Google Classroom | Assignments
Google Classroom is a service provided to schools to streamline the process of sharing files between teachers and students. As a classroom teacher, I utilized this program to assign both individual work and whole-class assignments throughout the year.
However, there is currently no simple way to create group assignments through Google Classroom. Not having the option forced my coworkers and I to have to work in very round about and tedious ways. Some times we'd have to carefully strategize about which student could be best at sharing document permissions. Other days we had to hope for the best that every student actually remembered their email and could type it in correctly. Often times, there would always be one group or more who encountered an issue. Each and every time though, it took longer than us teachers would hope it would take.
I was inspired to design a solution for this frustration that my fellow teachers and I faced much too often. I sought out to implement a new group assignment feature through this project.
Research, User Flows, Information Architecture, Sketching, Wireframing, UI, Prototyping
Key Outcomes
Design of a new group assignment feature that embeds within the current Google Classroom site.
Step One: Research
Research Plan, Secondary Research, App Audit, Competitive Analysis, and User Interviews
Research Goals
Discover how teachers currently use Google Classroom.
Understand how technology is used in schools.
See if teachers truly have a need for a group work assignment feature.
Market Research Overview
- 80 million users who utilize G Suite for Education
- 30 million students worldwide using Chromebooks at school
- 80% of teachers believe access to tech is good/great
- 75% of teachers use technology daily with students
- Over 50% of teachers say they have 1:1 student-to-device ratio
Site Audit
I wanted to have a solid understanding of how Google's Classroom flow currently is. This would allow me to better see how teachers make use of the product.
User Interviews
Through my research, I found out that it is mostly upper grade teachers that use Google Classroom frequently. As such, I interviewed four upper elementary teachers about their experiences using Google Classroom. My user interviews validated my assumption that teachers are frustrated with the inability to assign group work.
- 4/4 users access Google Classroom daily to weekly to create, assign, and grade.
- 4/4 users frequently assign group work in their classroom.
- 4/4 users use a work around to assign group work in Google Classroom currently.
- 3/4 users prefer to give verbal directions over written ones in the assignment.
- 3/4 users were frustrated about how unsubmitting assignments doesn't work.
I both love and hate how accessible Google products are.
Step Two: Define
User Persona, Empathy Map, Storyboard, HMW, Sitemap, Project Goals, Feature Roadmap, Task Flow, User Flow, and Product Requirements
User Persona
Victoria is a representation of the voices heard throughout my user interviews. Having her as a persona allowed me to continuously focus on who my target audience was and how to really meet their needs.
Framing the Question
To frame the questions that I was trying to solve for users, I created these HMW questions based on Victoria's experiences and perspective.
Sitemap
I began by first creating a sitemap based on what Google Classroom currently has. From there, I was able to determine where my new feature would make more sense. Following the flow that Classroom currently has, the group assignment be a new option within creating classwork.
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Task Flows
To establish how users should navigate the new features, I created two task flows. One focuses on how users can create a group assignment. The second revolves around how users would check on students' progress on the group assignment.
Step Three: Design
Wireframes Sketches, Wireframes, Moodboard, Brand Style Tile, UI Design, and UI Kit
Wireframes
It was critical to maintain the look and feel that Google Classroom currently has. As such, I sketched out wireframes following the current structure of the product. However, I added in the new features in a seamless manner that would make the most sense.
Final Design
Step Four: Test
Hi Fidelity Prototype, Usability Testing, and Affinity Map
Usability Testing
View Prototype ➔Test Objective #1: Determine if the new features is implemented in the best place possible.
Test Objective #2: Discover any areas of frustrations due to the new feature.
Part A
Scenario: You are a fourth grade teacher. You want to create a group assignment on Google Classroom for Lit. Circles.
Task 1: Select students to assign to the groups.
Task 2: Attach the template you created.
Task 3: Assign the group project.
Part B
Scenario: After you have assigned the group project, you want to check in to see the students’ progress on the assignment.
Task 4: Show me how you would check it.
Affinity Map
I conducted a usability testing with five teachers who actively use Google Classroom. I purposefully recruited teachers who ranged in their years of experience in teaching and also in their comfort with technology. This would help me get a more accurate understanding of any issues revolving around the new feature as the teaching pool is so diverse. Overall, the new feature was very successful. However, there were some areas of concern revolving around the wording of directions. Some teachers also voiced their desire in ways to improve the flow of creating a group assignment.
Reflection & Next Steps
Since beginning this project, Google Classroom has been making frequent updates to improve their service. It's great to see that they are trying to better understand their users to improve their experiences. I'd love to see a group assignment feature one day as my research showed that it would be extremely beneficial to teachers.
Another design I'd love to explore in future iterations is a way to send feedback to students. Many teachers I interviewed shared their frustrations about technical difficulties of turning in work and then returning work. Since students rarely work on only one draft alone, I'd love to implement a feature where students can formally ask for feedback before formally turning in their work!
