Trainex - But better

Introduction & Research Objective

This project aims to gather deep insights into user behavior, motivation, and pain points regarding digital task management and administrative systems used by students and staff at Media University Berlin. Specifically, the study focuses on TraiNex, one of the university's core platforms, and its integration with other digital tools such as Microsoft Teams, PLS, and file-sharing systems.

Goals

• Understand how TraiNex and related platforms are currently used by different user groups (students and staff).
• Identify usability issues, inefficiencies, and pain points.
• Evaluate the need for a unified login system and additional features like shared calendars, event management, and booking tools.
• Provide design recommendations based on findings.

The research is conducted in two waves:

Wave 1: Exploratory interviews and observations of current system.

Wave 2: Focused research on pain points and improvements discovered in Wave 1.

Group Members

• Çağla Sarıga
• Gangin Kim
• Satu Aydın
• Shaun Gear
• Ungwang Mpule Molefe

Part 1: Interviews with Students

The student interviews aim to uncover:

• The most and least useful features of TraiNex from a student perspective.
• Key friction points or confusing areas.
• Suggestions for improving accessibility, clarity, and engagement.
• Their behaviors on mobile vs. desktop platforms.
• Their openness to gamification and new features like shared calendars or social tools.

Interview Protocol

Thank you for joining us today. We're conducting this interview as part of our User Experience and New Media course. Our project is focused on understanding how students use TraiNex and other digital platforms in their academic lives. Everything you share will remain confidential and will be used only for educational research purposes. Your responses will help us improve user experience design in academic platforms. With your consent, we may take notes or record this session to ensure accuracy.

Interview Questions

1. What do you primarily use TraiNex for?
2. Which features of TraiNex do you use the most and why?
3. Can you walk us through a typical session of using TraiNex?
4. Do you prefer using TraiNex on your phone or your laptop? Why?
5. What do you find most frustrating or time-consuming when using TraiNex?
6. Are there any features that are confusing or hard to locate?
7. What features do you think are unnecessary?
8. How do you currently keep track of your tasks, classes, and deadlines?
9. What other tools (Teams, Google Drive, etc.) do you use for university work?
10. What improvements or features would make TraiNex more useful to you?
11. Would gamification elements (e.g., progress bars, rewards for task completion) motivate you to use TraiNex more often?
12. What do you think about these proposed features:
    1. Unified login system for TraiNex, Teams, and file storage
    2. Adding exams and social events to a shared calendar
    3. Toggling between event types (academic, social, personal)
    4. Booking appointments with university staff online
    5. Finding students with common interests for study groups or activities

Part 2: Interviews With Staff

The staff interviews (including administration, professors, and IT staff) aim to:

• Understand how they use TraiNex and related systems in their workflow.
• Identify frequent challenges, limitations, and areas of confusion.
• Gather their suggestions for functionality improvements.
• Learn how they manage file-sharing, student interaction, and schedule organization.
• Discover platform redundancies or inefficiencies.
• Assess receptiveness to consolidated tools and interface improvements.

Interview Protocol

Thank you for participating. We’re conducting this interview for our UX and New Media course, to explore how university staff interact with the TraiNex platform and related systems. The aim is to identify common issues and explore how the experience can be improved. Your answers will remain confidential and used only for academic purposes. If you’re comfortable, we’d also like to observe you navigating TraiNex in your usual workflow to better understand your experience.

Interview Questions

1. How long have you been using TraiNex and how frequently do you use it?
2. What are your main responsibilities/tasks on TraiNex?
3. Can you demonstrate how you use TraiNex in a typical day?
4. Which other platforms do you use for your work (e.g., MS Teams, Moodle, etc.)?
5. What are the most useful functions of TraiNex for your role?
6. What do you find most frustrating or time-consuming about TraiNex?
7. Are there any parts of the interface or functionality you find unnecessary or overly complex?
8. Do you use TraiNex more on desktop or mobile? Why?
9. How do you handle file sharing or communication with students/colleagues?
10. Would a unified platform login help simplify your daily tasks?
11. What do you think about these potential improvements:
    1. Centralized file storage across platforms
    2. Calendar integration (exams, meetings, events)
    3. Student meeting booking feature
12. Are there security or privacy concerns you’d have about using a single login for all platforms?
13. If you could change one thing about TraiNex, what would it be?

Interview Analysis Results

Interviews were conducted in-person, and all transcripts were sorted using Google Forms. With all data gathered in one document, Atlas.AI was used to conduct analysis.

Key Findings

A. Primary Uses of TraiNex Schedule Checking: Most respondents indicated that they primarily use TraiNex to check their class schedules and access course materials. For example, one student mentioned, "it's the only place to see my schedule and my courses. I use it every day" ​. Accessing Course Materials: Many users rely on the archive feature to download class materials and presentations ​.

B. User Frustrations User Interface Issues: Several respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the platform's interface, describing it as "old-fashioned" and "not user-friendly" ​. One student noted that navigating through tabs to find information can be confusing ​. Mobile Accessibility: Users reported difficulties accessing certain features on mobile devices, stating that the interface is not optimized for smaller screens ​.

C. Suggestions for Improvement Enhanced Navigation: Respondents suggested that frequently used tabs should be more accessible and clearly labeled to improve navigation ​. Unified Login System: Many participants recommended implementing a unified login system for TraiNex, Teams, and file storage to streamline access ​. Calendar Integration: Adding exams and social events to a shared calendar was a common suggestion to help students manage their schedules better ​.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Based on the analysis, summarize the key insights and provide actionable recommendations: Improve User Interface: Redesign the platform to enhance usability and accessibility. Implement Suggested Features: Prioritize the development of a unified login system and calendar integration based on user feedback.

Thematic Analysis of Open-Ended Responses

Theme 1: Usability Many respondents highlighted the need for a more intuitive user interface. Comments indicated that users often found the navigation confusing and the layout outdated. For instance, one student mentioned, "the look of TraiNex. Aesthetic. I think it's huh, shitty" and expressed frustration with the difficulty in locating important information, stating, "you need to, like, really dig in to find the information you're looking for"​.

Theme 2: Communication There were numerous suggestions for improving communication tools between students and professors. Respondents emphasized the importance of having better channels for interaction, with one student suggesting, "adding better communication tools, such as chat or discussion boards, would increase engagement"​.

Theme 3: Accessibility Several comments pointed out issues with accessing the platform on mobile devices. Users reported that the mobile interface was not user-friendly, stating, "the archive, I think it's pretty weird to access from the phone"​, indicating a need for a more responsive design that accommodates various devices​.

Theme 4: Information Clarity Participants expressed concerns about the clarity of information presented on the platform. Many noted that important details, such as grades and course materials, were not easily accessible, leading to confusion. One student remarked, "I sometimes forget what leads to what tab. So it's often confusing because it's not explicitly mentioned"​.

Theme 5: Integration of Features Respondents frequently suggested integrating various features into a single platform to streamline their experience. For example, the idea of a unified login system for TraiNex, Teams, and file storage was mentioned multiple times, with one student stating, "a unified login system for TraiNex, Teams, and file storage" would be beneficial​.

Theme 6: Calendar and Event Management There was a strong desire for better calendar integration to manage academic and social events. Suggestions included "adding exams and social events to a shared calendar" and "toggling between event types (academic, social, personal)"​, indicating that users want a more organized way to keep track of important dates​.

Personas

Based on the data derived from Atlas.AI analysis, the following personas were created.

Staff Personas

Student Personas

Requirements Collection

• One-link login
• Customizable menu
• Automatic title creation
• Direct link to attendance from calendar
• Error correction suggestion
• Calendar export
• Attendance progress bar
• Making appointments and/or booking rooms
• Button to switch language
• Button to switch to desktop version
• Filter function for job postings