability of classes and the system’s restriction on appointment scheduling, imposed additional limitations on the project’s scope and effectiveness. Moving forward, addressing these challenges and constraints will be crucial in refining the portfolio’s content and achieving its objectives more effectively.

Looking Forward

Looking towards the future, my team and I are committed to implementing several strategies to enhance the portfolio and improve the overall user experience. Firstly, we plan to dedicate specific portions of the website to different programs offered by the Teaching and Learning Commons, providing users with clear and comprehensive information tailored to their needs. Additionally, we aim to develop a robust tutor biography section, offering detailed profiles that highlight each tutor’s qualifications, expertise, and availability. Furthermore, we intend to revamp the scheduling system to provide greater flexibility and convenience for users, allowing for appointments to be made further in advance and streamlining the booking process. By focusing on these initiatives, we aim to elevate the portfolio’s functionality and usability, ultimately better serving the needs of our audience and maximizing the impact of the Teaching and Learning Commons.