This past semester, I had the opportunity to take a UX/UI design class where we collaborated in teams, took on specific roles, and partnered with real-world companies to tackle design challenges throughout the semester. Our team's client was the LEAR Lab, and we helped to improve their product iTELL.
iTELL ("Intelligent Texts for Enhanced Lifelong Learning") is an AI-powered interactive textbook framework designed to enhance learning through real-time feedback and user engagement.
The old site, while functional, lacks usability due to a cluttered interface, overlapping elements like notes and the chatbot, and a small logo and header that fail to establish a clear visual hierarchy.
The scope of iTELL is large, so we focused our efforts on the textbook interface, as that is the main part of the application users will be interacting with. We then spent time identifying the main issues:
Our team decided to create a suggested website navigation and structure using the card sorting technique. Since the current layout already aligns well with user needs and offers a clear, logical flow, no changes to the navigation are recommended at this time.
We next performed a competitive analysis of some top competitors, including TopHat, Cengage, and SmartBook. Within the online textbook market, there has yet to be an application that utilizes AI for interactive textbook content.
Several interview sessions were conducted throughout the semester with members of the lab.
Interested in reading some interview notes? Click here!
Maintaining communication with our clients and within our own team was one of the most important parts of the process. Therefore, we utilized platforms such as Notion and Piazza throughout the semester.
Additionally, we created Feedback forms that we routinely sent to our clients, keeping them up to date with design changes, proposals, etc.
iTELL has 2 main user groups: students and instructors. Students are the primary end users of iTELL. Their main goal is to enhance their learning through interaction with textbook materials, completing summarization tasks, and receiving feedback on their performance. Instructors form another key user group. Their main goal is to efficiently create, manage, and assess educational content.
User personas were developed to develop a better understanding of the needs of iTELL's users.
The goal of iTELL is to create an educational, user-friendly platform for students while leveraging new AI technology. With this in mind, I altered the existing color scheme to be more cohesive and aesthetic. Our team opted to eliminate the previous forest green color, as it is not consistent with the other shades of blue that have been used throughout the app.
Additionally, I designed a new logo. The team had stated that they had a sentimental attachment to the original logo, but felt the new logo was refreshed and more polished.
The final designs for iTELL reflect a modern user-friendly interface that prioritizes clarity. These designs are the result of multiple iterations, each refining the experience to better meet user needs.
