Redesigning Leantime.io for Students

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The Big Question

What design decisions can be made to better align Leantime’s dashboard with college students’ task management needs?

Background

In the fall of 2024, I took Technology, Accessibility, and Design, an advanced design course. As part of this class, my team partnered with Leantime.io to complete a generative research study with the goal of helping to redesign their dashboard. My team included: Lili Baker, Brooke Moss, Cherry Pham, Brooklyn Wakefield, and Me.

What is Leantime.io?

Leantime.io is an open source project management system designed for neurodivergent users. It's main user group is startups and small teams. This project focuses on their dashboard, (shown on the left).

What is Leantime?

Leantime is an open source project management system designed for neurodivergent users. It's main user group is startups and small teams. This project focuses on their dashboard, (shown the below).

Research and Methodology

In order to understand neurodivergent students motivation model and needs, we conducted a generative research study.

User Research

We interviewed 11 college students and 1 expert user

  • From 3 different colleges

  • We interviewed with neurodivergence including: Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia   

We explored people’s motivation models as well as their previous and current task management techniques.

What is Leantime?

Leantime is an open source project management system designed for neurodivergent users. It's main user group is startups and small teams. This project focuses on their dashboard, (shown the below).

Literature Review

We reviewed primary and secondary literary sources which:

  • Provided additional insight into the psychological and behavioural reasoning behind users actions and feelings

  • Helped to support our insights and have scientifically-backed recommendations

What is Leantime?

Leantime is an open source project management system designed for neurodivergent users. It's main user group is startups and small teams. This project focuses on their dashboard, (shown the below).

Insights

1.1: Users have different preferences for sorting their tasks, but nobody wants to dig for them

“I like the app I use because it is very bare bones

“When I organize tasks, I put the most important up top

“I like grouping tasks using the eisenhower matrix” [Expert User]

“I wanted separation of work and personal tasks[Expert User]

What is Leantime?

Leantime is an open source project management system designed for neurodivergent users. It's main user group is startups and small teams. This project focuses on their dashboard, (shown the below).

1.2: Showing too much information at one time is overwhelming

“I am more likely to get distracted inputting tasks if its large with lots of info”

“I used to use paper and pen, but it is overwhelming to flip through all the paper pages” 

“I find that paper to-do lists are long and intimidating

“I don’t use my work dashboard at all - the structure is too much” [expert user]

What is Leantime?

Leantime is an open source project management system designed for neurodivergent users. It's main user group is startups and small teams. This project focuses on their dashboard, (shown the below).

Reccomendation

Adding a fully customizable interface that enables the choice of all content in one place or added separations (folder structure) will allow Users to sort their tasks in a way that is intuitive for them. This interface should present as an adaptive infinite scroll that enables ranking via date and priority as that method is more intuitive to younger audiences than a purely folder system.

What is Leantime?

Leantime is an open source project management system designed for neurodivergent users. It's main user group is startups and small teams. This project focuses on their dashboard, (shown the below).

2: Users prefer to use software that is already familiar and integrated into their day-to-day app ecosystem

“I use Microsoft Post-it Notes because it’s accessible in outlook”

“I use softwares that I can access on both my phone and my laptop”

"I have a shortcut on my phone so I can quickly add tasks”

“Individuals in academic settings tend to display more tendencies towards DIYing rather than adapting, likely due to the less structured nature of tasks in an academic context” [Młocka]

What is Leantime?

Leantime is an open source project management system designed for neurodivergent users. It's main user group is startups and small teams. This project focuses on their dashboard, (shown the below).

Recommendation


Students will not use platforms that do not seamlessly integrate with their pre-existing routines. In order to achieve this, ensure availability and data syncing on both mobile and desktop. Allow for widget creation for mobile phone screen. Lastly, provide dynamic integration with common calendar providers.

What is Leantime?

Leantime is an open source project management system designed for neurodivergent users. It's main user group is startups and small teams. This project focuses on their dashboard, (shown the below).

3: Users struggle with complex task managers with high cognitive load

“Streamlining the user interface and simplifying interactions can help to maintain engagement and promote a state of ’flow’, which is particularly beneficial for students with ASD who can experience cognitive overload with complex user interfaces.” [Młocka]

“It is hard to remember to add my tasks when they are assigned.”

What is Leantime?

Leantime is an open source project management system designed for neurodivergent users. It's main user group is startups and small teams. This project focuses on their dashboard, (shown the below).

Recommendation


Users should be able to customize which metadata options show up and can be edited on the quick task view

  • Customize new task entry form to enable adding certain data by default

What is Leantime?

Leantime is an open source project management system designed for neurodivergent users. It's main user group is startups and small teams. This project focuses on their dashboard, (shown the below).

4:Users Foster Accountability Through Human Connection and Instant Gratification

“Having an accountability partner makes me do stuff”

“I'm often motivated by avoiding punishment from my parents”

“I often do my tasks so I can check off all my boxes for the day”

“Checking-in on the little bird served as a mood booster for 6 out of 8 participants.” [Krasteva]

“If the temporal representation of the activity demonstrates progress or continuous maintenance of the target activity, this increases the user’s sense of effectiveness, thus supporting intrinsic motivation.” [Villalobos-Zúñiga and Cherubini]

What is Leantime?

Leantime is an open source project management system designed for neurodivergent users. It's main user group is startups and small teams. This project focuses on their dashboard, (shown the below).

Recommendation

In order to provide accountability and gratification, users should be able to mark tasks as “I commit to doing this today” and then see a visual indicator of their progress through their daily committed tasks. To keep people motivated to finish their tasks, incorporate elements such as streaks, an avatar of an “accountability buddy”, and aesthetic rewards

What is Leantime?

Leantime is an open source project management system designed for neurodivergent users. It's main user group is startups and small teams. This project focuses on their dashboard, (shown the below).

Other Tasks:

  • Designed safety stickers

  • Tuned up the 3d Printer

  • Created a stand for the gateway

  • Designed UV Testing Lid

  • Designed Demo Lid

  • General Lab Cleaning

  • Tested different lights

  • Tested Colgate samples

  • Tested Soybeans

  • Manual Support

  • Attended Safety Meetings

  • Got RCRA Trained

  • 3D print trained Coworkers 

  • R&D support

  • Quality Checked gateways

  • Striped and Crimped ethernet cords

  • Soybean Pusher

  • And Much More