EdFlow - App concept for Atlassian
Design concept for Atlassian’s first collaborative productivity app that caters specifically to university students.
Role
UX Design / Research
Industry
Productivity
Duration
2 months
Project Overview
Atlassian, a leader in software development and team collaboration tools, is exploring new opportunities to extend its impact in the education sector. Known for products like Jira, Confluence, and Trello, Atlassian aims to develop a dedicated app that addresses the specific needs of university students.
Objective: To design a freemium Atlassian product tailored specifically for university students to enhance their productivity, collaboration, and work-life balance.
Context: As part of a team of four designers, we were challenged to create an innovative solution that would strengthen Atlassian's presence in the education sector by catering to the unique needs of university students.
Final Design Solution
We create a concept app - EdFlow, a comprehensive productivity app designed to help university students balance their academic and personal lives while fostering collaboration.
Additionally, we developed a premium version of this app, EdFlow+, which included advanced Ai features to further enhance the user experience.
Phase 1: Background Research
We began by researching productivity's impact on university students and studying Atlassian's brand, culture, and values. We also studied some of the popular competitors to understand the productivity market.
Key Insights
The popularity of productivity apps is growing, with many users reporting increased productivity from using these tools. While Atlassian's market share in education is modest, there is significant potential to create a specialised tool for students that goes beyond existing offerings.
3.36%
Confluence’s market share in knowledge-management market.
1.89%
Tello’s market share in the productivity market.
0.73%
Annual revenue growth rate for Collaborative software
Identifying Student Challenges
Through online ethnography, product reviews, and user surveys, we identified the main pain points students face with current productivity tools:
Most students only use collaborative tools due to university requirements.
Lack of accountability when collaborating with peers.
High complexity and a steep learning curve.
Poor integration with university systems.
High costs or subscription fees that are often prohibitive for students.
What Do Students Really Need?
An intuitive and user-friendly interface.
Seamless integration with university apps.
High levels of customisation and personalisation.
Cost-free or affordable options.
81.6%
students used productivity tools at university.
57.9%
used productivity tools only for university projects.
7.9%
of students used Atlassian's Trello or Confluence.
73.7%
students felt the need for team collaboration.
What does our user look like?
We created a detailed user persona representing university students striving for improved productivity through better collaboration, project management, and deadline tracking.
User Target Segmentation:
Student cohort
Team collaboration
Not yet developed user loyalty
Usage Scenario:
University Group Work
Self-management
Online Learning Environments
Self Empowerment
Phase 2: Ideation
Next up, we employed various design thinking techniques, including brainstorming, mind mapping, and reframing, to generate ideas and refine our approach.
After gathering ideas we narrowed down our focus using methods such as the Value Proposition Matrix and Design Matrices.
Following this process, we came up with our final design statement: Create a platform that enhances university students' productivity by facilitating efficient collaboration and diligent project and deadline tracking.
Phase 3: Prototyping and User Testing Phase
Our design process began with multiple rounds of sketches, leading to the development of low-fidelity wireframes. We defined key user tasks and conducted usability tests using the Think Aloud method, followed by heuristic evaluations to gather actionable feedback.
Key Takeaways:
Simplify user tasks for clarity.
Ensure intuitive and logical user flows.
Continuously refine prototypes based on user input.
Iterative Design and Development
We iteratively improved EdFlow based on feedback, focusing on straightforward visuals, a flexible workspace, and an intuitive UI.
Simpler Visual Language: Users favoured clear, intuitive visuals. We replaced the confusing numeric progress bar with a check mark to indicate task completion.
Flexibility of Tabs + Intuitive UI: We organised user tasks into separate tabs on one screen for easy access and added visual indicators for completed tasks.
AI Efficiency: To boost task efficiency, we added a feature that suggests meeting times by syncing group members' calendars, removing the need for manual meeting invites.
Task-Oriented Collaboration: We integrated chat functionality for each sub-task to enhance collaboration. Messages are private by default but can be shared with the group, allowing comfortable communication among team members.
Finalising the Designs
We developed high fidelity mockups to test and refine our ideas further. Following the testing phase, we developed the prototypes with three key features:
To-do list for each team member.
Task feedbacks with privacy options provided.
Recommendation of team’s meeting time.
To-Do List: We implemented a to-do list feature to help users track and manage their tasks efficiently.
Task Categories Tabs: We introduced tabs for different task categories to streamline organization and access.
Task Progression Indicator: We added a task progression indicator to visually track the status and progress of tasks.
Task Feedback with Chat Functionality: We incorporated chat functionality for task feedback, enabling team members to provide and receive comments directly within the task interface.
Meeting Time Recommendations: We implemented a feature that recommends meeting times for the team by syncing calendars, streamlining scheduling.
Notifications and Calendar Check: Users receive notifications and can easily check their calendar to stay updated and manage their schedule effectively.
Final Mockup Design prototype incorporating user feedback and insights.
Summary of Key Features
It’s a known fact that context switching saps your productivity. We aimed to partially solve that by creating an app that integrates your personal and university life enhancing your productivity. Instead of adding more apps to your workflow, we decided to create a unified app that combines all the necessary functionality into one!
Collaborate: Seamlessly schedule meetings by integrating data from user calendars, tasks, and deadlines, offering optimal times for all participants.
Connect: Merge personal and academic goals with customisable spaces that analyse tasks and create priority lists for effective project management.
Create: Integrate all essential functionalities into one app, eliminating the need to switch between multiple apps and allowing users to focus on what matters most.
The Premium Version of the App - Edflow+
Based on our research, we identified a strong demand and expectation for AI-powered assistance in various sectors. To meet this need, we decided to harness the capabilities of AI and machine learning to offer students personalised support and guidance.
EdFlow+ Premium Features:
AI-Guided Assistance: Personalised help with assignments and daily tasks.
Mental Health Support: Burnout detection, break suggestions, and activity recommendations to boost mood.
Enhanced Productivity: Tools for concentration, language translation, and more.
Conclusion
EdFlow represents a significant opportunity for Atlassian to enter the student market with a comprehensive solution that consolidates multiple student needs into a single, versatile app. By leveraging its expertise in productivity tools, Atlassian can provide a much-needed service that supports students in achieving a balanced, productive lifestyle.
The project was presented to Atlassian’s team and was shortlisted in the top 3 list in the whole unit, providing a sense of achievement for our team.
Edflow+ in action - setting up assignments using ai.
Reflection
This project was a valuable experience in turning an initial concept into a fully functional prototype. Working collaboratively with a team allowed me to hone my skills in teamwork, problem-solving, and effectively presenting ideas.
