MARI

Overview

MARI is a learning management platform originally built using Knack for Water Wings Swim, an Atlanta-based swim school. As the lead UX designer and strategist, I led the platform's redesign — conducting user research, synthesizing instructor feedback, and creating a more intuitive and scalable experience. MARI was designed to simplify class management, streamline skill-based assessment, and automate progress reporting — all without any custom front-end development.

Today, MARI serves 36 active users and is expanding to include parent engagement and new org adoption.

‍

My Role

• UX Strategist & Product Designer

‍

The Challenge

Most swim and skill-based programs rely on outdated or overly complex LMS tools that don’t reflect how instructors actually teach or track student progress. While the original MVP met some internal data needs, the UI was confusing, lacked workflow clarity, and created unnecessary mental load.

Our challenge: Redesign MARI to make class tracking intuitive and insightful — even within the limitations of a no-code backend.

‍

Objectives:

• Redesign instructor workflows for clarity and efficiency
• Improve student skill tracking with actionable insights
• Reduce time spent on admin tasks and post-class reporting
• Explore how MARI could scale beyond Water Wings Swim

‍

Competitive & Heuristic Analysis

To understand MARI's place in the LMS ecosystem, I conducted a comparative analysis of Jackrabbit and Sawyer, using Jakob Nielsen’s usability heuristics as a guiding framework.

Heuristics Evaluated:

• Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
• User Control and Freedom
• Flexibility and Ease of Use
• Help and Documentation

Key Findings:

Weaknesses in Competitors

• Student and class details were always in editable input format, reducing scannability
• Primary actions were unclear; e.g., Jackrabbit’s top-level delete button created uncertainty
• Visual clutter and poor hierarchy made it hard to identify important info quickly
• Not mobile-friendly, limiting on-the-go usability
• Skill assessments required too many steps to access
• Reporting and saving actions were buried or unintuitive

Opportunities We Identified

• Skills could be assigned to classes and students, indicating a strong underlying data model
• Clear categorization of content helped with information retrieval
• Ability to add unique skill identifiers offered data aggregation opportunities

This analysis confirmed what our MVP had revealed: there was no existing platform optimized for quantitative skills tracking in fast-paced, instructor-led environments — validating our decision to build MARI while also revealing scalable data ideas we plan to explore.

‍

The Redesign Process

1. Workflow Audits

I shadowed instructors during their class prep and wrap-up processes. I wanted to understand what steps caused frustration, and what helped them feel prepared

2. Interface Redesigns Based on Key Tasks

3. Usability Testing

I conducted moderated Zoom sessions with 5 instructors, asking them to:

• Take attendance
• Complete a class skills assessment
• Preview student performance insights

Result:
All testers completed tasks successfully and expressed strong satisfaction with the simplified layout and clarity of actions.

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

‍

4. Automations & Feedback Loop

Using Make, we introduced:

• Automated progress reports emailed to families at the end of each session
• Dynamic data syncing with Acuity Scheduling to reduce manual entry and friction

‍

Outcome

• 36 active users across instructors and admin roles
• 5/5 instructors reported that Class Performance was the most helpful new feature
• Admin time reduced by 4+ hours per week via automation
• Increased clarity and reduced user error due to simplified interactions and visual hierarchy

‍

What's Next

• Build in-house user registration directly in Knack
• Add parent-facing dashboards for visibility into progress
• Rebuild MARI from the ground up for scalability, performance, and richer UI
• Offer MARI to other skill-based orgs like dance, music, and tutoring programs

‍

Final Thoughts

This project taught me how to deliver UX excellence without relying on a traditional codebase. Working within Knack’s limitations sharpened my ability to prioritize user value, validate features quickly, and balance complexity with clarity. Designing MARI has been a true intersection of education, systems thinking, and human-centered design — and it’s only just getting started.

‍