NeoBoard is a forward-thinking educational technology company dedicated to empowering educators and administrators to support student success, particularly for underrepresented students. I joined the team in September as a UI/UX design intern, focusing on developing new features for the site. This case study explores my role in designing NeoBoard’s user interface, specifically creating a centralized dashboard and rubric system to simplify navigation and enhance the user experience.

1. How to create a centralized hub to consolidate key information?
While the platform offers a range of comprehensive functionalities — including a tagging system, integration hub, message center, workflows page, and student roster — these features are scattered. This fragmentation makes it challenging for instructors to quickly access and act on critical information.

‍2. Creating new rubrics for each class requires a lot of work, and users don't like that
Based on user interviews, it became clear that instructors want to have a fast channel to publish and share rubrics so that they can be used across classes. I realized that the lack of a standardized system for easily sharing templates and rubrics across classes makes course planning more complex, and it oftentimes causes the instructors to spend more time on creating a single rubric.

Based on the people we interviewed, user personas were created to understand the unique needs and challenges of the target audience — educators. While some of their frustrations are related to the complexity of multiple platforms, which prompted the development of other features, their specific needs guided our design decisions in developing a rubrics-sharing system and a centralized dashboard.

I conducted a competitive analysis to evaluate existing products in the market. This research helped identify key features competitors excelled in and gaps where users faced friction. Notably, neither platform provides detailed data analytics, which is crucial for educators to track student progress and make informed decisions. Identifying this gap, I designed a solution that integrates robust analytics, giving users deeper insights into student performance and engagement. This ensures Neoboard empowers educators with data-driven decision-making.

We want to organize the layout efficiently and ensure that it addresses users' concern, but one of the biggest constraints was designing the dashboard within the limitations of the app’s existing functionality, which restricted certain design possibilities.

Hence, I created different iterations through low-fidelity wireframes and explored various functional layouts and features. Here are some of the areas that I considered while designing these low-fi wireframes:
• Making sure that data analytics are present to allow instructors monitor students' performance, since instructors mentioned in the interviews that they want to look at trends and track students' performance
• Including some daily and most-used functions (eg. inbox, classes) so that it is easier for users to manage their work

• Student engagement is prioritized at the top to display trends in students' performance and allow instructors to compare performance across different classes
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• A tagging section is placed in the middle to alert instructors about low-performing students, as instructors expressed concerns about students' learning during user interviews

• Scheduled automation is one of the main focuses of this application. However, since interviewees mentioned it as a less important feature, it is positioned at the bottom of the dashboard

• The right column contains inbox and upcoming tasks, which are some of the primary daily activities instructors need to complete to manage their work and communicate with their students

• Current courses are taken out because they are NOT the main focus of this application

Before moving on to the high-fidelity wireframes, I conducted several usability testing to determine the optimal layout and possible design changes.

The rubrics system was designed to give instructors a seamless experience in managing grading criteria. Not only can instructors easily connect rubrics to assignments, but they also have the ability to edit, delete, and share rubrics with minimal effort.

• Added icons in each row for users to delete or add to grading criteria so it is intuitive and does not include long text instructions
• Included a section where users to customize the rubrics for each class (eg. adding extra credit and adjusting the weighting of different assignments), a feature that Canvas (competitor) currently lacks

To make the interface more intuitive, I incorporated distinct icons that allow users to quickly identify actions such as editing, deleting, and adding new rows. One of the standout features is the ability to access and share rubric templates across courses and among instructors, a function that is not offered by current educational platforms. This innovation enables educators to collaborate more effectively, save time during course planning, and maintain consistency in grading standards.  

45% Increase in Task Success Rate

I observed a 45% increase in the task success rate, specifically in applying existing rubrics to new courses. Instructors were able to quickly access and create rubrics without errors. By simplifying these critical workflows, we reduced friction in the rubrics sharing process, allowing instructors to complete tasks more accurately and in less time.

‍① When designing a feature, it always has a PURPOSE & REASON

Design can undoubtedly unleash your creativity, but it is not like arts, it’s about solving real problems for users. Now, whenever I’m working on an interface, I ask myself: What is the reason for this feature? What purpose does it serve? If I can’t find a clear answer, I take it as a sign to try something different or let go of the idea altogether.
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② White space? Use it effectively!  ‍

While designing the dashboard, I observed that some white space made the layout feel unbalanced and disconnected. Although white space is a fundamental element of good design, research shows that white space, when used thoughtfully, can enhance visual hierarchy and improve comprehension by 20% (Lin, 2004). To address this, I strategically filled empty areas with critical data while maintaining a clean, organized layout.

• Conduct more usability testing to refine the analytics feature
• Iterate the design based on user feedback to improve dashboard clarity and navigation
• Improve data visualization with clearer charts and trend indicators
• Test responsiveness and accessibility for different devices