Context
Streamlining Workflows for Evidence Review
D2L’s Brightspace product is a Learning Management System (LMS) with market focus on grades K-12 and Higher Education with expansion into the corporate market. It provides instructors a platform where they can curate and evaluate learning activities. Learners can engage with and D2L’s Brightspace Portfolio Tool allows learners to collect evidence of learning through a mobile app or by uploading to their course in the browser.
My role
Design Lead
- Led an initiative to investigate and re-define educator workflows for reviewing learner evidence
- Identified overlapping workflows across the system to create more cohesive interaction patterns
- Collaborated cross-functionally with product, research, and engineering to align on a strategic direction
- Defined and executed a research plan, synthesizing insights into actionable patterns
- Presented findings and design recommendations to product leadership
The Problem
When an educator wants to view evidence, they have to drill into each student’s portfolio and then back again to view the next student’s evidence, causing frustration.
“Immersive” experience does not allow for user to easily navigate from work to work or even across multiple students. Adding time for teachers during review and grading.
"It takes forever to switch between students. I lose my place every time. I need to quickly review everyone's assignment."
- Grade 1 Instructor, user interview
Process
[1]
Audit & competitive analysis
Conducted a detailed workflow audit of Brightspace’s current portfolio product, mapping friction points and redundancies. Compared patterns with competitor LMS tools (e.g., Google Classroom, Seesaw.)
[2]
Identify areas for improvement
Synthesized insights to highlight key gaps, particularly around navigation continuity, context retention, and batch review efficiency. Translating those learnings into early concepts aimed at directly addressing the most critical pain points.
[3]
Collaborate & Present Findings
Facilitated design reviews with cross-functional partners and presented findings along with a streamlined workflow concept to leadership for alignment.
[4]
Define Scalable Pattern
Defined a flexible pattern allowing educators to seamlessly move between students or pieces of evidence without losing context. With this defined pattern, other areas and teams could adopt the component for a consistent content experience across the platform.
Outcome
The updated workflow significantly reduced navigation steps and improved review efficiency for instructors. It also introduced a reusable design pattern that could be extended to other grading and feedback tools across the platform, contributing to a more cohesive and predictable Brightspace experience.
Reflection
This project reinforced the value of systems thinking and pattern-based design in large, modular products. By addressing a specific user pain point through scalable design patterns, we not only simplified an educator’s daily workflow but also set a foundation for broader consistency across the LMS ecosystem.