DrillKit E-learning Application
2011
DrillKit is a modular and extensible e-learning application currently in development. It runs on a Content Management System (CMS) called Drupal, and its structure and interaction design is based on current educational research and usability test data.
DrillKit's main goal is to provide an easy-to-use interface for presenting and learning material online. Initially, it will be used to teach medical students about Substance Abuse and Dependence. Thus, in addition to the Concepts, Quizzes, Flash Cards, and Glossary tools, it features a Clinical Case tool. Concepts are presented in a hierarchical manner with an emphasis on learning objectives and main points. Each point can have optional supplementary resources attached to it. Material can also be cross-referenced using the Related Resources feature.
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DrillKit Logo
Home Page Mockup
Learning Objective Page Mockup
Clinical Case Home Mockup
The Design Process
Affinity Diagram and Personas
Surveys and interviews with medical students and professors were conducted to better understand the feature gaps in currently available e-learning platforms. The following affinity diagram was created to help discover major themes and design ideas for the application. Personas were also created to represent the various student and teacher types as well as use case Scenarios.
Usability was the main issue raised by both student and teachers. Users desired a simple and intuitive user interface that supported rather than hindered the learning process. Teachers felt overwhelmed and unsure of how to present material online beyond uploading files and presentation slides. Students expressed frustration over the difficultly of discerning the main idea of online material and the time required to connect related material posted in different sections.
Lo-Fi Wireframes
Following the persona development, lo-fi wireframes were developed. Usability tests were conducted using paper prototypes based on these wireframes in order to determine which interactions were successful and unsuccessful for users. These findings helped inform the next iteration of wireframes.
Wireframes (Student View)
Wireframes (Teacher View)
Icon Set
