Canvas Learning Management System
Usability Report
Product:
Canvas is the LMS that makes teaching and learning (and implementation and adoption and customer support and student success and bragging to your non-Canvas-using peers) easier.
My Role:
Utilized human factors methodologies for evaluating the usability and accessibility of Canvas' web platform. Ran an expert heuristic review, developed test protocol, ran user research sessions and delivered findings and results with design recommendations
source: background image David Caro
Overview
The purpose of this report was to evaluate the usability and user experience of the learning management system Canvas. An online survey followed by an in-depth heuristic evaluation and goal based observation were used.
User Demographics
Users across the United States
For the demographics, Alexa.com was used to represent Canvas’s rankings compared to similar websites. The largest percentage of users were from the United States with 67.6% of visitors and with a website ranking of 7,109. The majority of Canvas users are students and teachers all coming from educational institutions ranging from kindergarten to higher education.
Research Methods
Online sURVEY
USABILITY TEST
Heuristic
evaluation
Survey + Results
An online survey was posted via various Facebook pages and email. Within the survey, users were asked about previous/current pain points they had experienced with Canvas. Among other questions, the survey also identified features that were not being used and why, confirm pre-assumed usability flaws within Canvas, asked about any user recommendation for improvements and any comments a user would like to share about their experience with the learning management system.
Goal-Based Observation
+ Results
Global Issues
Global issues encompass usability principle violations that are consistent throughout the entire website. It focuses on a systematic review on how products and systems should be designed. Usability principles are what allow systems to function properly and efficiently, providing the foundation for quality user experiences and interactions
Local Issues
Local issues refer to usability problems that occur at the interface level. These concern user interaction issues present within each of Canvas’ webpages. Evaluating a system at the interface level is important because it is detailed oriented and more focused in comparison to global issue evaluations. The local issues section will evaluate each of Canvas’s webpages and identify key issues, describe the issues impact on the user and provide future recommended designs for improving its usability.
Global Issue: Consistency
Course 1
Course 2
Violation
Links are not ordered consistently. The first example shows the account navigation options being inconsistent with the profile navigation options. This is interesting because both navigation tools bar have the same options within them. So there is no need for the two navigations options to be ordered in a different way.
Impact (medium severe)
Forces the user to relearn where each of the links is placed. For example, the assignment link for course 1 is at the top, while the assignment link for course 2 is at the bottom. Although, this is not a serious problem it can cause the user to override automatic processing, which increases search time.
Recommendation
Allow users to organize his/her own navigation links in the courses page just as instructors are able to organize their own links. This can be accomplished by creating drag and drop functionality. The image to the left, Illustrates the user grabbing a navigation category/link and moving it to another location in the list. The user is able to switch the assignments link to where the announcement link was placed.
Local Issue: Discussion Board
Inserting Image into Discussion Board
The “insert content into the page” box and the “embed image” icon are missing an image upload button. When conducting the usability test, many participants struggled with submitting the image. All participants could not figure out how to upload an image because Canvas only allows the user to upload an image into the discussion by first uploading the image through the accounts settings. The two images to the left, display what the user would first encounter when trying to upload an image straight from the discussion post. The issue here is the user cannot upload new images because there is no upload icon for it
For both figures, Failure to provide an upload functionality within the “insert content into page”. The user has to first submit the file to Canvas via account>files.
Impact
Makes it difficult for the user to upload an image into the discussion. There are multiple elements in the discussion board that reference attaching an image. But the issue is that none of these elements allow the user to upload/attach an image. During testing, all participants failed after 5 minutes of trying to upload an image. Overall, not having an attach button caused users to not upload an image and give up.
Recommendation
Design an upload image button into the “insert content into page” and the "insert/edit Image boxes". This way, users won't have to first embed the image through the accounts page and then navigating back to the discussion post.
View Full Report
Though Canvas is regarded as one of the best learning management systems on the market there is still room for improvement. Overall, this usability report examined the various pain points users are experiencing with the system. Recommendations for future improvements were provided and were supported by human factor and human-computer interaction principles.
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ABout
CHRISTOPHER Q. NGUYEN
What he thinks about UX and how it explains who he is...
If you were to meet Christopher, he would want you to think of him as a person who lives and breathes user experience design because the way he views it, UX is all around us. It lives within every single object and most importantly in every single person. His interest in UX is equally rooted in his admiration for art, psychology, and science. Being inspired to succeed as a UX practitioner, he is currently pursuing a Master's degree at San Jose State University in Human Factors Engineering & Ergonomics. Improving his craftsmanship in graduate school Christopher aims to combine both studies of the liberal arts and engineering sciences to create impactful and meaningful technology. One day he hopes that his work can solve ways to provide equal education to everyone, create safer transportation, and develop more sustainable environments.
Furthermore, whether you are an employer, student, designer, a friend, aspiring UXer or just plainly an awesome person please feel free to contact him.
Contact Info
Email: Christopherng92@gmail.com
Phone: 1 + (858) 750-0545
Location: San Jose, CA
