ECTivate
ECTivate is a redesigned LMS tailored for ECT faculty at NYU, created to address their specific pain points around class preparation and in-class orchestration.
My Role
User Research, UX Design, Presentation
Designed For
NYU ECT
Timeline
Sept 2024 – Dec 2024
Team
4 UX Designers
Overview
Background
As a team in an NYU UXD course, our goal was to develop a solution that simplifies class preparation and management for ECT teachers, enabling them to focus on effective teaching and student engagement.
My Role
Notably, I played a key role in brainstorming sessions, user research, and defining product features, ensuring our design addressed real classroom challenges.
User Research
Desk Research, Online Survey, Interviews, Task Analysis, Personas, how might we
We started by reviewing existing tools and teaching workflows to identify common pain points. Then, through surveys and interviews with ECT teachers, we gathered insights from full-time and part-time teachers, focusing on their challenges in class preparation, student engagement, and communication. Finally, we analyzed the collected data to identify recurring patterns and opportunities, ensuring our design decisions were grounded in real user needs.
My Tasks: User Survey, Interviews, Data Analysis
Research Insights
Teachers are sensitive to time and energy management and have a need for simplified software processes.
Full-time teachers focus more on student engagement and communication with students.
Part-time teachers focus more on the efficiency and smoothness of the teaching process.
The communication channels with students are inefficient, making it hard to get genuine feedback from them.
Personas
Based on early user research and affinity map, I proposed segmenting the target users into two categories—full-time and part-time instructors—due to their different goals and workflows. This strategic distinction informed the team’s persona development and ensured that the design addressed the specific needs of both user groups.
Challenge
Problem Statement
How might we simplify class preparation and feedback collection to help teachers concentrate on student engagement and effective teaching?
Ideation
Sketching & Storyboarding
Prototyping
Lo-Fi Prototype
We started by defining the core pages, task flow, and site map, then collaboratively built the Lo-fi Prototype, each team member contributing to different sections.
Usability Test
We used the Thinking Aloud method and Likert scale to gather feedback. Then, we conducted a heuristic evaluation based on five key principles, identifying areas for improvement.
Iteration
Final Prototype
While the team worked on the high-fidelity prototype, I took the lead in crafting and delivering the final presentation, ensuring our research insights, design rationale, and usability findings were effectively communicated.
Reflection
Takeaways
Impact
Through the presentation to NYU ECT faculty members, we received positive feedback on how the streamlined dashboard reduced prep-time friction and cognitive overload. The AI-assisted features were seen as helpful in supporting smoother communication and planning.
What I Learned
This project deepened my understanding of how research insights directly shape design decisions. Collaborating with a team, I learned to balance user needs with technical feasibility and manage scope within limited timelines. It also taught me the importance of thoughtful interface hierarchy and accessibility in tools designed for educators.
If Given More Time...
I would conduct another round of usability testing using a high-fidelity prototype to validate the overall interaction flow and user comfort. Fine-grained interaction details—such as the placement of delete buttons in confirmation modals or the visual hierarchy across dashboard elements—would benefit from additional user feedback and A/B testing to ensure a seamless experience.