01.The Challenge
Canvas is utilized by thousands of students daily at UofT, yet the core experience often feels fragmented. Important deadlines are buried, and course materials are structured inconsistently depending on the instructor.
How might we reimagine the dashboard to prioritize actionable items and reduce navigational friction for students?
02.Research & Discovery
We began with generative research, conducting semi-structured interviews with 15 undergraduate students across different disciplines.
"I usually just look at the To-Do list on the right. If a professor doesn't put an assignment there, I will 100% miss it."
— 3rd Year Life Science Student
- Insight 1: Students rely heavily on chronological task lists rather than subject-based modules.
- Insight 2: The notification system provides too much low-value information, leading to alert fatigue.
03.Design Iteration
Translating insights into wireframes, our primary focus was the "Unified Dashboard". Instead of forcing users to click into individual courses, we brought upcoming deliverables to the forefront.
04.Final Solution & Impact
The final high-fidelity prototype introduced a modular, card-based interface. In subsequent A/B testing with 10 users against the original Canvas interface, our redesign yielded: