Sohopathi

Sohopathi is an online education startup offering a platform for expert instructors, skill development courses, and dedicated exam preparation. As the company expanded, it faced challenges with user retention due to difficulties in navigating the website, which led to frustration among users trying to find their desired services and opting for alternatives.

As the User Experience and Relationship Manager, my role was to identify these pain points through thorough user research and collaborate with the UX Designer to propose an improved design. Together, we developed a more intuitive website with enhanced search functionality and personalized filtering options. After the update, we noticed a higher engagement level - website visit duration increased by 40%, and the click-through rate on course pages saw a 30% boost.

Let's explore what I did during this 30 days timeline.

Methods & Tools Used

Survey, User Interviews, Focus Group Discussions, Observational Study, Persona Development, Journey Mapping, Rapid Prototyping, Figma, Usability Testing

My Role

• Drafted a survey to identify key audience segments

• Conducted interviews with qualified participants

• Facilitated usability tests on both current and revised platforms

• Synthesized key data points to map the user journey

• Designed high-fidelity mockups of the proposed mobile platform for future iterations

Understanding the User

The first step was to understand my users. I aimed to create an open, conversational environment, encouraging them to share both positive and negative experiences.

Participants

• 25 students and 25 teachers registered on the platform

• 15 unregistered students from social media groups

• 10 guardians of students under 18

Key Insights

The user report, including insights from selected participants, is available here.

• Preferred Search Method: Most users preferred using mobile devices to find and register for opportunities.

• Key Influences: Filtering options were critical when selecting opportunities.

Key Questions Asked

• What factors are most important when finding online learning/teaching opportunities?

• What do you enjoy most about online learning/teaching?

• How can online learning materials and teaching access be improved in the future?

Making Sense of It All

Our user interviews revealed a significant amount of data around how students and teachers find learning/teaching opportunities online. To focus our efforts, we identified recurring themes from the conversations:

• “I didn’t sign up because there wasn’t much information about Sohopathi courses on the website.”

• “I want to be able to cancel a class if there’s a schedule conflict.”

• “I need filtering options by subject and class to find my desired course.”

• “I start my search with Google because I don’t know where to begin.”

• “I use my mobile to find opportunities because I don’t have a laptop.”

These insights led my team to focus on several key areas for improving the platform:

• Users need quick access to relevant learning materials.

• Users want customizable filtering options and clear, comprehensive information.

• A mobile-first design is crucial for users who rely on their phones to find opportunities.

Developing Personas

To consolidate our findings, we created two personas: one representing the students and one for the teachers.

Meet Shima, an 18-year-old student from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Shima’s Goals: To discover learning opportunities relevant to her academics.
Shima’s Needs: A reliable, centralized platform to explore courses that meet her academic requirements, with easy access and filtering options.

Mapping the User Journey

Shima's journey on the Sohopathi website began with optimism but quickly turned to frustration. She struggled to find relevant courses due to the lack of information and inadequate filtering options, eventually leaving the site in search of better alternatives.

Testing the Current Platform

To understand how users like Shima interact with the Sohopathi platform, I tested the current site with 15 participants.

Key findings:

• Only 4 out of 15 users could find an opportunity using the search bar but were discouraged by the lack of sorting options and excess information.

• 2 out of 15 users were able to use the filtering options but found it difficult to locate the desired filters and were overwhelmed by text-heavy screens.

Identifying the Problem

Users like Shima are eager to engage with the platform, but the overwhelming amount of information and unclear navigation creates confusion. Credibility issues arise due to the poor user experience.

Problem Statement

How might we help Shima find opportunities that align with her needs while simplifying her experience on the platform?

From Paper to Digital

I designed a series of interactive prototypes (low, mid, and high fidelity) that restructured the platform's services. These included enhanced searchability for courses, expanded filtering options based on subjects and classes, and a comparison feature for teachers based on ratings.

I tested the prototypes with 30 participants to evaluate the new features.

What's Next?

The final interactive prototype produced excellent results: all 30 users easily identified the search features and navigated the site effortlessly. However, some participants expressed the need for more advanced functionalities, similar to those found on platforms like Coursera or edX.

Looking ahead, there’s room for further development, particularly for interactive learning features. Additionally, with most users favoring mobile devices, many expressed interest in a dedicated mobile app to streamline the search and registration process on the go.