The Problem

Managing students and teachers within the platform was inefficient and error-prone.

At the time:

  • There was no way to manually assign students to teachers within the UI
  • Rostering relied entirely on a blind CSV upload process
  • Users had no visibility into data before import
  • Errors were difficult to detect and fix

This resulted in:

  • High cognitive load for administrators
  • Frequent data issues
  • Heavy reliance on support teams
  • Extremely long setup times

The Challenge

The goal was to redesign the rostering experience to:

  • Reduce complexity in managing users
  • Provide visibility and control over data
  • Support both bulk and manual workflows
  • Minimize errors during upload and assignment

All while working within:

  • Existing system constraints
  • Large datasets (district-level scale)
  • Multiple user roles and permissions

ROLE

Lead UX Designer

Timeline

8 months

Team

Product Manager + Engineering

Responsibilities

UX Strategy · Information Architecture · User Flows · Wireframing · Cross-functional Collaboration · Design Systems · Prototyping

Key Outcomes

  • Improved content discoverability
  • Reduced support reliance
  • Streamlined onboarding workflows

Impact

Redesigned the rostering experience to significantly improve efficiency and usability for administrators.

Key outcomes included:

  • Reduced time to create a roster from 17 days to 3 days (~82% reduction)
  • Enabled manual student-to-teacher assignment for the first time
  • Reduced errors through guided CSV upload and validation workflows
  • Improved visibility into user data before and during import
  • Decreased reliance on support for troubleshooting roster issues

Key Improvements

1. Introduced Manual User Management

  • View, sort, and assign students to teachers
  • Eliminated reliance on CSV-only workflows

2. Designed a Guided CSV Upload Flow

  • Upload → Review → Import
  • Inline editing before submission
  • Clear validation and feedback

3. Reduced Errors Through Visibility

  • Real-time feedback
  • Editable data tables
  • Clear error states

Designing a Better Upload Experience

One of the biggest improvements was transforming the upload flow into a guided process.

This replaced the previous:

“upload and hope it works” experience

New 3-Step Upload Flow

Step 1: Upload

  • Upload CSV file
  • Immediate validation feedback
Upload CSV File

Step 2: Review & Edit

  • Data displayed in an editable table
  • Inline corrections before import
  • Clear visibility into errors
CSV File Error Handeling
Fixes made to CSV Upload

Step 3: Import

  • Confirm and finalize upload
  • Reduced risk of failed imports
CSV Import Indicator
CSV Import Success
Admin and Teacher User Table
Student User Table
Add Individual Student
CSV File Error Handeling

Outcome

Previously, rostering required a full CSV upload with no visibility. This redesign introduced both manual control and a guided bulk workflow—reducing setup time by 82%.

The redesigned experience created a more flexible and scalable system for managing users.

  • Administrators could now manage users without relying solely on CSV uploads
  • Bulk operations became more reliable and less error-prone
  • Manual workflows allowed faster adjustments and corrections
  • The system better supported real-world district needs

Reflection

What I Learned

  • Bulk workflows should always be paired with manual flexibility
  • Visibility and feedback are critical in high-risk actions like data import
  • Small UX improvements in admin tools can create massive efficiency gains

What I’d Do Differently

  • Validate edge cases earlier with real datasets
  • Explore automation opportunities in error handling
  • Further streamline onboarding for new administrators

More Case Studies

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