04 tahvel — Helen Bender

A designer led by curiosity and empathy.

Through my portfolio, I invite you to explore my journey as a designer and the projects that reflect my commitment to human-centered design.

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PROJECT

STUDY INFORMATION SYSTEM TAHVEL

RESEARCH TEAM

Helen Bender, Ane Laande, Kelly Kaldra, Hanna Samantha Raidma, Ingrid Tärk

MENTORS

Kaspar Roost, Paula Koppel, Marilyn Koitnurm

Estonian Academy of Arts x Tahvel
2022

UX/UI
USER RESEARCH
PROTOTYPING
TESTING

BRIEF

Improve the study information system Tahvel that is used by universitites and vocational schools across Estonia. We conducted research in groups of five and went forwards to find solutions to different problems individually.

A challenge was the fact that Tahvel is used by 42 vocational schools and univerities across Estionia.
This is one of the reasons it has had it’s fair share of complaints – it’s difficult to meet everyone’s needs.

INTRODUCTION

According to HARNO (The Estonian Education and Youth Board), the study information system TAHVEL is described as follows: "The aim of the project is to make the administration of learning in vocational schools and universities of applied sciences more efficient, the communication between the parties more digital and operational,
in order to create the prerequisites for the future introduction of a unified learning information system across all levels of education."

However, with the introduction of the Tahvel platform at the EKA in 2020, a number of shortcomings have emerged in the aforementioned operations. Based on the Estonian saying "Where you see a mistake, come and help", the specialisation project of the second autumn semester of the digital product design course at the EKA focused on the development of Tahvel. Based on input from the users' perspective, we proposed changes to the learning information system and possible user-friendly solutions from the perspective of lecturers, administrative staff and students.

PROJECT OUTLINE

Qualitative and quantitative user research

  Competitor mapping

   Personas

       Choose one to focus on

           Paper prototype

               Figma

                Testing with users

                       Presentation

Through a 15-week long iterative design process, we collectively worked to improve Tahvel, with each team member selecting a specific platform element to address and proposing a prototype solution. In my case, I focused on enhancing the academic performance page from a student's perspective.

USER RESEARCH

Our user research course served as a valuable foundation for our project, providing essential insights. We conducted qualitative research by interviewing students from EKA and other universities as well to gain a understanding of their usage habits with Tahvel, including both positive aspects and concerns. Additionally, we extended our research to users of other study information systems (like Tartu Ülikool which uses ÕIS2) to obtain a comprehensive overview of the landscape. Collaborating in groups of five, we compiled the interview data into a spreadsheet, searching for recurring patterns.

From these interviews, we derived four distinct personas that represented our user base. One particular persona, Amanda, stood out, serving as a focal point throughout my design process. Amanda's perspective was essential, as she believed that any challenges with Tahvel were her own shortcomings rather than issues with the system. My primary objective was to address this problem and make the system more user-friendly.

In addition to qualitative research, we distributed a survey to quantify our findings. These quantitative findings further informed our project's direction and priorities. We then assigned each student to improve one aspect of the platform and as mentioned before – mine was to iterate the academic performance view. Notably, the survey results revealed that 76% of respondents accessed their grade information through Tahvel, yet a significant 67% expressed dissatisfaction with their experience.

To gain deeper insights into the user journey that a student takes to view their grades, we utilized journey mapping, tracking each step alongside the associated emotions while taking them. This approach allowed us to identify potential pain points and areas that required improvement within the user experience. Some of the problems that arose are as follows:

The information tables were not accsesible by mobile phone.

One noteworthy discovery from the interviews was that the presence of red and bold minuses showing the required EAPs, elicited an immediate negative emotional response from users. This made them feel as if they were lagging behind or acutely aware of the amount of work left to accomplish.

Unexplained terminology like “RR muutused”. Do I need do see my ID-number and birthday when looking for academic results?

DESIGN PHASE

Once I had defined the project's target, I embarked on the prototyping phase. My journey began with sketching ideas on paper, and later I assembled the fundamental building blocks in Figma. Over the course of four weeks, the prototype underwent significant evolution. I found myself experimenting with various information table designs to ensure accessibility of information on mobile devices.

Drawing inspiration from other study information systems, I also incorporated graphical representations to convey academic performance and key insights.

During this process, I conducted user testing sessions, which provided invaluable insights. Early on, I recognized the need to refine the scenario descriptions and avoid offering hints. With each passing week, I gained greater confidence in the testing process, refining it further. User testing played an invaluable role in shaping the project, providing essential insights and sparking ideas that I wouldn't have generated independently.

THE SOLUTION

Tahvel could be more than just a database.

Positioned at the top of the page is a summary of curriculum completion in the form of a graphic element, encompassing both credits (EAP) and percentage progress, along with the average grade. Within the table, subjects and grades are categorized by semester, featuring a color-coded visual representation for quick status assessment, which can be expanded to reveal more detailed information.

I ditched the horisontal scrolling, which is unnatural to do on a mobile device and instead the subjects are arranged in a vertical view and can be opened to see further information. In addition, I incorporated a filtering and search feature to access subjects quickly without having to scroll for a long time.

Notably, during testing, it was intriguing to observe that testers instinctively clicked on the scale graphic positioned at the top of the screen to access negative results. In response, I introduced an option to access the filter directly from this point.

When looking at the modules view, users can swiftly assess their progress, with the option to dive deeper for more comprehensive insights As I mentioned earlier, when we were employing the journey mapping method, we discovered that the inclusion of red and bold minuses to represent the required EAPs generated an instant negative emotional response among users. To address this issue, I implemented a more neutral scale beneath each module, indicating the percentage of completion and transitioning to green as progress is made.

Organized and visualized information

Search function and filters

Module view with a progress bar

One word to summarize the project is user-centricity.

While Tahvel contains a wealth of information to present, the use of different wording and interface elements has the potential to
elevate it from a mere database into a user-friendly tool.

Check out the interactive prototype here.

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