Coursera: Heuristic Redesign
Industry
EdTech
Client
College Project
Role
UI/UX Designer
Duration
2 Weeks
Coursera, a platform for students, graduates, and freshers, offers certifications and degrees from top colleges. This project evaluates Coursera's Android app heuristically, redesigns select screens and integrates a "Money Manager" feature.
Overview
This project involved a comprehensive heuristic evaluation of the Coursera app, assessing all 10 usability principles. Key screens were redesigned to enhance user experience, with refined interactions for smoother navigation. Additionally, UX analysis of the "Money Management" app led to integrating a notes feature into Coursera, demonstrating effective use of UX principles to elevate functionality through targeted UI improvements and feature additions.
UX Analysis
Intuitive Interface
The app features a clean and user-friendly design, making navigation easy.Offline Access
Users can download courses and watch them offline, providing flexibility.Interactive Learning
Includes quizzes, assignments, and peer reviews to enhance engagement.Progress Tracking
Users can track their course progress and receive reminders.Multi-language Support
Offers courses in multiple languages, catering to a global audience.
Rating: 4.1
User Persona
The primary user persona for Coursera includes college students, recent graduates, and early-career professionals seeking skill development and certifications from reputable institutions. They value flexible, affordable learning options and easy access to high-quality, domain-specific courses that enhance their career prospects.
Heuristic Evaluation
The heuristic evaluation reveals that the Coursera app largely adheres to usability principles, with effective navigation and clear feedback. Some usability issues and standout features have been highlighted to enhance the overall user experience further.
UI Redesign #1
Learn Default State
The existing user interface of the learning screen presents significant cognitive load and lacks clarity, resulting in delayed user comprehension. To enhance the overall user experience and improve visual hierarchy, I have redesigned the screen with a focus on usability and accessibility. This includes adjustments to spacing, the introduction of a more structured card-based layout, optimized element placement, and an increased emphasis on institutional branding.
Reduced Cognitive Load
Improved spacing and clearer visual hierarchy minimize user confusion, allowing for quicker comprehension.Card-Based Layout
Organizes content into distinct sections, enabling users to easily identify and access courses.Optimized Element Placement
Rearranged elements improve navigation flow, enhancing ease of use.Institutional Emphasis
Increased visibility of institutions builds user trust, adding clarity to the learning resources.Enhanced Efficiency
The redesign shortens the time it takes for users to locate and start courses, streamlining the learning process.
UI Redesign #2
Upcoming Module Enroll Cards
An additional adjustment was implemented on the same page, converting the collapsible upcoming module cards into a slidable card format. This change allows users to easily browse upcoming lessons without obstructing the entire home screen, thereby reducing confusion regarding their current enrollments and learning objectives. Furthermore, the top bar was refined by incorporating the Coursera brand logo and replacing the "Switch Catalogue" CTA with an arrow, providing a clearer indication that users can switch organizations seamlessly through this icon.
Slidable Card Design
Enhances accessibility by enabling horizontal scrolling for upcoming lessons, preventing screen overcrowding.Improved Visibility
Keeps current enrollments and upcoming lessons visible without disrupting the primary interface, reducing user confusion.Top Bar Optimization
The addition of the Coursera logo reinforces brand identity, while the simplified arrow icon streamlines organization switching, improving navigation clarity.Elimination of Obsolete CTA
Replacing "Switch Catalogue" with an arrow reduces unnecessary text, improving interface cleanliness and user focus.
UI Redesign #3
Module List State
The redesign of the Coursera learning default page aimed to improve the clarity and usability of the interface by making strategic adjustments in visual hierarchy, layout, and content communication. Key improvements were made in spacing, font size, and card layouts, along with repositioning certain elements to create a more user-friendly experience.
Optimized Spacing and Font Size
Enhanced readability by adjusting spacing between elements and increasing font size for better content scan ability.Improved Card Layouts
The card-based design was refined to provide clearer segmentation of course information, allowing users to easily identify and navigate content.Notification CTA
A new notification call-to-action was introduced to inform users about deadlines, upcoming tasks, and pending assessments, reducing missed deadlines and improving task management.Clearer Labels
The "Up Next" text was replaced with "Resume" to provide users with more direct and clear instructions for continuing their learning, improving communication.
Learning
This project introduced me to heuristic evaluation in UX design, enhancing my secondary research and benchmarking skills. Analyzing the app through this evaluation gave me a structured approach to identify usability issues. I gained valuable insights into improving user experience while maintaining brand consistency and adhering to design guidelines. This experience strengthened my ability to balance aesthetics and functionality, ensuring a seamless and user-friendly interface.
