UX Design
Co-op
Improving the sREB application
Enhanced the user experience of the SREB application, streamlining workflows for Principal Investigators and SREB Coordinators to improve efficiency and usability.
Timeline
3 Months
Role
UX Designer
UX Researcher
Team
Areebah Ahmed
Karen MacDonald
(Supervising manager)
Jaime K. Ginter
James March
Laura St. Germain
Tools
Adobe Xd
Microsoft Word
Qualtrics
Context
I worked at Generator at Sheridan as a co-op student, improving the user experience of completing the SREB application for researchers across all campuses.
Research at Sheridan involving human participants must be reviewed and approved by the Sheridan Research Ethics Board (SREB). Applications should follow the proper guidelines and forms. The SREB ensures research meets ethical standards, adhering to the Tri-Council Policy Statement on Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans.
Design Challenge
Principal Investigators find it diffuclt filling out the SREB application for ethical review of research due to non-user-friendly platform and process.
Primary research
To understand the specific issues users face, I interviewed SREB coordinators, who provided me with valuable information.
Fully understanding the details and asking questions to clarify my understanding was crucial, as two of the project’s coordinators were about to go on their summer break.
The previous application was a Microsoft Word document that principal investigators had to complete and email to the SREB coordinator. This process delayed application reviews and required tracking scattered documents across email chains.
Secondly, obtaining electronic signatures was challenging. The principal investigator’s signature confirms agreement with Sheridan College’s research ethics policies. Previously collected via Adobe Acrobat, limited access and usability issues led to many incomplete applications.
Lastly, principal investigators have diverse backgrounds and experience levels. Some are familiar with the forms but not the digital format, while others are tech-savvy but inexperienced with filling out the application.
Secondary Research
Researched REB applications from other colleges to identify improvements for Sheridan’s application.
Introducing a checklist to ensure principal investigators include all required documents with their application.
Providing an offline document with the application questions to help principal investigators familiarize themselves before starting the application.
Personas
SREB coordinators:
High Costs: Need for a budget-friendly platform.
Limited Editing Options: Requires an easily editable platform.
Complexity: Need for a user-friendly interface.
Lack of Tracking: Difficulty in keeping track of completed applications.
Data security: A platform that has its data servers in Canada.
Principal investigators:
Complexity: Need for a user-friendly interface.
Unable to track progress: Inability to save progress and continue later, leading to lost work.
No user support: Lack of guidance or cues, making it hard to understand certain questions.
UX Challenge
How might we make the SREB application user-friendly for principal investigators to fill out with confidence and provide an ease of reviewing applications for SREB coordinators.
Design Process
Introducing Qualtrics, a web based platform used to create detailed surveys and generate reports based on the data collected.
After researching and discussing possible software platforms with my supervisor and SREB coordinators, Qualtrics became the most compatible software to use, as it aligned with our project goals and timeline.
The platform is easy to use and has a lot of customizable features. The data servers are in Canada, keeping the collected data safe. Lastly Sheridan College already has a license with the software. Therefore, no time was wasted in waiting for the process of obtaining a license and providing access to the software.
Obstacle
While exploring Qualtrics, I discovered our license lacks the crucial e-signature feature needed for the application process.
I brought this issue up to my supervisor and to the other SREB coordinators. We came up with the plan to create a test application on the free trial and conduct a user testing session to see if the platform works well, before upgrading the organization’s plan.
Design Systems
Using the platform's visual settings I created the application, adhering to Sheridan College’s style guide.
I created a clean layout with readable text and visual cues to guide users to clickable links for more information.
Adding additional information at the top of the banner such as letting the user know their progress will be saved as long as they don’t clear their cookies and can return to the application at any time.
User testing
I conducted two rounds of user testing with faculty members on the Research Ethics Board and found some usability issues.
Users found the application to be quite long and were unaware of how much was left to complete. To address this issue, a table of contents was added to help users understand the application's length, along with a progress bar to show how much of the application remains to be completed.
Testing with coordinators I found out that they would like to have certain questions to be non skippable such as ensuring the application has the Principle investigator's signature.
Once these issues were resolved, we all felt confident in choosing Qualtrics to be the right platform for the application process and went through with getting the upgrade to the organization’s license.
Hand off
A design solution doesn’t end at how a problem is solved, but also how it’s maintained.
I create a document that listed and explained all the features I used to create the application. Allowing the person who will take over the application to have the knowledge on why the application is set up the way it is.
Reflection
What I’ve learned from this project.
I learned a great deal from my first Co-op, including how to navigate and achieve the specific goals of a project. I discovered how to rethink a software platform's initial use and applied my creative thinking skills to develop innovative solutions despite project constraints, such as tight timelines. Additionally, I learned how to adapt to challenges and obstacles that arose during the project and found ways to overcome them to deliver a solution to the problem. Overall, I’m very grateful for this Co-op opportunity and for the chance to work with wonderful and supportive people who guided me throughout the project.
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