Online education platform
Optimising online learning for college students with ADHD
OVERVIEW
When COVID pushed universities online, students with ADHD were disproportionately affected. Online learning shifted the burden of organisation, time management, and self-motivation onto students — common weaknesses for those with ADHD.
As the sole researcher and designer, I conducted an IRB-approved study with students with ADHD, online instructors, and a learning design expert, then designed a platform that improves the online learning experience for them.
ROLE
UX Researcher & Designer
RESPONSIBILITIES
User Research, Product Strategy, Experience Design, Prototyping
COLLABORATORS
Faculty Advisors, Learning Design Expert, College Lecturers
TIMELINE
6 Months
THE PROBLEM
Students with ADHD struggled in online classes, experiencing more distraction, less productivity, less motivation, and declining grades. Research showed that online learning platforms shifted the responsibility for structure and organisation onto students, removing the external support they relied on.
Goals:
Reduce the organisational burden online learning places on students.
Support instructors in delivering structured, engaging content online.
Build accessibility into the platform so it works without disclosure.
THE SOLUTION
Increase engagement with the flipped classroom model and active learning strategies.
The final design helps instructors facilitate the flipped classroom model by delivering online learning content in a way that’s more engaging and accessible for students with ADHD.
In a traditional class, students sit through the lecture together, then do the work alone at home. A flipped classroom reverses this: students watch short lessons at home first, and class time is used for discussion, activities, and working through problems together.
OUTCOME & RESULTS
A learning platform that helps instructors deliver flipped-classroom content, tested with students and instructors over two weeks of usability sessions.
clear access to course content
Participants found course content easy to locate and quick to access.
Instructor adoption potential
Instructors could see themselves using at least 2 of 3 in-classroom interaction features.
Increased Time Awareness
Time-remaining countdowns made deadlines felt more manageable and reduced the cognitive effort of tracking assignments.
Next project
A learning platform that supports instructors
financial application
Consolidating multi-product payments into a single session
Streamlined the payment experience so clients can pay for multiple products in a single session, supporting the company’s growing ecosystem.
View case study
