EduScheduler: Intelligent Academic Planning System
EduScheduler was built to help NewGlobe Education quickly generate optimized teaching schedules for hundreds of schools worldwide.
Overview
Before EduScheduler, timetables were created manually—slow, error-prone, and inflexible. As Lead Product Designer, I worked with cross-functional teams to design an automated, adaptable scheduling system.
NewGlobe faced major hurdles creating teaching materials for schools in different countries:
Content creators needed a solution to free them from tedious formatting and let them focus on teaching quality.
I ran in-depth research to understand pain points and workflows for all stakeholders.
We used interviews, on-site observation, workshops, and system analysis to find bottlenecks and define solution requirements.
Stakeholder Interviews
- 12 interviews across 3 groups
- Mapped goals and workflow issues
- Documented scheduling needs
Process Shadowing
- 5 days observing timetable creation
- Mapped end-to-end workflow
- Found process bottlenecks
Collaborative Workshops
- Facilitated rule identification sessions
- Created journey maps with teams
- Prioritized requirements together
System Analysis
- Audited legacy system
- Reviewed docs and data flows
- Found technical gaps
Through this research, I developed three key personas representing the primary users and stakeholders of the EduScheduler system.
Key Pain Points Identified
- Manual timetable creation takes 2-3 weeks
- Each specialist rotation requires separate configuration
- Changes require restarting entire process
- 86% of staff time spent on data entry
- Physical classroom constraints ignored
- Current system cannot handle more than 12 teaching tracks
- No way to verify rule compliance
- Teacher utilization at only 68% of optimal capacity
- 23% of schedules contain errors
- Teacher specializations not considered
- Textbook sharing not optimized (12% higher costs)
- Teacher utilization at only 68% of optimal capacity
- Specialist teachers often double-booked
- Teacher specializations not considered
- Staff time spent on data entry
Design Requirements
Based on this research, I established clear design requirements to guide the solution:
| Requirement Category | Requirement | Description | User Need Addressed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan Generation & Management | Automated Timetable Generation | System must generate conflict-free timetables based on defined rules and constraints | Digital Production spends 2-3 weeks manually creating timetables |
| Rule Violation Management | Violation Categorization | Clearly categorize by severity (Hard/Medium/Soft) | 23% of schedules contain errors when created manually |
| View Flexibility | Multiple Perspectives | Support both grade/stream view and teacher view | Different stakeholders need different perspectives |
| Resource Optimization | Book-Sharing Scheduling | Support constraints for textbook sharing between grades | Textbook sharing not optimized, 12% higher procurement costs |
Information Architecture & Workflow Design
Clear structure and workflows were essential for scalable scheduling.
This foundation made the system intuitive for both development and user training.
User Journey Mapping
Mapped real user steps, emotions, and pain points to guide design decisions.
Pain Points
Limited visibility
into which schools have unique constraints
Long waiting times
for plan generation with no progress indicator
Overwhelming error messages
with no clear resolution path
Tedious manual adjustments
requiring repetitive actions
Design Opportunities
Create visual constraint indicators
for quick school assessment
Implement real-time progress updates
with estimated completion times
Design guided resolution workflows
for each violation type
Create bulk editing capabilities
for common adjustment patterns
These insights shaped targeted improvements across the user experience.
Try the Interactive Prototype
Click through the core scheduling flow as a user would experience it.
Showing 1 to 8 of 91 schools
Teacher Guide Flow
Teachers start by viewing their daily schedule and can click on any lesson to instantly access the detailed teaching guide for that subject.
Interactive Flow: Click any subject in the schedule below to see how the teacher guide appears instantly.
Try it: Click on any lesson in the schedule below to view the teacher guide
Today's Schedule - Monday
Click on any lesson to view the teaching guide
Smart Backend Integration
Timetables automatically sync with lesson content in real-time
Generate
AI creates optimized timetables
Map
Links lessons to content
Sync
Updates in real-time
Lessons Learned
The EduScheduler project provided valuable insights that have informed my approach to complex system design:
Key Challenges
Scheduling Rules & Needs
Making schedules work for both shared rules and local needs was difficult.
Stakeholder Alignment
Getting everyone on the same page was tough.
Performance Optimization
Making scheduling fast for big schools was hard.
What I Would Do Differently
Process Improvements
Earlier User Testing
Involving end users earlier in the process would have identified usability challenges sooner and improved adoption rates.
Incremental Rollout
A more phased approach to deployment would have allowed for iterative improvements based on real-world usage.
Enhanced Data Visualization
More sophisticated data visualization tools would have made it easier for administrators to identify optimization opportunities.
Design Principles Reinforced
Progressive Disclosure
Revealing complexity gradually allowed users to navigate the system confidently despite its sophistication.
Contextual Assistance
Providing help and guidance at the point of need significantly reduced training requirements.
Adaptive Interfaces
Different user roles required tailored interfaces to focus on their specific needs and responsibilities.
The Biggest Takeaway
The most significant lesson from this project was that even the most complex systems can be made approachable through thoughtful information architecture and workflow design. By creating clear mental models and providing appropriate feedback mechanisms, users can successfully navigate and control highly sophisticated processes.
Conclusion
EduScheduler transformed a complex manual process into an efficient, intuitive system, empowering administrators to create optimal schedules while meeting diverse needs.
Project Achievements
Thoughtful UX design enabled automation and control, balancing optimization with human expertise. Clear workflows and visualizations made schedule creation accessible for all stakeholders.
Impact Metrics
My Role
As Lead Product Designer, I led research, design, and implementation, collaborating across teams and supporting users throughout the product lifecycle.
Future Directions
EduScheduler lays the foundation for a modular learning platform, with future enhancements planned for content, planning, teacher, and school management.
"The EduScheduler system has revolutionized how we approach academic scheduling, saving countless hours while producing better results. It's become an essential tool in our educational planning process."
Looking for more?
Check out my other projects