UX DESIGN CASE STUDY
My Role​
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UX Researcher
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Conducted Competitive Analysis
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Created Wireframes
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Collected & Refined Feedback
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Built Clickable Prototype
Tool Used
Google Forms, Figma, FigJam, Canva
Project Overview
This project aimed to improve the assignment experience within Blackboard, a learning management system used by post-secondary institutions. Based on personal frustrations and peer feedback, I redesigned the assignment section to be more intuitive, centralized, and student-friendly. The redesign introduces a unified "Assignments" hub, clearer submission flows, and visual enhancements like color-coded tags and linked materials. I applied heuristic evaluation, student surveys, and usability testing to validate the improvements.
This project began with a personal frustration.
As a student managing six courses on Blackboard, I spent far too much time just trying to find my assignments. Each professor used different folder names “Assignments,” “Assessments,” or custom labels—and even the course codes (like DESI800-F24-101-1743-K) made it hard to remember what was. Submitting assignments felt clunky, especially when typing and uploading simultaneously caused the input field to shift.
I knew this wasn't just my experience—so I turned the pain point into a UX challenge:
How might we make the Blackboard Assignment section more intuitive, consistent, and supportive for students juggling multiple courses and deadlines?
The Design Process
Discover
Gain user insight and understand the challenges, look for idea
Ideation
Gather ideas and create sketches, low-fidelity wireframes.
Design
Test and refine the design based on feedback; create high-fidelity wireframes
User Testing
Present the final design with clickable prototype
Discover
Online Survey
I distributed a Google Forms survey to 18 fellow students. Key findings included:
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55.6% of users relied on the "Assignments" folder, while 44.4% used alternative paths like Assessment or Calendar.
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77.8% of respondents expressed a desire for quicker access to upcoming deadlines.
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66.7% requested links between assignments and relevant course materials.
Sometimes it’s hard to navigate the Assignments section. I have to dig through different folders just to find something.
I'd love a setup where I can move effortlessly between lectures, reviews, instructions, and assignment submissions, all in one place.
Professors all use Blackboard differently. It’s confusing
I need to review the lectures so that I can work on the assignments, but Blackboard is not letting me do it in a seamless way
Ideation
Problem Statement
Students need a clearer, more consistent way to find, submit, and track assignments because the current system is fragmented, instructor-dependent, and cognitively overwhelming.​
Design Phase
These wireframes were refined into high-fidelity prototypes built in Figma, covering both mobile and desktop interfaces.
1. Unified Assignment Hub
2. Redesigned Submission Flow
3. Direct Links to Course Materials:
User Testing
What I Planned (the results will be updated later)
To validate the usability of the redesign, I planned six in-person usability sessions with fellow students.
Format:
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Location: St. Lawrence College
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Method: Think-aloud tasks using the Figma prototype
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Sessions: 30–45 minutes (recorded with permission)
Key Tasks:
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Find an upcoming assignment
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Submit an assignment
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Find relevant lecture
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Check its status
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Sort assignments by course
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Enable a reminder
Feedback will inform high-fidelity refinements.
