Feeding America Learning Management System Design
Align and build consensus for Feeding America's new Learning Management System through end-user discovery
Project Snapshot
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Team & Timeline
June- August 2021
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Role: Digital Learning Intern focused on user research, content audit, information architecture, wireframes
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Team: Professional work in collaboration with Whitney Thurmond, Director of Digital Learning at Feeding America and Vivayic
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Problem
How might we build a new learning management system focused on knowledge exchange, practice sharing, easy-to-use tools, and learning experiences that shift paradigms and move learners toward ending-hunger practices?
In Summer 2021, Feeding America's learning management system (LMS) was in need of an upgrade. The current LMS was considered overwhelming and challenging to navigate. The content was outdated with low participation from few food banks, and existing resources were not accessible in the moment of need. The team’s goal was to create a digital platform that unlocked the potential of the Feeding America network - creating connection and engagement between users and supporting the ability of members to share knowledge, ideas, and resources.
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Overview
As a digital learning intern working with Feeding America over the Summer, I was a core member of the LMS Design working group. I worked with the internal Feeding America team and the external consulting team Vivayic to define the LMS value proposition and purpose statement and build consensus around the LMS design and strategy. This included identifying user groups, uncovering user needs through a series of discovery interviews, synthesizing interview data, identifying a feature and functionality list, contributing to the creation of journey maps, designing wireframes, developing a site map, and working to create the platform information architecture and visual identity.
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Outcome & Impact
By the time my internship concluded, we had successfully identified personas, users' needs, a functionality list, a site map, and finalized a set of wireframes. This information was being used to develop the first beta version of the LMS, which was set to be tested with user groups at the end of 2021.
How We Got There
Process
User research
The team conducted user research through 16 network interviews with food bank representatives from various backgrounds ranging from food sourcing to agency relations to executive leadership. We also conducted several focus groups with internal stakeholders to define essential learning needs by teams.
Through interviews, we sought to better understand:
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the current state of the platform. (sample questions included: when you think of your current experience using the existing platform, what comes to mind?)
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The current need for learning and knowledge exchange (Sample questions included: In what situations do you need to learn something or access information/resources? What types of things do you most often need to know about? Where do you go in times of learning need?)
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And the desired future state (sample questions included: if we could collect and share knowledge across the network, what would we collect? Ideally, where would you go in times of learning need? What would you be able to do on a site like this? What would be included there?)
Data Synthesis
After conducting interviews, user data was synthesized by the team using Miro (a visual collaboration software) to identify target audiences & develop learner personas. From the individual needs of the interviewees, we were able to identify catalyzing needs that lead users to seek out learning, knowledge exchange, and practice sharing.
We also identified patterns of feelings users were experiencing when engaging with the old learning management system, which helped us prioritize critical areas for change.
We then quantified how these needs repeated over users based on the frequency of the response, segmenting needs into those mentioned by most people, by some, and only by a few.
Through this process, some key themes emerged:
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Users are seeking tools that will help them do their job better to help them level up
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Users are seeking support when they are doing something brand new and
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Users are seeking solutions when something isn't working well.
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We also learned that knowledge exchange and practice sharing heavily depend on relationships
We identified six core audiences and two types of learners through the discovery process:
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current learners who seek out information regularly and first-time learners.
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We also uncovered that across these stakeholders, learners are looking for two main types of information: food bank niche information and general non-food bank-specific management information (general budgeting information, project management tools, etc.).
Through the development of a persona matrix, we were also able to begin mapping user needs at the intersection of role and focus area, identifying learner traits, their most common question types, their learning environment, and specific learning needs. This information helped us define the types of content required for the new system.
Journey Map
The initial synthesis also helped us illustrate the user journey, and we designed a journey map to demonstrate the user flow through the learning hub.
The user research and discovery phase culminated in 21 features and functionality needs, which informed our early designs.
Prototyping
Various wireframes were designed in low and high fidelity and tested with advisory panels and interviewees using an iterative approach. I led the development of high-fidelity wireframes using Adobe Xd. I gave users a task to complete on each page to observe what was and wasn't working well with how we had organized the information and structured the tools and content.
Wireframes and early prototypes were tested and evaluated for the logic of the information architecture, whether the platform was meeting users' goals, and qualitatively, whether the content on the platform was meeting users' expectations. The platform's information architecture and content strategy were rebuilt directly using these advisory sessions' insights.
These high-fidelity wireframes were also used to identify the visual identity of the platform.
Explore the gallery of wireframes below.
