User Experience – New Dashboard

With the dita platform integrating many new features, it was important that we look at how this was going to be experienced by the end user. The Dashboard can become very busy and at times confusing for the user, when you try to add quick easy access points to multiple functions in the front screen. We see this over and over again in many systems and were focused on creating something that was exactly opposite to the trend of more options for the user to understand to be able to complete simple tasks.

Where to start? That seemed quite obvious to us and was to look at the dashboard from the user’s perspective!

This meant we needed to start with a blank page and start over and understand firstly what it was that the user was there for and how to make their experience one that is simple and direct. Now that cloud based training and compliance is becoming the norm, we see that the terminology used is varied and confusing, especially when users go from one solution to the next.

Courses, modules, resources, events, competencies are just few terms that are used to describe the content or function the user has been allocated. With these terms changing their meaning between one systems to another we decided to remove all these terms from our streamline dashboard.

Watch this overview of the new Dashboard

Notifications

While most communication with the user starts with either automated emails from the platform or manual emails sent via direct action by the system administrators, we felt the top priority was to have a simple Notifications board at the top of the dashboard. The notifications board holds all communication that occurs from the platform to the user with just the last 3 showing on entry and a simple scrolling function to access any notifications they have received previously. So if a user loses an email they can simply click on the notification to receive the message that was sent to them.

Activities

The second section is an Activities Board that contains a “To Do List” and “Completed” items, so when the user logs in, the “To Do List” is presented with next due item at the top. Showing an icon, Title, Status, Due Date and an action are all that are offered. This allows the user to simply click on the action button on the item they want to work through in that session. Four simple actions are displayed if required for each item, they can be;

• Open – symbolised by an opened folder, this action will take them directly into the item.
• Add – symbolised by a “+” button and when clicked will bring up a box with information for them to fill in.
• Edit – symbolised by a pencil and when clicked will bring up a box with information for them to edit.
• Upload – symbolised by an upward arrow in a cloud and when clicked allows the user to upload documents from their computer or device.

Navigation

There is a left hand navigation, that gives the user a one click access to;

• Dashboard – so no matter where they are in the system they can quickly get back to the dashboard.
• Profile – Where the user can view their own profile and if permission is allowed can edit their own details.
• Help – This section gives the user access to automated assistance through, “How to pages”, “Instructional Videos”, “Frequently Asked Questions” and “Technical Support”.
• Register Product Key – This allows a user to add additional products/content into their dashboard if allowed.
• Library – The Library button will only be present if there are item available for the user to access.

This navigation is in a closed state on mobile devices to optimise the screen real-estate and can be toggled open and closed.

The feedback received by existing clients and focus groups is that the New Dashboard takes away any confusion for the user and allows quick and easy access to the content or actions required by them.

For more information about this essential process and set of tools check out the help pages in the dita Platform.