ZenImPulse learning platform
During the pandemic, the monastery had to close its doors to visitors and switch to e-learning. While their existing digital platform allowed for some version of online lessons and Zoom offered them live streaming capability the team was looking to build a more robust, user-friendly e-learning portal that could serve them well beyond the pandemic.
The early research included analysis of other digital Buddhism and a range of learning platforms to better understand the e-Learning field. In parallel, I conducted a series of stakeholder interviews with the monastery team, a number of their past and present residents as well as community members. A small number of community members also participated in the Diary Study the purpose of which was to learn how people integrate Buddhist studies into their daily life. After initial prototyping, I also performed a short Usability Test and prioritized features based on the learnings from a Card Sorting activity.
The outcome was an informed design of a collaborative platform where the experience can be tailored to each member based on their individual needs. The goal was to create a space where the global Buddhist community could gather, learn, and meet one another. Depending on their membership level, users had access to live-streaming events, written documents, audio, and video recordings allowing them to practice anywhere, any time. Each recording had transcripts where people could highlight and add notes to various ideas creating their own curated journal within the platform. The portal also included discussion rooms organized by topics.
Among other deliverables were multiple workshops, an extensive Information Architecture document, a Design System, and fully responsive and accessible (AA+) site UX and UI.
Year:
2021
Location:
Remote
Client:
Dharma Sangha Monastery, Black Forest, Germany.
Client:
Product Designer and Researcher
The above are a few screenshots of the Card Sorting activity performed virtually using Optimal Workshop.
The journal study participants were asked to share images of how they integrate Buddhism into their daily lives via WhatsApp along with their other thoughts and observations. They also had a Word document hosted in our G-Drive where they kept a more thoughtful diary about their practices and observations. This study lasted one week remotely with five participants. The images below are some of the examples the participants shared.
The screenshots above and below are the refined designs of the digital community tool we designed. The platform allows for self-paced learning, community engagement, and live event participation. Users can take notes, highlight, and organize their thoughts in a way that works best for them.
View a short video demo below:
