The LeanSuite Learning Management System
Client Whirlpool, Mount Franklin Foods, Moura, etc
Product Learning Management System
Timeline 3 Months
Role UX UX Researcher, UX/UI Designer
Tools Figma, Jira, Miro, Pen and Paper
Background
Manufacturing companies urgently need a Learning Management System (LMS) to bridge skill gaps and ensure all employees reach the required level of competence.
Previously, most manufacturing companies depended on in-class training, which often involved extensive paperwork. Now, these companies have engaged The LeanSuite to transition their training programs online while still accommodating in-classroom sessions, streamlining the entire training process.
Project Challenge
How might we support administrators in assigning courses best suited for employees?
After evaluating the manufacturing operations, the clients highlighted the inefficiencies in their fragmented, paper-based training approach and emphasized its cost implications. The decision was made to develop a corporate LMS focused on complying with regulations and bridging skill gaps. The new system needed to encompass all aspects, such as assigning the correct employees to appropriate training, to guarantee operational efficiency and effectiveness.
Problem
Manufacturing admins struggle to find time to identify the right people for training
Many LMS systems lack integration of specific skill-based role definitions, which poses a significant challenge for administrators when assigning trainees to courses. Since manufacturing roles are specifically defined by skill sets, the absence of this feature in LMS platforms can hinder efficient and accurate course assignments, making it difficult for admins to match training opportunities with the appropriate personnel based on their competency levels.
Goals
Enhance manufacturing efficiency and employee skills through CMS and LMS integration
Business Goal
User Goal
Automate the identification of training needs aimed at closing skill gaps and ensuring compliance, thereby enhancing operational efficiency and maintaining a competitive edge in the market.
Utilize the CMS-LMS integration to access personalized training recommendations.
Solution
You can manage course assignments swiftly and adeptly with The LeanSuite LMS’s automated CMS, ensuring individuals and teams are promptly enrolled in necessary training
User Research & Findings
Exposing Training Disconnects: A Path to Streamlined Learning
To identify the painpoints and shortcomings, I engaged in discussions with key stakeholders, developers, and the creators of The LeanSuite, and examined the existing data.
Complex Training Requirements
- Each role in manufacturing requires skills in specific competencies.
- Traditional methods are unable to match individual learning needs with company goals.
Get rid of the busywork
Manually Sifting through stacks of employee files to assess skills and training needs turns hours into days.
The manual work to go through spreadsheets and sign-off sheets opens the door to inconsistencies that can delay training outcomes.
- High administrative effort to re-assign courses.
Design Principles
Drawing from the discovery phase insights, I established three core design principles to guide the development of the Admin portal interface for course assignments.
Smart Automation
Design the interface to intuitively show how automated processes use CMS data for course assignments, eliminating manual input.
Custom Course Creation
Enables admins to tailor courses for teams or individuals to boost team dynamics or personal growth on an intuitive platform.
Facilitate Data-driven Decisions
Displaying key CMS details affecting course assignments, like achievement and prerequisite levels
Jobs to be done framework
Whiteboarding
I opted for a whiteboard approach to low-fidelity design due to time constraints, aiming to ensure clarity and inclusivity within the team. By simplifying the visuals, we focused more on the process flow, making it easier for everyone, regardless of their UX background, to follow along.
This streamlined approach allowed us to transition quickly to high-fidelity designs using established component libraries from previous projects. Given the limited scope for changes and control in low-fidelity, this method emphasized efficiency and process over aesthetics
Design Iteration 1
Seamless Course Assignment for Individual Learners
Upon clicking 'Add New' from the Assignees tab, admins will be directed to the 'Assign Course to Individual' screen by default. Based on feedback gathered, stakeholders have indicated that when assigning a course to an individual, they are confident in their competence and already know which course to assign. After much discussions, we figured that CMS integration was unnecessary for this screen. I aimed to develop a seamless yet efficient method for admins to assign courses
ORIGINAL
Complete overview
The original design of a user interface for assigning a course to an individual within a LMS. This interface serves as a rough draft, a starting point to refine and evolve the user experience.
ITERATION 1
Radio button selection
I added radio buttons and a clear heading to simplify recipient type selection for course assignments, eliminating ambiguity. The course field was also moved to the top, as admins typically know which course they intend to enroll an individual in upon entering this screen.
AFTER
Rich Text Editor
I updated the LMS interface to clearly mark required fields with an asterisk for user clarity, grouped related fields for a more logical workflow, and added a rich text editor to allow admins to craft engaging and readable messages.
Design Iteration 2
Seamless CMS-Powered LMS Course Allocation
I streamlined team course assignments in the CMS: admins enter key details, and the system recommends courses based on department schedules and user competencies. It also identifies skill gaps, helping admins train employees effectively for practical application. It also highlights skill gaps, enabling admins to tailor training for immediate workplace application.
BEFORE
Full Disclosure
In this design, suggested learners appear in a dropdown after filling out prior fields, but this obscured the visibility of skill gaps and made the form too long, causing cognitive overload.
AFTER
Progressive Disclosure
To enhance usability, I moved the 'Suggested Learners' section to the following screen, reducing the need for excessive scrolling when admins are adding multiple users, thereby simplifying the selection process
Design Iteration 3
Tailored Suggestions to Meet Admin Goals
The suggested learners dropdown was designed to enable admins to quickly identify each user's skill gaps. Recognizing these gaps ensures that training is both relevant and targeted, enhancing effectiveness and optimizing resource allocation.
BEFORE
Skill Gaps after selection
Administrators struggled with the dropdown because they wanted to see users' skill gaps during selection.
AFTER
Information icon
The original dropdown was user-friendly but only displayed skill gaps after adding a user, hindering efficient decision-making. To address this, I added an icon that allows admins to quickly view each user's skill gaps during the selection process.
Future Proofing
Crafting a better CMS & LMS integration
A seemingly simple component revealed multiple issues, significantly impacting the user experience. Below, I outline insights and design decisions to aimed at enhancing usability.
FINAL DESIGN
Designing an automated competency user table
The original dropdown was straightforward but didn't show users' skill gaps during selection, only revealing these details after a user was added, which slowed down efficient decision-making. Displaying all suggested users alongside their skill gaps proved helpful. Users who are not recommended but still qualify are shown in grey, highlighting their eligibility to participate.
Endorsements
Angad Singh
Founder of The LeanSuite
Vanessa is highly talented, creative, and hardworking. She’ll be a great asset to any team that’s lucky enough to have her. She worked on creating new user interfaces and guidelines for our mobile app and web platforms. She always went above and beyond to make sure the products she ships are not only intuitive and engaging, but also aligned with the real needs and behaviors of our users. Her meticulous attention to detail and profound understanding of mobile design instantly impressed me, as did her commitment to thoroughly researching and integrating these approaches into her designs.
Aileen Ngyuyen
Digital Marketing Specialist
It gives me great pleasure to recommend Vanessa for any professional endeavour she may pursue. Throughout my time working with Vanessa, I have been impressed with her professionalism, creativity, and dedication to delivering results. Her ability to collaborate with others and her willingness to go above and beyond to ensure success truly set her apart. I highly recommend Vanessa for any role that requires a skilled and dedicated professional. She is an outstanding individual and it has been a pleasure working alongside her.
Product Shipped
All manufacturing employees experience the work I've done
It's a tremendous privilege to have ownership of a project that will be seen and experienced by so many in the manufacturing industry, especially as this is one of the products I've successfully shipped at LeanSuite.
Retrospective after the project
1. Talking to everyone, including those you don't work with directly
This is relevant for both projects and personal interactions. I encountered many questions during my project, and by consulting with various people from different departments, such as LeanSuite's founders and the engineering team, I was able to avoid assumptions and support my design decisions.
2. Testing Different Approaches
Experimenting with both full disclosure and progressive disclosure helped determine the best method for presenting information. This was key to enhancing user satisfaction and performance, showing that different contexts and tasks might require different approaches.
3. Importance of Scalability
As the system was designed for a facility with potentially numerous users, ensuring the system could handle large amounts of data efficiently without compromising performance was a lesson in scalability and system design.
Empathy in Every Pixel
© Created by Vanessa Tan 2024
Vanessatan.vht@gmail.com