Introduction
The Tel Aviv University Debate Club is managed by "admins", a small team of volunteers, who enroll members and organize discussions. This project involves redesigning the scheduling tool used by admins to better meet their requirements and increase the efficiency of managing the club.
The Team
Hadas Solomon Taub and I as UX/UI designers, Diana Zaikin as a developer, Amichay Even Chen and Yonatan Klyiner as project managers.
Background
A volunteer project designed in Figma in 2022.
Problem
Managing weekly debate events with six different positions at each discussion, participants' requests and constant changes in attendance is a complicated task.
The Tel Aviv University Debate Club hosts 4 weekly discussion rounds with multiple rooms. Admins assign participants based on preferences and skill levels, while regularly updating the assignment to accommodate for changes in attendance. This makes planning arguments very challenging and time-consuming.
A Little Background
A few years back, admins used excel sheets for event organization. Then, a debate management system was created, now used by a number of universities across the country. It simplified and improved the process of arranging and managing discussions. The system has two parts:
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SaaS platform for admins to plan and organize debate discussions while taking into account participant’s preferences and skill level, as well as changes in attendance.
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Mobile app for students to register for debate discussions, get updates and fill in feedback.
Although it significantly simplified the process, the system had not been upgraded in a long time and was insufficient for the current needs. That's where we stepped in.
Research
To start off, we had a few Zoom conversations with our target users- the club administrators, to understand their workflow and expectations. They guided us through the existing platform and identified areas that fell short. We then created a comprehensive flow diagram:
Then we dove into becoming familiar with the scheduling screen of the current platform. There were several significant issues that needed attention:
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The top toolbar had many actions, some never used by admins. They were all represented by icons only, making it overwhelming and confusing.
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Excessive use of colors and borders to convey information required a legend and slowed down the workflow.
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Horizontal scrolling for the participant list made it difficult to display important details on their name card to quickly understand who they are and what position best suits them.
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The "Incognito" setting shows participants' confidential information, such as their rank. Admins utilize Incognito to better place participants in a room and a position when creating an assignment, but it's never used when students are present, such as during events when last-minute changes are made. Although the Incognito state provides a rank sorting option, the rank display was not implemented when the platform was built, making the sorting useless.
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When it's time to project the screen for the students at the beginning of an event, a different tab is displayed. The design's intention was to suit as many rooms as possible without the need to scroll, however this made it particularly challenging to see the screen when it was projected in a large room with bright lighting.
Lastly, we examined the platforms created by various debate clubs around the world. They all shared a few things in common, including:
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Standard table design showing each participant's position and partner.
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Extensive use of color to convey various types of information.
Our Goals
Before diving into Figma, we ensured that the team was aligned on the key aspects to be emphasized in the new design:
Ensure clear visibility of screen contents when projected in a large space
Present a lot of information in a straightforward and user-friendly manner
Ensure confidentiality of data that cannot be shared with the students
Our Solution
Along with these 3 screens, we also redesigned the participant’s details pop up and included a few new features in it:
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What I Learned
As a volunteer UX UI designer working on the redesign of the debate club platform, I am finding the experience to be incredibly informative and rewarding. As I continue to work on finalizing the project, I am gaining valuable insights into the process of working on a real-life product:
I have found these lessons to be immensely valuable in my journey as a UX/UI designer, and I am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to work on this project.
Share early and often. Getting feedback at every stage is the best way to improve our design. Sharing rough sketches and visual references helped me communicate better with the team about the feasibility and timeline.
The power of collaboration. The redesign was successful because of the teamwork and collaboration between the different members of the team. I've seen firsthand how combining our knowledge, skills, and experience has helped us to create an effective and efficient product.
What is a Debate Club?
A debate club is an organization that provides a forum to discuss topics related to current events, politics, and social issues in a structured format. The debate club is a great way for students to learn about different perspectives and practice their argumentative skills in a safe and supportive environment.
Debates have two sides: the affirmative and the negative. Each side presents its argument and can challenge the other side's points. The goal is to come to a reasonable conclusion.
The impartial chair in a debate facilitates equal opportunities for both sides, maintains order and respect, remains neutral, and assesses evidence and performance.