Redesign Blackboard's Discussion Board
1
OVERVIEW
Course: Prototype
Client: Blackboard
Semester: Fall 2024
My Role: UX Researcher & Designer – I created a survey, synthesized findings, and designed low-fidelity wireframes and prototypes for desktop and mobile platforms.
This individual project focused on redesigning the Discussion Board feature in Blackboard, the primary learning management system (LMS) used by St. Lawrence College (SLC). Blackboard supports various academic activities such as submitting assignments, accessing grades, participating in discussions, and interacting with instructors and classmates. However, while it plays a critical role in online learning, several students have reported usability issues, particularly with the Discussion Board.
This case study highlights how UX research and design can be applied to improve a digital educational tool that directly impacts student engagement and learning.
Current look of Discussion Board
Problem Statement
Blackboard’s Discussion Board is hard to navigate, visually outdated, and lacks modern interaction features, particularly around notifications, filtering, and layout clarity. Both mobile and desktop versions suffer from inconsistency and poor information hierarchy, creating friction for students and instructors alike.
Project Goals
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Redesign the content structure and layout of Blackboard’s Discussion Board to improve usability.
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Address issues related to navigation, notifications, and engagement, and enhance the visual appeal of the interface.
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Ensure that both desktop and mobile versions provide a consistent, modern user experience.
2
PROCESS
User Research
I began by conducting a survey with SLC students to understand their real experiences using Blackboard’s Discussion Board. The survey gathered both quantitative and qualitative feedback, focusing on:
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Main goals when using the Discussion Board
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Navigation issues and task difficulties
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Opinions on layout, design, and notifications
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Feature preferences and user pain points
Key Findings
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Most students use the Discussion Board to submit ideas for assignments and reply to comments.
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Navigation was rated poorly, with no students describing it as “easy” to use.
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The most valued feature was the reply section, while the notification system was considered the most problematic.
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Users called for a cleaner, modern design, with better organization, filtering, and customization options.
Design Phase
Using these insights, I created low-fidelity wireframes to address core issues:
Desktop & Mobile Wireframes included:
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Streamlined navigation with clear access to “My Discussions,” “New Posts,” and “Replies.”
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A notification system integrated directly into the UI to show real-time updates.
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Cleaner visual hierarchy, with consistent typography, spacing, and color contrast.
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Modern interactive elements, like filtering, bookmarking, and user-specific comment views.
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Responsive layout optimized for both large and small screens.
3
CONCLUSION
Project Outcome
The research identified key usability gaps in Blackboard’s Discussion Board that hinder user engagement. The redesigned wireframes proposed solutions such as:
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Improved content hierarchy
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Streamlined comment navigation
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Functional notifications
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A visually modernized interface
These changes aim to increase ease of use, reduce frustration, and improve the overall learning experience for students and teachers.
This project gave me a great chance to apply what I have learned about UX design to a real-world platform that students use every day. I learned how important it is to design with users in mind - by listening to their feedback, finding out what problems they face, and turning that into helpful and easy-to-use design solutions.
To collect feedback, I used Google Forms to create a simple online survey and shared it with other students. Their answers gave me useful insights that shaped my design decisions. I also practiced using Figma to build low-fidelity wireframes and improve layout structure. It was my first time building a prototype like this, so I spent time self-learning how to make better user flows and how to organize content in a way that makes sense.
Lastly, this project helped me think more carefully about designing for both desktop and mobile, making sure the experience works well on different devices. It was a good mix of research and hands-on design work, and I feel more confident using these tools and methods for future UX projects.