My Courses
Reimagining how 19,000+ RIT students manage their academic workload, through an AI-assisted redesign of MyCourses.
My Courses
Reimagining how 19,000+ RIT students manage their academic workload, through an AI-assisted redesign of MyCourses.
My Courses
Reimagining how 19,000+ RIT students manage their academic workload, through an AI-assisted redesign of MyCourses.
Overview
MyCourses is RIT's learning management system - used daily by 19,000+ students. It presents everything at once and asks students to figure out the rest.
This redesign asks : What if the platform did some of that thinking for you?
Role
UX Designer and Researcher
Tools
Figma, Google Gemini, Claude
Team
Solo
Timeline
08 Weeks
Research
24
Students surveyed across two rounds of research
86%
Wanted AI-assisted step-by-step task breakdown
90%
Preferred the proposed direction over existing MyCourses
Overview
MyCourses is RIT's learning management system - used daily by 19,000+ students. It presents everything at once and asks students to figure out the rest.
This redesign asks : What if the platform did some of that thinking for you?
Role
UX Designer and Researcher
Tools
Figma, Google Gemini, Claude
Team
Solo
Timeline
08 Weeks
Research
24
Students surveyed across two rounds of research
86%
Wanted AI-assisted step-by-step task breakdown
90%
Preferred the proposed direction over existing MyCourses
Where it falls short
Every RIT student I spoke to described the same feeling - five tabs open, three course pages loaded, no idea where to start.
MyCourses desktop app - a grid of all enrolled courses, announcements and upcoming deadlines.
Everything is equal. There's no signal for what needs attention today.
Course content page — announcements, links, and resources in a single column.
No next action. Students open this page and still don't know what to do.
Research
Round 1 - Understanding the problem
I asked 24 students how they actually felt about managing their workload -not what they wanted the platform to look like.
felt anxious or avoidant when multiple deadlines were approaching
95%
were manually breaking down assignments - work the platform should be doing
86%
missed or nearly missed a deadline due to lack of reminders
56%
Key Findings ↓
(01) Project Planning
Students needed suggested timelines, structured task breakdowns, and time estimates for each project phase.
(02) Resource Support
Access to relevant resources and example outlines was considered highly valuable for understanding requirements.
(03) Centralized Clarity
A single dashboard consolidating deadlines, clear rubrics, and submission expectations was a clear priority.
(04) Direct Communication
Tools for direct contact with professors and classmates, alongside deadline reminders, would reduce workload stress.
Not what should it look like - but what does a student need to do next?
Research
Round 1 - Understanding the problem
I asked 24 students how they actually felt about managing their workload -not what they wanted the platform to look like.
felt anxious or avoidant when multiple deadlines were approaching
95%
were manually breaking down assignments - work the platform should be doing
86%
missed or nearly missed a deadline due to lack of reminders
56%
Key Findings ↓
(01) Project Planning
Students needed suggested timelines, structured task breakdowns, and time estimates for each project phase.
(02) Resource Support
Access to relevant resources and example outlines was considered highly valuable for understanding requirements.
(03) Centralized Clarity
A single dashboard consolidating deadlines, clear rubrics, and submission expectations was a clear priority.
(04) Direct Communication
Tools for direct contact with professors and classmates, alongside deadline reminders, would reduce workload stress.
Not what should it look like - but what does a student need to do next?
Research
Round 1 - Understanding the problem
I asked 24 students how they actually felt about managing their workload -not what they wanted the platform to look like.
felt anxious or avoidant when multiple deadlines were approaching
95%
were manually breaking down assignments - work the platform should be doing
86%
missed or nearly missed a deadline due to lack of reminders
56%
Key Findings ↓
(01) Project Planning
Students needed suggested timelines, structured task breakdowns, and time estimates for each project phase.
(02) Resource Support
Access to relevant resources and example outlines was considered highly valuable for understanding requirements.
(03) Centralized Clarity
A single dashboard consolidating deadlines, clear rubrics, and submission expectations was a clear priority.
(04) Direct Communication
Tools for direct contact with professors and classmates, alongside deadline reminders, would reduce workload stress.
Not what should it look like - but what does a student need to do next?
Why node, not a list
The redesign is built around one idea - the student decides the action, the platform handles the connection.
01
Visual Decomposition
Every key element - Assignment, Resource, AI Coach, Peer is visualized as an actionable node, replacing overwhelming data lists with discrete units of action.
02
Relational Logic
By using relational mapping, the system instantly filters and displays only the items related to the current task.
03
System Integrity
The Node Map acts as the central view, guaranteeing all planning, collaboration, and submission actions happen within the same visual boundary.
Why node, not a list
The redesign is built around one idea - the student decides the action, the platform handles the connection.
01
Visual Decomposition
Every key element - Assignment, Resource, AI Coach, Peer is visualized as an actionable node, replacing overwhelming data lists with discrete units of action.
02
Relational Logic
By using relational mapping, the system instantly filters and displays only the items related to the current task.
03
System Integrity
The Node Map acts as the central view, guaranteeing all planning, collaboration, and submission actions happen within the same visual boundary.
Why node, not a list
The redesign is built around one idea - the student decides the action, the platform handles the connection.
01
Visual Decomposition
Every key element - Assignment, Resource, AI Coach, Peer is visualized as an actionable node, replacing overwhelming data lists with discrete units of action.
02
Relational Logic
By using relational mapping, the system instantly filters and displays only the items related to the current task.
03
System Integrity
The Node Map acts as the central view, guaranteeing all planning, collaboration, and submission actions happen within the same visual boundary.
Process
I cycled through five distinct directions before the node system clicked. Each version taught me something the previous one couldn't.
A strong start. Stats, tasks, courses in one place - the foundation was forming.
Pushed the AI angle early. Kept the learning plan idea, refined the framing.
Different ways of presenting the same information.
More clarity on the user flow. Everything clicks. Nodes, deadlines, feedback, AI - all in one place. This is it.
What's Next becomes the hero. Drag and drop, AI panel, real momentum. Needer more visual direction.
Process
I cycled through five distinct directions before the node system clicked. Each version taught me something the previous one couldn't.
A strong start. Stats, tasks, courses in one place - the foundation was forming.
Pushed the AI angle early. Kept the learning plan idea, refined the framing.
Different ways of presenting the same information.
More clarity on the user flow. Everything clicks. Nodes, deadlines, feedback, AI - all in one place. This is it.
What's Next becomes the hero. Drag and drop, AI panel, real momentum. Needer more visual direction.
Flow 1
What if submitting work and getting feedback happened in the same place?
Flow 1
What if submitting work and getting feedback happened in the same place?
Deadline-Driven Priority
What's due next comes first, not which course it's from. From there, the student picks the action they want to take.
Single-View Submission
Submit, get feedback, move on. No new tabs, no navigating away. The whole process happens in one place.
Relational Feedback
Peer feedback becomes part of the workflow, not something that happens in a separate email chain.
Deadline-Driven Priority
What's due next comes first, not which course it's from. From there, the student picks the action they want to take.
Single-View Submission
Submit, get feedback, move on. No new tabs, no navigating away. The whole process happens in one place.
Relational Feedback
Peer feedback becomes part of the workflow, not something that happens in a separate email chain.
Deadline-Driven Priority
What's due next comes first, not which course it's from. From there, the student picks the action they want to take.
Single-View Submission
Submit, get feedback, move on. No new tabs, no navigating away. The whole process happens in one place.
Relational Feedback
Peer feedback becomes part of the workflow, not something that happens in a separate email chain.
Flow 2
Flow 2 What if the platform could tell you exactly what to do next?
What if the platform could tell you exactly what to do next?
Decomposition and Scheduling
One deadline becomes a list of small steps. The AI breaks it down and suggests when to do each part.
Focused Resource Grounding
Everything you need for the task is right there. No switching tabs, no hunting for the right file.
AI Prompted Resource Retrieval
The platform finds the resources, not the student. Research happens inside the work, not scattered across ten browser tabs.
Decomposition and Scheduling
One deadline becomes a list of small steps. The AI breaks it down and suggests when to do each part.
Focused Resource Grounding
Everything you need for the task is right there. No switching tabs, no hunting for the right file.
AI Prompted Resource Retrieval
The platform finds the resources, not the student. Research happens inside the work, not scattered across ten browser tabs.
Outcome
0%
of students preferred the AI task breakdown, collaboration features, and the ability to choose their own action - when tested against the existing MyCourses.
The node connection flow was slower to parse than the rest of the experience — the one piece that needs to feel snappier.
Outcome
0%
of students preferred the AI task breakdown, collaboration features, and the ability to choose their own action - when tested against the existing MyCourses.
The node connection flow was slower to parse than the rest of the experience — the one piece that needs to feel snappier.
What I designed for — three shifts
Fragmented → focused
One dashboard. Everything that matters today.
Passive → active
The platform interprets, not just displays.
Overwhelmed → in control
Designed for how a student feels on Sunday night.
What I designed for — three shifts
Fragmented → focused
One dashboard. Everything that matters today.
Passive → active
The platform interprets, not just displays.
Overwhelmed → in control
Designed for how a student feels on Sunday night.