This document summarizes research from interviews and usability testing on the process of creating courses on the P2PU platform. Key findings include that users iterate a lot when developing courses, with over 70% visiting P2PU over 20 times. Collaborative tools like Etherpad are popular for drafting content. Recommendations focus on improving the in-platform editing and creation process to better support collaboration and iterative development. Next steps include additional user testing and integrating the findings with other platform initiatives.

1. DESIGN RESEARCH:
COURSE CREATION
• Mission!
• Tools & Methods
• Interviews
• User Testing Screencasts
• Recommendations
Vanessa Gennarelli
@mozzadrella
CC-BY

2. MISSION!
• P2PU <3
course
creators
• Align our
design with
human
behavior

3. TOOLS & METHODS
• Interviews with our
totally rad power users
?
• 3 screencasts with
usability testing tool
usertesting.com: http://
www.usertesting.com/

4. INTERVIEWS
• Formative
evaluation
• 11 interviews over
2 weeks
• Subjects are
power-users
• All data is self-
reported
• Focus on process
of creating a course

5. GENERAL BACKGROUND
Mean= 23 months
Mean= 9.45 courses Median=18 months
Median= 6 courses Mode= 36 months
Mode= 6 courses
Individual Community Members
n=11

6. TIMEFRAMES
4 4
5
3 3
2
n=11

7. TIMEFRAMES
4 4 Users iterate
5
quite a bit:
60% of folks
72% visit P2PU
take 2 weeks+
21 times or
to develop
more over
courses 3 3
2 development
45% are on
P2PU.org
constantly
over
development
n=11

8. TOOLS USED IN COURSE
DEVELOPMENT
(n=11)
• Users asked
to list tools
used over the
development
of their
course

9. TOOLS USED IN COURSE
DEVELOPMENT
(n=11)
Tools that support co-creation
of content were most
frequently cited (Etherpad,
Googledocs)
Means our users are
doing *a lot* of
copying and
pasting...bummer.
Why Etherpad?
• “The P2PU website did not
seem to be a place where
Only one respondent
worked entirely in
you batted around ideas”
P2PU.org for course
development • “There was nowhere to draft
a course.”
• “Feel like there’s a social
aspect that’s missing--quick
communication with people.”

10. COLLABORATIVE WORK
25 • How many
15
people did you
6 work with on
6 your P2PU
3 course?
2
2 • Answer
2
includes
1 respondent
1
1

11. COLLABORATIVE WORK
25 • How many
15
people did you
6 work with on
6 Mean= 5.81 your P2PU
3
Median= 2
course?
Mode= 2
2
2 • Answer
2
includes
1 Most course organizers respondent
(81%) develop courses
1
in collaboration with others
1

12. USERTESTING.COM
SCREENCASTS
• 3 users asked to
create a course from
scratch and publish
• Note: we are being
tested against
Watch results:
• User 1: https://www.usertesting.com/videos/42K77HnmZFA%3d
• User 2: https://www.usertesting.com/videos/hS5QE8b0WtA%3d
• User 3: https://www.usertesting.com/videos/H%2b1aF
%2bmmBtc%3d

13. RECOMMENDATIONS
• Design course creation to look & feel like
actually *being* in the course
• Hover commands or a shadowbox to help
the user (disappears upon 2nd sign in)
• Support features that help users iterate
(incremental save, improve text editor)
• Bump up collaborative editing feature to
support co-creation of content

14. RECOMMENDATIONS:
CREATE COURSE 1
I’m a Course Title: Fill Me in with a Zippy Title!
Home > Learn > Course Title Home Page
Course Invite Admin
Home Collaborators Course
I’m a Task: Fill Me In With What You’d Like Folks to do First
I’m a subtitle: fill me in with a bit more description & context.
I’m a Task: Fill Me In With What You’d Like Folks to do Second
I’m a subtitle: fill me in with a bit more description & context. New task
Course Organizer Bio:
Christopher Crawford Next Step: Ask for
Community Review
I am into Religious Studies and
Anthropology and am a freak
about research, fact checking,
and curating content. I write the
internet, maybe you have read it?
Start Course

15. RECOMMENDATIONS:
CREATE COURSE Move in-course nav to all flesh
2
right, add invite/share
I’m a Course Title: Fill Me in with a Zippy Title!
Home > Learn > Course Title Home Page
Course Invite Admin
Home Collaborators Course
Move “new task” button to where
I’m a Task: Fill Me In With What You’d Like Folks to do First
I’m a subtitle: fill me in with a bit more description & context.
users need it
I’m a Task: Fill Me In With What You’d Like Folks to do Second
I’m a subtitle: fill me in with a bit more description & context. New task
Course Organizer Bio:
Christopher Crawford Next Step: Ask for
Directly edit text inline, Community Review
I am into Religious Studies and
Anthropology and am a freak
about research, fact checking,
which autosaves
Add organizer bio
and curating content. I write the
internet, maybe you have read it?
Start Course Include Community Review Step

16. RECOMMENDATIONS:
CREATE COURSE 3
Start by
giving your Share & invite Give
Tweak
under the
See all feedback
course a tasks collaborators hood
name
I’m a Course Title:Then add a in with a Zippy Title!
Fill Me
Home > Learn > Course Title Home Page
photo
Begin to fill
in the tasks
for your Course Invite Admin
course Home Collaborators Course
Create
I’m a Task: Fill Me In With Whatmore tasks Folks to do First
You’d Like
I’m a subtitle: fill me in with a bit more description & context.
as you see
fit
I’m a Task: Fill Me In With What You’d Like Folks to do Second
I’m a subtitle: fill me in with a bit more description & context. New task
Course Organizer Bio:
Christopher Crawford Next Step: Ask for
Community Review
I am into Religious Studies and
Anthropology and am a freak
about research, fact checking,
and curating content. I write the
internet, maybe you have read it? When you’re at a
point you’re happy
with, ask for
Community Review
Start Course

17. RECOMMENDATIONS:
CREATE COURSE 4
I’m a Course Title: Fill Me in with a Zippy Title!
Home > Learn > Course Title Home Page
Course Invite Admin
Home Collaborators Course
I’m a Task: Fill Me In With What You’d Like Folks to do First
I’m a subtitle: fill me in with a bit more description & context.
I’m a Task: Fill Me In With What You’d Like Folks to do Second
I’m a subtitle: fill me in with a bit more description & context. New task
Course Organizer Bio:
Last Step:
Christopher Crawford
Open for Signup
I am into Religious Studies and
Anthropology and am a freak
about research, fact checking,
and curating content. I write the
internet, maybe you have read it?
Start Course

18. NEXT STEPS
• Community review & testing
• Add advice on learning theory to the copy
• Integrate with Dirk’s “unification” plan
• Next study: mental model research on *why* people create
courses
• Raw data is up on Googledocs: http://ow.ly/dujBH
• Direct feedback to community list or to vanessa@p2pu.org
• Thanks to usertesting.com for comping the tests!
Vanessa Gennarelli
@mozzadrella
CC-BY