MMS Live Chat
Role
UX/UI Designer (Sole Designer)
Services
App Design
Mobile App
Motion Design
Industry
Education
Date
6 Weeks
Tools
Figma
FigJam
Adobe Photoshop
Project Overview
Role-Gated Academic Communication for Students & Teachers
Summary
MMS Live Chat is a secure, role-gated communication platform designed to support direct, class-specific interaction between students and teachers at Modern Montessori School. The objective was to solve the limitations of informal messaging apps by introducing a structured, academic-focused communication channel with role-based access control and clear accountability features. This project encompassed user research, problem definition, UX and UI design, prototyping, and usability validation from start to finish.
The Problem
Students and teachers currently rely on informal messaging apps (e.g., WhatsApp) for academic communication, which leads to lost messages, boundary erosion, and information clutter. These tools:
Lack role-specific access control
Don’t support clear announcement tracking
Blur professional and personal boundaries
As a result, essential academic messages and class announcements are overlooked or lost.
Goals & Success Criteria
The primary goals of MMS Live Chat were to create a simple, secure, and structured academic communication experience that aligns with the needs of both students and teachers.
The primary goals were to:
Provide a secure environment with role-gated access
Enable efficient academic conversations within class channels
Reduce noise and clutter from unrelated messages
Support clear announcement delivery with acknowledgment tracking
Success was measured by how easily users could engage in class-specific communication without confusion or distraction.
Research & Insights
To understand the frustrations and needs of students and teachers, user research was conducted using interviews and surveys with representatives from both groups. The goal was to identify key pain points affecting academic communication.
Key Insights
Informal messaging tools create boundary confusion between personal and academic communication
Students need reliable, direct responses to academic questions
Teachers require structured ways to broadcast announcements and track receipt
Cluttered conversations lead to missed or overlooked messages
These insights guided all design decisions throughout the project.
User Personas
Based on research findings, two primary personas were created to ensure the design addressed real user needs.
Salma Shaheen
A focused, goal-oriented 17-year-old student who needs reliable, uncluttered access to academic replies without distractions from unrelated messages.
Mr. Amer Hussien
An experienced history teacher who needs a secure platform to efficiently broadcast announcements, manage class communications, and maintain professional boundaries.
User Flow
To ensure a logical and streamlined experience, I mapped the core user flow from sending a message to receiving a response and acknowledgment.
The primary flow focused on:
Entering a class channel
Sending or receiving a message
Viewing acknowledgments or teacher updates
Wireframes
Low-fidelity wireframes were developed to explore layout, structure, and interaction flow before moving into detailed visual design. This early visualization helped validate hierarchy and task paths.
The wireframes focused on:
Clear conversation hierarchy
Intuitive navigation between channels
Minimal distractions for both sender and receiver
Visual Design & UI System
Once the structural layout was validated, I developed a visual design system that supports clarity, brand consistency, and visual engagement. The design visually balances professionalism with approachability for an educational context.
The design system includes:
Typography hierarchy
Color palette aligned with school identity
UI components for messages, threads, and replies
Visual cues for role identification and announcements
Final Design Solution
The final high-fidelity prototype provides a secure, efficient platform for academic communication. It minimizes noise and supports clear task-oriented messaging among students and teachers.
Key Features
Secure class channels with role-based access
Threaded conversation support for coherent academic replies
Clear announcement delivery with acknowledgment tracking
Visual indicators for unread messages and priorities
Usability Testing & Iteration
Usability testing with representative users highlighted areas where clarity and interaction could be improved. Feedback indicated the need for clearer threading and more intuitive reply features.
Based on testing feedback:
Conversation threading was enhanced
Reply interactions were clarified
Visual feedback for message status was improved
These changes improved usability and reduced friction in multi-message contexts.
Outcomes & Learnings
Outcomes
Reduced noise in class communications
Improved clarity and accountability in messaging
A structured role-gated interface aligned with academic workflows
Learnings
Clear role boundaries improve user confidence
Structured conversation flows reduce cognitive load
Feedback mechanisms (e.g., read acknowledgments) increase trust
This project reinforced the importance of intentional structure in collaborative communication design.
Next Steps
If further development were pursued, future enhancements could include:
Push notification customization
Message tagging and filtering options
Expanded group management tools
