Digital Student Planner Redesign

UX Design -Product Development

The Goal

To redesign a client’s existing digital student planner built in Google Sheets. The planner not only needed to be clear and easy to use but needed to secure both student data and the integrity of the design, a unique challenge when building UIs in Google Sheets. In addition to UI changes, the planner would need to connect to a school-wide Google Calendar, and the planner’s data needed to be compatible with generating reports for staff.

Original planner page of the digital student planner

Redesigned planner page for the digital student planner

The Process

Preliminary requirements for planner elements.

Client Meetings and Requirements Gathering - Our client initially came to us with the idea of redoing their digital student planner. Over the course of a couple of stakeholder meetings, key requirements were gathered for the planner by looking through existing pages of the original planner together and discussing what features and pages needed to be kept. Following these meetings, I individually worked through pages and developed my own list of detailed requirements I saw for the system based on location within the system and the source that would produce that data.

Prototyping and Design - After generating requirements, I produced prototypes for the multiple pages of the planner. Because this final product would be a Google Sheet based UI, prototyping and wire framing naturally started in Google Sheets. Elements were mapped out and adjusted in sheet cells before adding visual design and cohesiveness across pages. Mockups were shared and reviewed by client for feedback throughout the design process.

Lo-fidelity mockup of the academic vocabulary page of the Planner

My design goals for the digital student planner were to improve the readability and for the user to more easily orient themselves within the planner. The planner’s original gray and white scheme caused sections and elements to blend together. I used color to differentiate between different sections of the planner’s key parts. Date, schedule, homework, and Today I Feel elements all have a unique color to make the planner easy to scan for specific information. Font sizes were increased for dates, day names, week numbers, and semesters as these are the key pieces of information a user needs to orient themselves within the planner. Each day was given a more clearly defined container for a more organized look.

Data Integration - Once designs were in place, I worked with my company’s development team to work on data integrations. Because this system was built in Google Sheets, student data needed to be protected. This means that students can’t have edit access to their Google Sheet, and instead all user input into the system is from Google Forms. I designed and added forms for each area of possible user input and worked with developers to implement formulas and our company’s backend tools to handle the data movement from a form response sheets to student’s planner.

All student input is through Google Forms in order to protect data and spreadsheet design. The forms are custom and prefilled for the area they are inputing and seamlessly sends to a student’s respective planner.

Students access a form for the field they want to add information for. While students cannot edit the sheet directly, they can still access the hyperlinks to open forms in another tab.

Other data integration work included connecting a school wide Google Calendar to the system so school events and dates were automatically included in the planner. A report for school counselors was created to combine all “Today I Feel” entries. This report allowed counselors to see and prioritize certain emotions students may be tracking that potentially required intervention.

The Result

Following testing both internally and with school staff, the final design for the planner was finalized. The Digital Planner incorporates five unique pages for student planning and data tracking, including an academic planner, academic vocabulary worksheets, a wellness journal, a service hours log, and PT goals. After launch, the school continued to provide feedback and improvements to the design have been made. For example, the school approached me with the idea of incorporating a link to a weekly quiz. The redesign accomplished the core goal of protecting student data by switching all student input to forms. While this form-based input solution is less convenient for a user than direct input into a cell, the placement of links makes it clear where input is possible and the additional security is worth it to the school. The planner itself is easier to read, is more organized than the original, and incorporates a simple but consistent aesthetic across the different pages of the planner. The planner is used everyday by hundreds of students at the school, and I have continued to work on supporting the system for student and school satisfaction throughout the 2021-22 school year.