Introduction: User Management for the edX Admin Portal

edX for business is a global online learning company that provides learning benefits to organizations and their learners. In this case study, I will explore how I designed user management features such as creating custom groups of learners and member profiles for the edX admin portal.

Timeline: 4 months

Role: Design lead

Company: edX for Business

Identifying the Problem Space

Customer Problem: Feedback from customers repeatedly highlighted the need for user management features, of which our product currently had none.

Business Problem: Customers were dissatisfied with our lack of user management capabilities, which led to decreased renewal rates as we were not on par with our competitors.

Customer Research: Key Takeaways

I interviewed 5 existing customers to understand their needs for user management. Across the board, customers voiced frustration with our lack of user management and highlighted the need for features such as:

  • Centralized view of all learners in the organization

  • Ability to create and manage custom groups of learners

  • Track learner skills

  • View details of an individual learners access and progress

Competitive Research

With a better understanding of our customers needs, I completed a review of competitors like Coursera, Udemy, Pluralsight, and LinkedIn Learning to see how they implemented user management in their Enterprise platforms. My review showed that features like learner profiles, ability to create groups, and a centralized view of learners are widely adopted and heavily invested in.

Refining Scope for Maximum Impact

After reviewing my research findings with Product, we aligned on the following deliverables:

  • Centralized view of all learners in the organization

  • Ability to create custom learner groups across any budget

A key feature, Learner Profiles, was notably absent, despite customer feedback during research. Product was hesitant to include this in scope and had advocated to leave Learner Profiles to a post-MVP project. However, customers across the board emphasized that a detailed learner view is critical for improving both admin and learner experiences.

To make a strong case for adding this feature to the scope, I revisited our research insights. The analysis revealed that all of our competitors had learner details pages, and customer interviews repeatedly surfaced the need for detailed learner views.

After making the case with research insights, as the Design Lead, I successfully influenced the addition of Learner Profiles to the project scope, balancing business needs with user expectations. I received approval to explore solutions, working closely with the engineering team to define what an MVP version of the Learner Profile could look like.

Low-Fidelity Exploration: Balancing Compromise and User Needs

Despite Product’s support, we had to compromise on certain features. Due to time constraints, Product and Engineering initially asked me to explore a pop-up modal Learner Profile instead of a full-page profile. I had initial concerns about the accessibility, scalability, and legibility of a modal, which I voiced. Despite my concerns, I included the modal in my low-fidelity designs. Together with Product, we tested the mockups to assess their performance and gather user feedback, which ultimately helped make the case for a full-page profile.

We conducted remote, unmoderated usability testing with six L&D Managers, focusing on their experiences with a low-fidelity prototype. Participants completed 15 tasks, such as creating groups and reviewing member details.

During the testing, we observed that four out of six participants struggled to navigate the modal's tabs, often feeling confused and wanting more information. Many had difficulty closing the modal and returning to the previous page. The modal's task completion rate was only 35%, significantly lower than the 75% or higher completion rates for other tasks.

After transitioning to a dedicated page in high-fidelity designs, I conducted additional testing, focusing on the new Learner Profile page. The completion rate soared to just 100% success, validating the decision to transition to a full-page profile.

Refining the Design: Iteration and Collaboration

Insights from user testing directly shaped the evolution of the learner profile design. Key feedback led to the creation of a full-page profile instead of a modal, improved feature terminology for better user comprehension, and greater emphasis on the enrollments section.

I went through three rounds of iteration, moving from low to high fidelity designs. These iterations focused on content hierarchy, clarity, and refining the visual design.

Building Momentum Toward Launch

The new user management features are set to launch in early 2025 and have already generated significant interest among existing customers.

Research showed that segmentation and detailed learner views are table stakes in the market, we are now positioned to meet these expectations. Larger customers, in particular, see the value of these features, with several expressing interest in adoption post-launch.

Laying the Foundation for Future Growth

Looking ahead, enhancements like analytics on learner progress and engagement are planned for Q2 2025, building on the foundation of user management to provide a more customizable and data-driven experience. By aligning our new features with our long-term vision, we’re setting the stage for increased customer satisfaction and retention.