Feature Brief
Context
...
This feature will will help users understand the grade distribution of the courses and in the end help in the process of deciding the courses and prof. to chooseselection.
Problem Statements
I am user who relies on past data to help me plan my courses. I am trying to choose a prof. and a course for my degree plan. But its tough to decide the prof. because there are lots of courses/prof. to choose from and there is no single page with all data which makes me feel tired and frustrated.
...
To organize the course/prof. data in a visually appealing manner.
To help the user decide the prof/course easily using appropriate metrics easily understandable by the user.
To help user decide with ease meaning in as least time as possible.
To improve the overall conversion rate rate and improve user satisfaction.
Hypothesis
...
(Feature): Create/Simplify the dedicated "Grade Distribution Dashboard" that displays grade distribution data for all courses and for professors in the form of course evaluations.
(User behavior): Use can easily understand without much digging around. Time saved and reduced frustration in choosing a course/prof.
(Metrics): 20% increase in conversion rate - Session Time Spent
...
& Interactions
If we <achieve/enable X>, then <user behavior Y changes in this way> leading to positive metrics <Z>. Include guesses for the size of the win on specific metrics, using past launches as a baseline.
2. (Feature): Clear Pass/Fail Representation
(User behavior): Use can easily understand how many passed/failed in the course.
(Metrics): Session Time Spent, Bounce Rate, Interactions
If we <achieve/enable X>, then <user behavior Y changes in this way> leading to positive metrics <Z>. Include guesses for the size of the win on specific metrics, using past launches as a baseline.
3. (Feature): Overall grade score
(User behavior): User can easily judge the ease of grading or ease of scoring in the course
(Metrics): Session Time Spent, Bounce Rate
If we <achieve/enable X>, then <user behavior Y changes in this way> leading to positive metrics <Z>. Include guesses for the size of the win on specific metrics, using past launches as a baseline.
4. (Feature): Overall prof. score
(User behavior): Use can easily understand the teaching style, difficulty level of the prof. at a glance.
(Metrics): Session Time Spent, Bounce Rate
If we <achieve/enable X>, then <user behavior Y changes in this way> leading to positive metrics <Z>. Include guesses for the size of the win on specific metrics, using past launches as a baseline.
5. (Feature): Course Evaluation Data Representation
...
Vision Narrative
John, a student planning his next semester, visits our platform to choose his courses and professors. He navigates to the Grade Distribution Dashboard, where he finds detailed grade distribution data for each course and professor. John appreciates the transparency and historical performance insights provided by the feature, which help him confidently make his choice.
Rough Scoping & Timeline
V1: Develop the Grade Distribution Dashboard to display course grade and course evaluation distribution data including the teaching style of the professor. (See requirements for more details)
Later Versions: Add features addons
Project Size: This is a medium-sized project.
Rollout/Testing Plan: Roll out to a select group of users for beta testing before a full release.
Key Trade-Offs & Decisions
We considered a more elaborate recommendation system but decided to prioritize data transparency and user control over automated recommendations. So we do not recommend courses in any way.
Concept Mocks
Include some mocks or a prototype to illustrate the concept. (Add links)
Review Feature Brief before continuing
...
Feature Proposal
Proposal
Detailed Requirement:
Create a dedicated "Grade Distribution Dashboard" easily accessible.
Cleanup:
Remove box and whisker plots as it is confusing for the user.
Dashboard:
Aggregate and display historical grade distribution data for courses and professors.
Display over grade score and overall course evaluation score.
Use can easily understand how many passed/failed in the course.
Use can easily understand the teaching style and interest level of prof. in a detailed manner
...
(Metrics): Session Time Spent, Bounce Rate
If we <achieve/enable X>, then <user behavior Y changes in this way> leading to positive metrics <Z>. Include guesses for the size of the win on specific metrics, using past launches as a baseline.
6. (Feature): Remove box and whisker plots
(User behavior): User is not confused about the plots and this prevents user from deviating from the main goals.
(Metrics): User Testing, Feedback
If we <achieve/enable X>, then <user behavior Y changes in this way> leading to positive metrics <Z>. Include guesses for the size of the win on specific metrics, using past launches as a baseline.
7. (Feature): General Coursebook information - syllabus
...
through course evaluations.
Implement filtering options for users to narrow down their selections for viewing the grade distributions in a better way based on specific criteria such as from- to for semesters.
Implement filtering options for users to narrow down their selections for viewing the course evaluation distributions in a better way based on specific criteria such as from- to for semesters.
General Coursebook information - user can easily view the syllabus contents in a single page and can have access to amount of assignments, exams, grading style and other information.
(Metrics): Session Time Spent, Bounce Rate, Interactions, Feedback
If we <achieve/enable X>, then <user behavior Y changes in this way> leading to positive metrics <Z>. Include guesses for the size of the win on specific metrics, using past launches as a baseline.
Vision Narrative
Tell your use cases in story format, starting before the user encounters your feature and including their thoughts and motivations. Show how the feature fits into the users' lives and has a significant impact.
Rough Scoping & Timeline
At a high level, what’s included in V1 vs. later versions?
How big of a project is this?
What’s the rollout/testing plan?
Key Trade-Offs & Decisions
For example, were there any alternatives considered?
Concept Mocks
Include some mocks or a prototype to illustrate the concept. (Add links)
Review Feature Brief before continuing
Feature Proposal
Proposal
Detailed mocks & feature requirements. You can start by expanding on the scoping section from the brief. Work with your engineers & designer to ensure you’ve gone into enough detail and covered all the cases.
Risks & Mitigations
Brainstorm things that could go wrong with your team and partner teams. For each risk, plan appropriate mitigations.
Open Questions
Gather open questions here while the spec is in progress.
Research
Useful research such as competitive analysis, metrics, or surveys
User testing
Customer interviewsUX:
Ensure the dashboard is responsive and user-friendly on both desktop and mobile devices.
Design clear and intuitive visualizations to present the data effectively.
Risks & Mitigations
Risk: Potential performance issues when loading and displaying large datasets.
Mitigation:
Open Questions
How frequently will grade distribution data be updated, and from which sources?
Do all of the courses have course evaluation available?
Research
Conducted user surveys to understand the demand for grade distribution data.
Reviewed user feedback regarding course and professor selection challenges.
Analyzed existing grade distribution data sources and their reliability.
Conducted user testing to understand the user emotion.