Product Design
Anthology
Overview
Optimization of the assessment creation tool within Blackboard Learn Ultra. The project involved separating and redesigning the workflows for "Assignments" and "Tests," resolving a critical architectural issue that prevented instructors from editing content once a student had accessed the platform.
The Challenge
Originally, both assessment types shared the same technical logic, leading to severe friction: Locked Content: When a student entered an assessment, the system automatically generated a "draft" attempt. This prevented instructors from editing instructions or attaching files. Security vs. Flexibility: The "locking" logic was necessary for exam integrity but unnecessarily penalized assignments, which require a more collaborative and flexible approach. Support Impact: The workflow triggered a flood of support tickets, forcing instructors to delete and recreate entire assessments for minor errors. Student Confusion: Students would lose attempts just by entering to read the instructions.
Process & Strategy
To solve a high-impact system issue within a tight execution window, the following steps were taken: Stakeholder Research: Interviews and data analysis via Aha! and user surveys to quantify user pain points. Flow Mapping: In-depth analysis of both instructor and student perspectives to identify breaking points in the current architecture. Competitive Benchmarking: Evaluated how other EdTech platforms manage pre-access instruction visibility. Solution Pruning: Assessed options like "Peek Panels" (discarded due to space and architectural constraints) before deciding on total flow separation.
Key Design Decisions
The primary focus was the logical and functional separation of the tools. Independent Workflows: Designed a dedicated experience for Assignments, removing automatic draft creation and allowing for post-opening edits. Integrity Maintenance: Retained the original restrictive flow for Tests, ensuring academic security remained uncompromised. Initial Selection Interface: The new UI guides instructors to choose the assessment type from the first click, setting clear rules from the start. Instruction Optimization: Guaranteed that students could consult requirements without consuming their submission attempts.
The Solution
A dual-creation architecture was implemented in Learn Ultra: Flexible Assignments: A workflow where collaboration and corrections are possible without technical friction. Secure Tests: A protected environment for formal evaluations. Intuitive Navigation: Reduced unnecessary steps and eliminated the "delete and start over" workaround.
Results & Impact
Global Deployment: Successfully rolled out across US and LATAM markets. Operational Efficiency: Significant reduction in technical support ticket volume related to assessment editing. Instructor Satisfaction: Drastic improvement in LMS usability perception by allowing flexibility in daily tasks. Scalable Foundation: The flow separation now allows for specific pedagogical enhancements for each assessment type in the future.
Key Take Away
This project taught me that consistency does not always mean equality. Sometimes, treating two distinct functions with the same technical logic for the sake of "code simplicity" creates unsustainable UX debt. The key to success was balancing business urgency with a solution that respected both academic security and pedagogical flexibility.
