MARI

The Challenge

Water Wings Swim, a growing swim instruction company, was drowning in manual processes. The founder managed everything by hand—from scheduling to skill assessments—creating an unsustainable system that was time-consuming and error-prone. Instructors lacked an efficient way to record student progress or communicate with parents, resulting in reporting bottlenecks and inconsistent experiences.

Key Pain Points Identified:

• Administrative tasks consumed excessive time that could be better spent teaching
• No standardized method for tracking student skill progression
• Limited visibility into class-wide performance trends
• Inefficient parent communication regarding student progress
• Paper-based processes vulnerable to loss and human error

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The Solution

I co-created MARI, a no-code learning management platform specifically designed for skill-based education. As the UX lead, I transformed manual workflows into an intuitive digital platform that now supports over 36 instructors and administrators.

Core Features Delivered:

My Process

1. Discovery & Research

Stakeholder InterviewsI began by conducting in-depth conversations with the organization owner to identify core pain points and business requirements. These discussions revealed the unsustainable nature of the current manual system and the need for a digital solution.

Competitive AnalysisI performed a comprehensive audit of existing learning management platforms to identify gaps and opportunities.

Key findings from competitor analysis:

• Weaknesses in Competitors
  • Student/class details were always presented in editable input format, reducing scannability
  • Primary actions were unclear (e.g., Jackrabbit's prominent delete button created user uncertainty)
  • Visual clutter and poor hierarchy made quick information retrieval difficult
  • Limited mobile optimization restricted poolside usability
  • Skill assessments required too many steps to access
  • Critical reporting functions were buried in complex menus
• Opportunities Identified
  • Skills could be assigned to classes and students, indicating potential for a strong data model
  • Clear content categorization improved information retrieval
  • Unique skill identifiers offered data aggregation possibilities

This analysis validated our decision to build MARI, confirming no existing platform was optimized for quantitative skills tracking in fast-paced, instructor-led environments.

2. User Research & Persona Development

Following initial MVP development, I conducted moderated usability sessions with 5 instructors to gather feedback on early functionality and identify pain points. These sessions involved task completion scenarios and think-aloud protocols.

Primary Persona: The Instructor

3. Design Principles & Approach

Based on research findings, I established four core design heuristics to guide my solutions:

1. Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
   • Removed visual clutter to focus on essential information
   • Used clear visual hierarchy to prioritize frequent actions
   • Limited color usage to emphasize key interactive elements
2. User Control and Freedom
   • Created easy navigation pathways with minimal depth
   • Designed clear "back" functions to prevent user entrapment
   • Implemented confirmation for critical actions
3. Flexibility and Ease of Use
   • Added bulk actions for common tasks like attendance
   • Designed vertical card layouts for intuitive mobile scrolling
   • Created consistent interaction patterns across features
4. Help and Documentation
   • Incorporated explicit instructions within the interface
   • Used clear, descriptive labels for all actions
   • Provided contextual guidance at point of need

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4. Prototyping & Iteration

I created high-fidelity prototypes in Figma, focusing on addressing the key pain points identified in research. The design process involved multiple iterations based on stakeholder feedback and usability testing.

Key Design Decisions:

Redesign Student Roster as Vertical Cards

Why: Testing showed horizontal scrolling created confusion on mobile
Result: More intuitive navigation pattern aligned with mobile user experiences

Class Performance Visualization

Why: Instructors needed at-a-glance performance metrics
Result: VIsual representation of skill averages allowed quick identification of class progress

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Bulk Actions for Attendance

Why: Individual attendance marking was time-consuming in the limited window between classes
Result: Reduced attendance marking time by over 60%

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5. Usability Testing & Validation

I conducted multiple rounds of usability testing with instructors to validate design decisions:

Testing Methodology:

• 5 moderated usability sessions with swim instructors
• Task-based scenarios covering core functionality
• Follow-up satisfaction surveys to quantify improvements

Key Metrics:

• Task completion rate: 85% of instructors successfully completed core tasks
• Overall satisfaction: 4.2/5 average rating (1 being lowest, 5 highest)

Critical Insights That Led to Refinements:

• Instructors wanted to see skill performance at a glance across the whole class
• Navigation required too many clicks for common actions
• Users valued time efficiency above feature richness

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Outcomes & Impact

✨ 36 users successfully onboarded across instructor and admin roles

✨ 80% of instructors reported confidence using MARI without additional support

✨ Progress report automation reduced hours of administrative time each week

✨ 85% task completion rate for core functions: submitting scores, taking attendance, and reading data summaries

“This makes it so much easier to see who’s falling behind. I don’t have to guess anymore.” — Instructor feedback

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Challenges & Solutions

Technical Constraint: The no-code Knack platform imposed significant design and CSS limitations on implementing the full vision.

My Approach:

1. Prioritized critical UX improvements that could be implemented within platform constraints
2. Created a comprehensive design system for future platform migration
3. Collaborated with the co-founder on cost analysis for rebuilding on a more flexible platform
4. Developed a phased implementation plan to balance immediate needs with long-term vision

This challenge required me to think strategically about the product roadmap while delivering immediate value within existing constraints.

Lessons Learned

• Platform selection is crucial for design flexibility - Understanding technical constraints early helps set realistic design parameters
• Testing in real environments matters - The poolside context revealed connectivity issues that wouldn't appear in office testing
• Minimalism serves busy users - Instructors deeply appreciated the focused, distraction-free interface
• Iteration based on real user feedback is invaluable - Some of our most impactful improvements came directly from instructor suggestions

Next Steps

We're currently working toward MARI V2 with these goals:

• Fully integrate parent registration and profiles
• Migrate to a more flexible development platform
• Package MARI for other progressive-skill programs beyond swimming
• Expand reporting capabilities with data visualization

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