Course Management
Redesigned Poll Everywhere’s LMS experience to better support professors syncing rosters, managing courses, and grading participation. I led research, user journey mapping, and high-fidelity design while collaborating cross-functionally. The redesign aligned with academic workflows and boosted engagement by 30%.
Role
Senior Product Designer
Tools
Figma, Lysnna, Asana, Notion
Duration
11 Months
Project Overview
Instructors using Poll Everywhere were struggling to manage and reuse content across recurring classes or events. Every session required setting up new presentations when using the same materials and it resulted in a cluttered dashboard, duplicated work, and inconsistent naming conventions.
I led the end to end design of the Course Management feature to better support professors syncing rosters, managing courses, and grading participation. I led research, user journey mapping, and high-fidelity design while collaborating cross-functionally. The redesign aligned with academic workflows and boosted engagement by 30%.
Problem
Poll Everywhere’s LMS integration was built for corporate users, not classrooms.
Professors were frustrated by:
Confusing navigation that buried courses within participant pages
Roster syncing and grading workflows that were unintuitive
Technical limitations that made simple fixes impossible
We needed more than a visual refresh—we needed a system that reflected how educators teach, organize, and evaluate.
Objectives & Goals
Improve usability by aligning navigation with professors’ mental models
Simplify LMS integration, especially for syncing rosters and grading
Drive adoption by increasing semesterly active users by 10% YoY
How Might We….
How might we give customers something to look forward to?
How might we improve the navigation quickly without creating a new navigation page due to time lines?
How do we allow professors to quickly enable sync rosters,
enable/disable syncs, and grade participation?How do ensure professors are able to easily sync
their grade to their LMS?
These questions shaped every design decision and helped us balance tight timelines with long-term impact.
User Research & Discovery
I partnered with the PM and Design Manager to conduct 10–15 interviews with professors and admins. Instead of just collecting feedback, we observed workflows, surfaced frustrations, and listened to how users wanted the system to improve.
We validated concepts early with honest feedback, even when it meant pivoting. These insights grounded our direction in real educator needs while meeting business goals.
Key Findings
Constraints
Business Constraints: Leadership was initially against adding a new navigation item. I secured buy-in through phased implementation as scope expanded.
Technical Constraints: The outdated codebase limited what we could modify.
I proposed a folder tree structure that was ultimately too complex, so we pivoted. Collaborating closely with Engineering, I helped redesign the experience to maintain usability within technical boundaries.
Initial Folder Tree
MVP vs MSP: How the Project Evolved
MVP: Focused solely on roster sync without a standalone page
MSP: Scope expanded to include additional functionality, requiring a dedicated interface
Cross Functional Collaborations
I worked closely with the Product Manager to balance business goals and user needs. Together with Engineering, we ran working sessions to align quickly and adapt design direction.
In one of these sessions, we ideated ways to simplify the folder tree without disrupting the current system. I conducted research on the platform’s breadcrumb behavior and realized that a deeper folder structure (four or more levels) was needed to trigger visibility.
I proposed a revised approach using a breadcrumb-based model that allowed users to view activity summaries on the same screen. This reduced friction while staying within technical limitations.
Design Solution
New Course Navigation Structure
Introduced a persistent course banner displaying course name & LMS connection status.
Added a clear, left-side navigation for better discoverability.
Enabled quick access to participant management & grade books.
Before & After
Roster Sync Controls
Added an enable/disable toggle so professors could manually manage syncing
Included confirmation dialogs to reduce accidental overrides
Implemented breadcrumb navigation to help users stay in flow and return to previous steps easily
Conclusion
This project highlighted how strategic UX research, iterative design, and cross-functional collaboration can transform a complex system into a seamless experience. By aligning the interface with professors’ mental models, we created a solution that drives adoption, improves efficiency, and enhances satisfaction.
I received great feedback, including one stakeholder noting, "The new grade book looks slick," and my manager saying, "You killed it." This reinforced the impact of the work and the value of investing in user-centered design.
