The Dfree Global Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization charged with leading the African American community to financial freedom through content, curriculum, training, tools and access to professionals.
"How might we redesign our LMS so that it encourages more users to enroll and graduate?"
In 2021 the foundation launched the inagural class of their LMS, the dfree® Online Academy. The founder and investors were concerned about the enrollment and completion percentages after reviewing the analytics at the end of the year.
They believe the solution is to redesign the LMS.
To begin this research, I started by interviewing key stakeholders to identify the following:
Target Audience?
Expected Timeline?
Goals For Product?
Before trying to identify a new destination, it's important to understand where you have been before. I synthesized a collection of previous analytic spreadsheets into 2 key insights:
"There can often be a difference between what users SAY and what users actually DO.
I wonder if we will discover any..."
To begin empathizing with Dfree users, I conducted interviews with users who have graduated users as they have been the most responsive.
Once I identified the 10 questions that I wanted to ask in the interviews, I sat down with 6 Academy Graduates to better understand their experience using the learning management system (LMS).
After concluding the user interviews, I was able to find 6 additional users that agreed to participate in a Moderated Usability Study via Loop11. This helped me identify needs, motivations, or challenges that they were not aware of—and therefore not able to articulate.
The KPI's I was interested in were Time on Task, Lostness score, and System Usability Scale number.
In the user interviews we asks participants how they would rate their overall experience. Although majority of participants had no quorums about their experience, many of the moderated usability study participants appeared visibly frustrated.
A few notable insights from the study are:
Thanks to the user interviews I was able to find out that our users have pursued other learning platforms in the past. Half of the users interviewed mentioned taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University course or a course from Coursera.
The top 3 strengths are that they:
Using the responses and insights from user research, I was able to identify pain points that fall under the 2 categories of usability and accessibility.
Usability:
Accessibility:
Now that I have an idea of the issues that our users face, it was important to sit down with 5 key stakeholders to begin ideating through the potential solutions. I sat down with the project manager, web developer, director of finance, and the current LMS manager.
How Might We - motivate more users to enroll and complete the academy by improving ease of use?
How Might We - redesign our LMS in a way that is more inclusive and accessible?
"Out with the old, and in with the new!"
We simplified processes and focused on improving navigation in the new design.
We used this redesign opportunity to focus on accessibility in order to address pain points and make sure our users know we are thinking about them.
"Although the design changed, did we actually create a better design?"
User Flows
Although we had to add steps to the new enrollement user flow for security reasons, users were able to complete it quicker than they were the previous flow.
After A/B testing the dark screen to the light screens, we discovered that more users preferred them because they match the theme of the dashboard and course screens.
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This project took 8 months to build out and was launched at the beginning of October 2022.
Designing a new LMS has been rewarding in many ways. Although there were many things done correctly, there were some things I could have done better looking back.
What could I have done better?
What lessons have I learned?
In order to empathize with users I conducted research and converted that data to visual designs.
I created a design system and prototypes to reflect solutions that came about through research.
The use of apps have become more prevalent in our fast-paced society. It's important that therapy is not undermined as an outdated resource, but instead given the chance to adapt to the technological advances of the world.
"How might we create an app that allows users to find a therapist more efficiently than they ever have before?"
Although mental health has become less stigmatized over the years, getting help still produces uncomfortable feelings in many. People recognize that the current process of finding a therapist can be time-consuming, and overwhelming.
Before proceeding with interviews, I conducted research that ended up influencing the questions that I asked interviewees. My top 3 findings can be categorized using the quotes below:
"74% [of Millennials and Generation Z] say that they’d rather see a doctor through telemedicine." - harvardpilgrim.org
"While some millennials can't afford to get help, they're more likely to go to therapy than previous generations, destigmatizing the concept in the process." - businessinsider.com
"Growing up in a hyper-connected world can evoke intense feelings of isolation and loneliness in some youth." - aecf.org
"Who are the users and what do they need?"
Once I identified the 7 questions that I wanted to ask in the interviews, I sat down with 10 unique individuals to pick their mind about the topic of therapy.
During the interviews I was able to discover what features users may want to see in a therapy scheduling mobile app. The top features discussed are:
5 out of the 10 participants have pursued therapy in the past, which is where they discovered the importance of journaling.
Who actually prefers emails? (Me and probably 1% of the human population.) But out of my interviewees, 4 out of 10 expressed the desire to have the ability to speak to their potential therapist through an impersonal medium rather than email them about everything.
"If I don't get a calendar invite, I'll probably forget about it". This sentiment is a quote from 1 participant but was echoed by 3 out of the 10 in their own unique ways.
After conducting research and user interviews, I was able to identify the 4 different pain points that users experience. I categorized the pain points using actual quotes from the interviewees.
"I know I'll be here for a while..."
Pain Point: Users believe the current process of tracking down a therapist takes too long and has discouraged them for pursuing one.
"My mom told me not to talk to strangers.."
Pain Point: It’s difficult to know if a therapist is a right fit for a user just based off of a brief bio and no reviews.
"Why do I have to conduct interviews?"
Pain Point: Users typically have to book a consultation with a therapist before they are able to know if a therapist can accommodate their schedule.
"It's all greek to me"
Pain Point: Users may not understand common mental health issues/illnesses which can hinder how well they recognize these issues in themselves.
"Who are we competing against and what are they doing?"
Psychology Today, and Therapy for Black Girls (TFBG) are the therapy sites that are used by the users I interviewed. According to research, BetterHelp is one of the most downloaded therapy apps as of today.
I did a competitive analysis to explore their strengths and weaknesses.
Jakob's Law states that users prefer applications to work the same way as all the other applications they already know.
I utilized the competitive audit to find common insights in their design models that my app could benefit from.
The competitors do a great job of highlighting the resources they have to offer and structuring the copy on their sites.
Accessibility isn't a focal point in TFBG and Better Help. Assuring that accessibility is considered in our design will not only result in the Curb-Cut Effect, but will also serve as a competitive advantage.
TFBG and BetterHelp have a great mobile experience although the platforms use a large amount copy. I want to design this experience in an aesthetically pleasing & minimalist way so it stands out from our competitors.
How Might We - make users feel that the process for finding a therapist is quick and easy?
How Might We - find ways to accurately showcase a therapist's credibility, and provide a sense of comfortability for the user?
How Might We - find ways to make users feel confident that the therapist they're pursing can accommodate their schedule?
How Might We - make users feel knowledgable about common mental health issues/terminology they may see?
After deliberating between a variety of different names for this product, I decided on TheraMeet.
"Welcome To TheraMeet :)"
I was able to create more than 20 different versions of pages that could possibly included in the app.
Pages that include, but are not limited to scheduling, chat, and journal screens because there was a high demand from the interviewees.
Hicks's Law suggest that more choices users have to select from, the longer it takes for them to make a decision.
Simplifying processes throughout the application helps to assure the application is not adding to any frustrations users may already be coming in with.
I used digital wireframes to organize the information architecture in a visually appealing way. In this process I was able to identify the elements I wanted to move forward with and see reflected in TheraMeet!
"Let Thera Be Light!"
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"It looks good, but let's put it to the test!"
After conducting the 4 Moderated Usability studies via zoom, I was able to gather a multitude of insights. These insights would lead me to redesign certain parts of the app.
I catergorized the top 4 key insights using real quotes from users.
"I like the look, but the colors don't really pop."
"This screen isn't too exciting. It seems bland."
"Would I have to look up the definitions on my own?"
"I wouldn't want to spend time guessing what each icon represents."
"Do users actually perfer the changes?"
To determine which designs users preferred I conducted A/B testing on 10 individuals using UsabilityHub.com.
This project took 4 months to build out and was designed for Google's UX Certificate program.
Understanding human behavior has always been a passion of mine, so to have the opportunity to find different ways to understand my end users was very fulfilling. As I reflect on this experience, there are 2 questions that I ask myself.
What could I have done better?
What lessons have I learned?
I worked collaboratively with a Web Development to build out a responsive website for my multimedia design company.
Touched Media LLC was founded in February of 2019. We specialize in designing professional minimalist logos, motion graphics and event posters.
After formulating the idea of Touched Media, I sought out a web developer that could bring my vision to life.
With the help of competitive audits I was able to set prices at an affordable rate for small business owners. Affordable prices, alongside specific goals to drive brand awareness and website traffic, helped increase sales and customer retention.
After the developer laid out his design process, I was able to create mockups that reflected my ideas. I was also responsible for designing all the assets that would live in the site.
The process took 4 months to complete.
As the founder of Touched Media LLC, I had the privilege of creating a variety of different digital elements for more than 100 different brands and businesses.
Logos are an important component to brand identity for clients. Unique businesses like theirs needs a unique logo!
For clients who needed a creative way to really engage their audience. A professional motion graphic will give you the chance to visually captivate your consumers.
Posters are a great tool for clients who would like to promote events, or provide information about brand updates.
