[Proposal] Improved Un-enrollment Experience for Enhanced User Satisfaction

Objective

The objective of this proposal is to enhance the unenrollment experience on the Open Edx platform by improving user control, clarity, consistency, and accessibility in the unenrollment process. These changes aim to make the process more intuitive and user-friendly, reducing the risk of accidental unenrollments and ensuring users can easily navigate through their options. Additionally, the enhancements aim to boost user retention by providing a more satisfying and accessible user experience.

Current User Flow for Unenrollment

• My Courses Screen: Displays a list of course cards.

• Kebab Menu: Clicking the kebab menu on a course card opens an overlay with an "Unenroll" option.

• First Pop-up: Clicking "Unenroll" opens a pop-up with:

• Message: "Unenroll from course?"

• Options: "Never mind" and "Unenroll"

• Second Pop-up: If "Unenroll" is selected, another pop-up asks for the reason for unenrollment, providing several predefined options.

• Options on Second Pop-up: "Skip survey" or "Submit reason"

• Final Action: Unenrollment is completed whether the user skips the survey or submits a reason, with no option to cancel.

Proposed Improved User Flow:

1. My Courses Screen:

   • Unchanged: Displays a list of course cards.

2. Kebab Menu:

   • Unchanged: Clicking the kebab menu on a course card opens an overlay with an "Unenroll" option.

3. First Pop-up: Clicking "Unenroll" opens a pop-up with:

   • Message: "Are you sure you want to unenroll from this course?"

   • Options: "Cancel" and "Unenroll"

   • Cancel Icon: A cancel icon (X) in the corner to close the pop-up.

4. Second Pop-up: If "Unenroll" is selected, another pop-up asks for the reason for unenrollment, providing several predefined options:

   • I don't have the academic or language prerequisites

   • The course material was too hard

   • This won't help me reach my goals

   • Something was broken

   • I don't have the time

   • I just wanted to browse the material

   • I don't have enough support

   • I am not happy with the quality of the content

   • The course material was too easy

   • Additional Option: "I prefer not to say"

5. Options on Second Pop-up:

   • Cancel Icon: A cancel icon (X) in the corner to close the pop-up.

   • Action Buttons: "Cancel" and "Unenroll"

6. Final Action: Users can unenroll by either skipping the survey or submitting a reason. However, they now have a clear choice to cancel the action at any point.

Benefits:

1. Enhanced User Control:

   • Users can cancel the unenrollment process at any point, providing a sense of control and reducing anxiety about making irreversible decisions.

2. Improved Clarity and Intuitiveness:

   • Using clear and consistent language, such as "Cancel" instead of "Never mind," makes the process more intuitive and reduces potential confusion for users.

3. Consistent Design Elements:

   • Including cancel icons in both pop-ups ensures design consistency, making the user experience more predictable and easier to understand.

4. Reduced Cognitive Load:

   • Simplifying the unenrollment process with straightforward options and clear feedback helps users make decisions more easily, reducing the mental effort required to navigate the process.

5. Increased User Satisfaction and Retention:

   • By providing a more user-friendly and controlled unenrollment experience, users are likely to have a higher level of satisfaction with the platform, which can lead to improved user retention and positive feedback.

6. Improved Accessibility:

   • Ensuring that all actions are clearly labeled and that cancel options are always available enhances accessibility for all users, including those with disabilities. This aligns with accessibility best practices and ensures a more inclusive user experience. Specifically, the improvements will help:

     • Users with Visual Impairments: Clear labels and consistent placement of cancel icons ensure that screen readers can accurately describe the options available, making it easier for visually impaired users to navigate.

     • Users with Cognitive Disabilities: Simplified language and intuitive design reduce cognitive load, helping users with cognitive disabilities understand and complete the unenrollment process.

     • Users with Motor Impairments: Larger and more distinct buttons, as well as the option to cancel actions, make it easier for users with motor impairments to interact with the interface.

7. Minimized Risk of Accidental Unenrollment:

   • The clear cancel options at each step ensure that users can back out of the unenrollment process if they change their mind, minimizing the risk of accidental unenrollments.

8. Actionable Insights:

   • Including a survey with the option to skip allows users to provide feedback if they choose, helping the platform gather valuable insights while respecting the user's choice not to participate.

9. Alignment with UX Laws and Principles:

   • The proposed changes adhere to key UX principles such as providing choice, consistency, feedback, and reducing cognitive load, ensuring a more user-centered design.

Customization Specifications for Unenrollment Flow:

To enhance flexibility and better meet the diverse needs of organizations, the unenrollment flow should include the following customizable options. These options were derived from pain points identified during the proposal review process, validated through user journey mapping, and converted into opportunities for improvement:

1. Optional Unenrollment Poll:
   Based on user frustration with unnecessary steps, organizations should have the option to hide or display the unenrollment poll. This flexibility allows institutions to streamline the process for learners who prioritize quick unenrollment, while still offering the opportunity to gather detailed feedback from those who are willing to provide it.

2. Customizable List of Unenrollment Reasons:
   The list of unenrollment reasons should be customizable to reflect the specific needs and context of each organization. This addresses the pain point of learners feeling disconnected from irrelevant options and helps organizations collect more relevant, concise, and actionable feedback. Aligning these reasons with each organization’s data collection goals also enhances the overall user experience.
   

   

Technical Implementation

Two potential approaches for implementing the customizations:

1. Frontend Plugin Framework (FPF): By leveraging FPF slots, organizations can easily customize the unenrollment poll visibility and the list of reasons within the frontend. This approach offers flexibility and simplifies the user experience adjustments without requiring backend configuration.

2. Django Configuration: Alternatively, we could make the unenrollment reasons adjustable via Django's configuration settings instead of hardcoding the strings. This would allow organizations to update the list of reasons from the backend with minimal effort, providing adaptability but requiring some backend access.

The pros and cons of both approaches can be discussed with the engineering team to determine the most suitable solution.

Conclusion

By implementing these improvements, the Edx platform can offer a more seamless, intuitive, user-friendly, and accessible unenrollment experience, ultimately enhancing overall user satisfaction and retention.