UOL Bloom
Bloom is a flexible, reliable, and customisable e-learning solution developed by the Software Services team at the University of London (UoL). More than 3 million users at 90+ colleges, universities, and education/training institutions use it to support and enhance their learning experience.
In March 2016, I began working on a project to research and redesign the user experience and user interface. The goal of the project was to create an “out-of-the-box” service offering that meets the needs of all users - from students and lecturers to learning technologists and administrative staff.
I utilised a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods - including competitor analysis, academic literature review, one-to-one interviews, focus groups, and surveys - to better understand how users are currently using Bloom and other virtual learning environments. Alongside my colleagues Petya Stoyanova, Flora Bowden, and Richard Havinga, we analysed our research findings, generated actionable insights, and created various research and design artefacts, including:
- Personas for student, lecturer, and learning technologist users
- User journeys for both mobile and desktop/laptop devices
- Low-fidelity wireframes and high-fidelity mockups for a redesigned user interface and dashboard
In addition, we also authored a white paper, Top 5 Research Findings: The Student Experience With Moodle and a magazine article for Education Technology. We also presented our insights and design artefacts to numerous groups and in December 2016, we were invited by MUGGL (Moodle User Group Greater London) to present a lecture and Q&A session during their quarterly meeting.