Hybrid Learning Service for Older Adults
Completed at Northwestern University, 10 weeks, team of 3 designers.
This project was completed for a corporate client. The details are omitted for confidentiality.
How might we integrate hybrid learning into an existing online platform in a way that is simple to use and equally engaging for all use cases?
Final Design
Based on user research, we designed a studio that could be used to accomodate a variety of class types and attendee preferences. We found technologies that would allow the experience of online attendees to be enjoyable and effective. We also found a way for online attendees to interact in small groups with in person attendees, similarly to if they were sitting on the same table.
Skills and Strengths
Skills Gained
Designing Complex Services
Communicating with Client
Remote Research Techniques
My Strengths
Advocating for the User
Project Management
Research
1
Service Ecosystem
Thinking Through Complexity
The service is focused on providing free education and entertainment to older adults. Their ultimate mission is to enable people to age well. The primary stakeholders are the company running the program (our client), the presenters (often act as contractors) and older adults. It was important for us to split the users between older adults joining in person or joining online.
We developed an extensive stakeholder map and noted the interactions between stakeholders.
2
Analogous Services
We took a look at services with similar aspects and analyzed them using frameworks. We had experience in a hybrid learning environment as students during the pandemic. We also had experience with meetings in which some attendees call in from a different location. We researched what products were most useful for these cases.
3
User Interviews
We interviewed attendees as well as presenters. We also had regular meetings with our client. Our interviews started with general questions about their experience with the existing program, subsequently digging into a comparison of in person versus online participation. After we generated ideas, we showed storyboards to get feedback on ideas.
Insights
Some of the most impactful insights are below.
1
Attendees have different reasons for attending. Some want only to learn or be entertained, others want to socialize.
2
Technology interactions need to be streamlined so it is not overwhelming.
3
Hearing and interacting with the other attendees is what drives community.
We learned about the common types of users and created the flow chart below to demonstrate the key attributes that we needed to design for.
Design Principles
Based on insights and discussions with our client, we synthesized principles.
Flexible to accommodate attendee motivations and class types.
Fun to reflect the company brand.
Safe for attendees and presenters.
Scalable to reach as many attendees as possible.
Approachable for users with varying technical skills.
Ideation and Concepting
We went through several ideation sessions in Mural and translated ideas we felt we wanted feedback on into storyboards like the one's below. We found that for some ideas, storyboards were effective, but for others it was more about showing a particular design artifact.
Implementation
We found that creating a flexible in person space that had integrated technology would be the most effective way to create a hybrid learning environment. Our implementation of technology became complex.
We needed a stage area for presenters that had monitors showing online participants. It was important that presenters could see from wherever they were on the stage. The stage was branded but this has been blurred for confidentiality.
To ensure that online attendees could see and hear both participants and presenters, we incorporated a system of microphones and cameras that would be able to pick up on the audience as well as the presenter.
Because we found that some attendees wanted interaction, while others just wanted to learn the material, we created spaces where people could sit together as well as separately.
Tablets on the tables would allow online attendees to "join a table" if they wanted to (will explain more shortly). It was important that online attendees also feel as though they are part of a group. We wanted the tablets to also have the flexibility to be placed on the backs of chairs.
For online attendees that wanted to join without interacting with others, we creating a "sit alone" option that would mean only the presenter would see them. All attendees would still hear a theme song before the class began. They also saw a landing page with instructions on how to use zoom and a fun fact. Call-in only attendees would hear this verbally.
For online attendees that want to interact before, during, and after class they can choose "join a table", which will allow them to be seen by a table and easily interact with them via a tablet.
Service Blueprint and Playbook
To capture additional use cases and the nuances of the design, we created a service playbook and blueprint.
Feedback and Next Steps
We presented our final designs to the client, including many of the people we did not directly work with throughout the process. They were very happy with and energized by our design. The client especially loved the opportunities for branding that we included.
With more time, we would find a way to accommodate for attendees that did not want to be on camera. We also wanted to scope out potential spaces that could be used for the studio.
After some of our testing, the client has already started to implement break out rooms, which we believe will help transition to a model that incorporates more interactions between people who are willing to do so.