ClassMap
An inclusive classroom for international students to promote engagement and growth
| User Research
| UX Design
| Usability Testing
Time
2023.08-12
Type
Class Project
Group
Emily Lee
Yoojin Leem
Reina Li
Katherine Liu
Tools/Methods
Figma
My Contribution
UX research
User interviews, affinity map
UX design
Sketches, wireframing, usability testing, high-fidelity prototyping
Background
International students make up ~16.2% of Cal students. As a significant portion of the student body, it’s important to note their hesitation in class participation due to language and cultural barriers. Over time, this reluctance may lead them to become the “silent” ones in class, diminishing their self-value, as well as depriving the whole group of diverse perspectives.
How might we
Build a classroom environment that helps international students to adapt quickly in new context and engage more actively in the discussion?
User Research
To fully understand the needs of our users, we conducted semi-structured Interviews with 3 international students and 1 domestic student and observed the participants during class time.
Affinity Map
The core insights from the interview and observation show that the participants need:
Prototype
I individually worked on the prototype of the physical engagement ears, which is a headband with interactive LED lights remotely controlled by a web application. This prototype is designed to:
Decrease inattentive reactions
Increase visibility of students' feedback
Help students feel supported by peers
Add fun to the classroom environment
Lo-fi prototype
Hi-fi prototype
1. Sign in
Students will be required to sign in with their CalNet account first
2. Connection
Students follow the instructions to connect their physical headbands
3. Course Selection
Course data will be recorded in reports
Reactions
Select the engagement state on screen will correspondingly change the color of the ears
Settings and Reports
Prototypes of other solutions
GrammarAI:
Records the lecture with real-time speech-to-text
AI gives grammar feedback and detects culturally inappropriate words
HeatMap:
Real-time engagement level input
Anonymous question forum
Available for instructors as well, so that they can adjust lecture content and pace
Usability Testing
For usability testing, we recruited 3 international students and 1 professor to identify any challenges and confusions that a user has when using the product. We also want to test if the prototype satisfies user’s needs in promoting a safer environment and increase engagement levels in class. We used all of our high-fidelity prototypes for usability testing and asked the participants to perform on certain UI features for the task.
Testing results for EngagementEars
Iteration
Combined Design
