Enhancing users’ experience of a learning management system within higher education: chatbot design principles for service providers

Abstract

Improving the user experience (UX) of learning management systems (LMS) in higher education institutions (HEIs) poses a significant challenge for service providers. This challenge centres around the limitations of the existing user support mechanisms within LMS platforms. A potential solution to this problem is the implementation of an LMS chatbot. However, an obstacle in deploying such a chatbot lies in the absence of well-defined guidelines and research-based design principles tailored specifically for integration within LMSs. Such design principles are necessary for service providers aspiring to improve the UX within the LMS environment. The LMS service provider aims to enhance the product delivered to its users. Therefore, the researcher proposes an LMS-integrated chatbot, distinguishing it from existing chatbots that are neither integrated nor based on empirical research. Unlike chatbots functioning as frequently asked question (FAQ) assistants or assuming the role of the lecturer, the proposed chatbot guidelines are designed for LMS service providers to consider the implementation of design principles, ultimately improving the overall UX. The absence of established LMS chatbot design principles, both in theoretical frameworks and in practical applications, poses a challenge for service providers seeking to offer efficient user support through an integrated chatbot. This gap increases the risk of user dissatisfaction with the LMS platform, potentially leading to frustration. This user dissatisfaction may drive HEIs to explore alternative LMS products or service providers. This study is driven by the need to address the abovementioned challenges and facilitate the effective utilisation of chatbots to ensure an enhanced LMS UX. To build a robust theoretical foundation for the development of design principles, this research employs activity theory (AT) as a framework to understand the diverse user activities within the LMS activity system. To address this problem, this study employed the design science research (DSR) methodology and incorporated a design thinking workshop approach in the development phase of the DSR. The workshop incorporated a design team comprising 12 team members, who are all active LMS users from diverse HEI environments: four students, four instructors and four LMS administrators. The workshop participants offered valuable insights into what an LMS chatbot should look like, as well as how it should feel and function. The insights gathered from the workshop, including participant worksheets, participant observations and field notes, formed the foundation for the tentative set of LMS chatbot design principles. These tentative LMS chatbot design principles were further evaluated by four LMS experts to ensure their relevance and effectiveness in enhancing the LMS UX. The resulting design principles offer a structured framework to guide the creation of LMS chatbots to enhance the LMS UX within HEIs, aligning them with existing design features and Peter Morville’s UX honeycomb (Morville, 2004). This study contributes to the body of knowledge in information systems (IS) by presenting a set of design principles grouped according to the categories technical mechanisms, language usage, UX and feedback mechanisms. These design principles aim to enhance the chatbot’s effectiveness across various dimensions, including responsive interaction and availability, seamless integration into the LMS platform, natural language understanding (NLU), multilingual support, focused conversation, intelligent error handling, engaging personality, progress tracking, personalised recommendations, transparency on capabilities and limitations, and privacy and data security. Each design principle outlines specific criteria and expectations, providing a comprehensive framework for designing and implementing an LMS chatbot that prioritises UX. These principles address a gap in LMS chatbot development guidance and have the potential to enhance the overall UX within HEIs. Additionally, this study underscores the crucial role of design principles in advancing knowledge dissemination within the IS research domain. Subsequent research endeavours could explore empirical evaluations of these design principles in real-world LMS implementations, assessing their effectiveness and broader impact on UX.