Class Enrollment Re-Design
Topic
Employees can expand their product knowledge and improve soft skills through attending classes hosted by an internal training department.
Challenge
Employees need a way to view upcoming classes, enroll in classes, and view which classes they have enrolled in. The existing process for these tasks needs to be improved for ease of user experience.
Goals
- Promote upcoming classes
- Increase class enrollment
Approach
1. Review existing process.
2. Note areas of disconnect that may cause confusion or frustration.
3. Brainstorm ways to improve process.
4. Develop prototype of proposed process.
5. Pitch proposed process to stakeholders.
6. Integrate stakeholder feedback and receive sign off.
7. Implement re-designed process.
Review of Existing Process
It was difficult to find the list of upcoming classes. All classes were listed in a catalog within our Learning Management System (LMS). Once I located the catalog and opened it, I selected a class I wanted to learn more about.
By selecting the class, I "enrolled" in the class. There was no way to unenroll in the class or view information about the class without enrolling in it.
When I reached a certain slide in the class details, I could download a calendar file (.ics) to add the class to my calendar. When I clicked the .ics file to add it to my calendar, it displayed at the bottom of my screen as a downloaded file. I had to open the downloaded file in my email software program in order to add it to my calendar.
Areas of Disconnect that May Cause Confusion or Frustration
- Difficult to locate classes
- No way of viewing class details without enrolling in the class
- No way of unenrolling in a class
- .ics file is difficult to add to calendar
- No confirmation message of successful class enrollment
Recommended Process Improvements
Due to the limitations within the LMS, I recommended that the class enrollment process be re-created in a different platform.
I recommended the use of a SharePoint site to host the enrollment process and provide updated functionality such as the ability to view all upcoming classes, and receive a confirmation message upon enrolling in a class.
Finalized Design
Part 1: Upcoming Classes
The new SharePoint site allows users to view all upcoming classes directly from the homepage by using the Events web part. This web part displays the list of classes in chronological order, starting with the next upcoming class, and displays the Class Title, Date, and Time.
Upon clicking a class, the user can view additional information such as the location and instructions to join the class. In addition, the user can enroll in the class by clicking a hyperlink.
Part 2: Class Enrollment
Upon clicking the enrollment link from the class posting, the user is presented with three prompts:
- "Class Selection" drop-down menu with information pre-populated from the SharePoint site's Events web part
- "Your Name" text entry field with information driven by Microsoft Online
- "Do you have any questions about this class?" optional text entry field
When finished populating these fields, the user clicks "Save".
Part 3: Automated Confirmation Message
After successfully enrolling in a class, the user receives an automated confirmation email message from the SharePoint site. This message is sent via Microsoft Power Automate.
Email Subject: "You have successfully signed up for (Class Title)"
Email Body: "Thank you for signing up for (Class Title). You will be invited in the coming days to the corresponding class via Outlook Meeting invite. Be sure to accept the invite to add this class to your Outlook calendar. Note: This is an automated email. Please do not reply to this email."
Part 4: Accept Class Invite
A few days prior to the class, all enrolled users will receive an Outlook meeting invite to the class. Upon accepting the meeting invite, the class is added to the user's Outlook calendar. On the day of the class, the user will receive reminders to attend the class via Outlook.
Meeting Subject: (Class Title)
Location: (Class Location)
Start Time and End Time: (Start Time of Class and End Time of Class)
