Schedule Map is a Google extension that helps students on UC Davis’ Schedule Builder locate their classes and determine the travel time between them. Schedule Map warns students from registering for classes that have a limited travel time frame and optimizes their exploration and experience at UC Davis’ campus ground.
Schedule Map is a Google extension that helps students on UC Davis’ Schedule Builder locate their classes and determine the travel time between them. Schedule Map warns students from registering for classes that have a limited travel time frame and optimizes their exploration and experience at UC Davis’ campus ground.
We conducted user interviews, surveys, and comparative analyses. In our user interviews, we asked open-ended questions related to students’ transportation around campus, class schedules, and their important factors for an efficient and enjoyable experience on campus. With these initial qualitative responses, we realized we lacked quantitative data sets, so we then revised our questions to include a quantitative survey. Our main focus, however, was still on the interviews and user testing because it would give us the most insight for students of UC Davis. The comparative analysis for map applications helped inform our map design.
Literature Review
Our team began with learning about the design of maps. This ranged from learning the basics about map interfaces and interactions. According to Designing Map UIs: Tips & Inspiration, a good map UI design of the map requires balance between data and design, allowing users to interact and explore through the interface while also visualizing information and context. The balance of data and design is especially important in typography, the progression of information on the screen, and color. Typography is essential for map readability and labeling. The progression of information on the screen is important to avoid cognitive overload. Presented information should be designed with a progressive disclosure technique. This means that the map should gradually show information based on the user’s interaction with the screen. The contrasting elements and visual hierarchy would assist with emphasis on certain information and areas that are more important for users (e.g. destinations, streets, roads). Lastly, a limited color palette can create visual harmony and help people with limited color vision.
In addition to learning the intricacies of designing maps and travel directions, we also researched the ways in which scheduling can optimize school experiences. According to How to Choose Your College Class Schedule and The Impact of Course Scheduling On Student Success on Intermediate Accounting, students should ensure that they have enough time to walk between classes in order to get to class on time. Additionally, scheduling allows students to space out their classes. Students can review and digest the information they learned from the previous class as they get to their next one. The comparative analysis for map applications and schedule organizing helped inform our design.
Collecting Data
Bianca and I conducted online surveys and virtual interviews to gain insights on the users’ needs and goals. We conducted 5 interviews with students from the UC Davis campus. The interview incorporated survey questions with additional expanded follow-up and open-ended questions with a human-centered design approach and curiosity.
Questions
Some of the survey questions include
“How do you travel on campus to your classes?”
“Do you get to class on time? If not, why?”
“Does class location affect your class schedule?”
Interviews were conducted with expanded questions from the survey. We asked users to elaborate on their answers and asked additional questions to figure out what some people were doing for long-term commitments to change. Some of the additional questions include
“Are there particular reasons you pick your classes in that order?”
“Do you think the route you take is the fastest?”
“What are some ways we can help make your travels and scheduling more efficient?”
Insights
From our surveys and interviews, we learned that the student’s experience is negatively impacted through a mixture of not enough travel time between classes or transportation delay. We noticed that students use maps to find or get to classes and once they become more familiar with classes they would remember the general location of certain classes. A key insight was that class location plays a bigger role for people who walk and take the bus as opposed to people who bike. Although a majority of students take 6–10 minutes, there is still a significant amount of students who take 11–14 minutes to get to class. Another additional issue is that students who depend on the bus are extra late due to the buses being delayed on top of the walking distance.
Notable Data Related
26.7% believe that location plays a small role in my schedule
40% thinks that having a map of their classes to aid them in schedule planning would be helpful
This led us to believe that by improving the students’ experience from getting class to class and transportation, it would optimize learning and the college experience.
Statements that stood out shared their experiences with class scheduling and getting around campus.
“If classes have different options on location, then I would choose the ones that are closest to bus stops or previous classes I had. I would also avoid courses that are located far far away unless I absolutely need that class.” –Rossy (19)
“During my freshman year, I had to have my friend save me a seat because I was always late going to that class because of a previous class. My classes were like all the way across campus from each other and I had to run after that class all the time.” –Lily (21)
We created a User Journey with scenarios and goals to understand the emotions involved in the journey of a student who is trying to become familiar with a campus and plan their schedule to optimize the student experience.
Affinity Mapping
Then Bianca and I synthesized the findings by using an affinity mapping to provide us with a visual representation of the team’s thought process.
By affinity mapping we were able to find the main insights and pain points to uncover the HMW question and what we can do to tackle them.
Insights
Pain Points
1. Students struggle to get to class on time for back-to-back classes
2. Using multiple tools to consolidate information about their courses, location, and time becomes inefficient and disorganized.
With the insights, I created a persona named Giselle, who we will be basing our project off of.
After briefing the developers of our research and insights, we shared with developers our ideas and asked for their input. Bianca and I started to sketch wireframes of how we envisioned the design based on the feedback and research. We then voted on aspects of the wireframe that we wanted to include into the design, which was showing information about class time and location and the travel time between classes.
Lo-Fi
User Testing and Feedback
We had multiple rounds of iterations and user testing. Here are some of the issues in the first few iterations:
1. There were too many steps to find information about the transportation
2. Icons for transporting between classes were not intuitive
Usability Update
Based on the feedback, we had to figure out how to convey information to the users without causing information overload and make it more intuitive for students to understand. In order to optimize this I created three main buttons with recognizable icons that would convey the information. Users had an easier time navigating the extension with the three main buttons, so the design followed through the other iterations.
Additionally, I suggested changing the color palette to reflect the colors from UC Davis’ color scheme and student’s Schedule Builder. The colors matching Schedule Builder creates a less jarring and more intuitive flow between the google extension and Schedule Builder.
Mid-Fi
Schedule Map's design aims to communicate and inform students effectively about their schedule. The color scheme of Schedule Map is pulled from UC Davis’ color scheme and in sync with the colors from Schedule Builder. The buttons and icons uses recognizable symbols.
Onboarding
An onboarding process was included to introduce and provide steps for users to use the google chrome extension connected to the student's Schedule Builder.
After briefing the developers of our research and insights, we shared with developers our ideas and asked for their input. Bianca and I started to sketch wireframes of how we envisioned the design based on the feedback and research. We then voted on aspects of the wireframe that we wanted to include into the design, which was showing information about class time and location and the travel time between classes.
This project introduced me to a cross-functional team. Through this experience I learned how to communicate effectively with developers and lead the design. Being one of the two designers in this team, I learned to take charge during research, design, and handoff stages to developers. Hopefully, this project will spark more interest to create maps dedicated to optimizing schedule planning and transportation.
Next Steps
I would like to further explore different interfaces that would convey the information to the users in a more intuitive fashion. Some other applications that I think would help me along with the project would be sites such as Yelp where they include map features in their website.
Full Case Study Here