Evidano is an AI-powered qualitative data analysis platform that helps researchers analyze interviews, open-ended surveys, and documents. The primary finding from the Faculty Focus article by Dr. Mark Savignano and Dr. Scott Page (published August 10, 2026) is that intentional LMS layout and HTML templates substantially improved student navigation and satisfaction in two Minnesota State University courses. This post explains the study's mixed-methods evidence, extracts actionable design decisions for instructional designers, and shows how AI-enabled qualitative research tools speed discovery for teams doing LMS UX design research.
Key Takeaways
The Faculty Focus article by Dr. Mark Savignano and Dr. Scott Page (published August 10, 2026) found that a redesigned D2L shell significantly improved student navigation and satisfaction compared with a default layout (Faculty Focus).
- 65% of surveyed students preferred the redesigned KSP 330 layout versus KSP 202, according to Drs. Savignano and Page in their August 10, 2026 Faculty Focus article.
- KSP 330 received an average satisfaction rating of 4.7 out of 5 in the authors' August 10, 2026 report, indicating strong usability gains.
- The redesigned shell scored a comparative 4.43 against other D2L shells at Minnesota State University, Mankato in the August 10, 2026 study.
- The authors summarize the goal as “Designing Online Courses Students Can Actually Navigate, ” a direct framing from Dr. Mark Savignano and Dr. Scott Page (Faculty Focus, August 10, 2026).
What happened and how the study measured UX
The Faculty Focus study compared two D2L course shells, KSP 202 (default layout) and KSP 330 (HTML-templated redesign), using mixed qualitative and quantitative surveys (Drs. Savignano and Page, August 10, 2026).
The Faculty Focus article reports that instructors used default D2L features in KSP 202 and HTML templates plus accordion and breadcrumb navigation in KSP 330, and that researchers collected open-ended responses in KSP 202 and Likert-scale ratings in KSP 330 (Drs. Savignano and Page, August 10, 2026).
The Faculty Focus article notes the study’s design permitted both nuanced student voice (open text) and comparable satisfaction metrics (Likert), enabling triangulation of student experience and measurable usability scores (Drs. Savignano and Page, August 10, 2026).
Findings snapshot
| Date | Metric | Value | Implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 10, 2026 | Student preference for redesigned shell | 65% preferred KSP 330 | Majority favored clearer navigation and structure |
| August 10, 2026 | Average satisfaction rating | 4.7 / 5 for KSP 330 | High perceived usability for common tasks |
| August 10, 2026 | Comparative usability score | 4.43 vs other D2L shells | Design choices outperformed baseline shells |
Why the changes mattered for students
The Faculty Focus article shows students reported less cognitive load and more efficient task completion when the course used a structured weekly layout, accordion sections, and breadcrumb navigation (Drs. Savignano and Page, August 10, 2026).
The Faculty Focus authors summarize UX in the study concisely: "UX includes users’ perceptions and responses to a system, " a definition they use to frame student feedback (Drs. Savignano and Page, August 10, 2026).
The Faculty Focus study includes student comments praising embedded submission links and visual checklists as concrete features that supported time management and navigation (Drs. Savignano and Page, August 10, 2026).
Implications for instructional designers and course teams
Instructional designers should prioritize clear information scent and persistent navigation, because the Faculty Focus study found structured weekly templates reduced student confusion (Drs. Savignano and Page, August 10, 2026).
Design decision: use accordion content and breadcrumb trails to keep students oriented without forcing page loads, because the Faculty Focus article reports these elements helped students keep their place in the workflow (Drs. Savignano and Page, August 10, 2026).
Operational decision: pilot an HTML-templated shell with 10–20 students, then collect both open-ended feedback and Likert ratings, because the Faculty Focus authors used mixed methods to reveal both sentiment and measurable differences (Drs. Savignano and Page, August 10, 2026).
How Evidano helps teams doing LMS UX design research
Problem: Mixed-format feedback is slow to synthesize
Solution: Evidano automates thematic and frequency analysis across open-ended responses and survey spreadsheets, speeding synthesis of the mixed-methods approach used by Drs. Savignano and Page.
Feature link: see Evidano features for thematic coding, co-occurrence networks, and cross-segment comparisons that recreate this study’s mixed insights.
Problem: Interview and voice notes add friction
Solution: Evidano offers accurate transcription with custom dictionaries and PII redaction to convert interviews and think-aloud sessions into analyzable text, matching the kinds of qualitative evidence emphasized in the Faculty Focus article.
Feature link: learn more about transcription at Evidano speech-to-text.
Problem: Teams need fast iterations on UX changes
Solution: Evidano’s AI chat over your documents supports rapid exploration of themes, quotes, and segment differences so course teams can test templates, collect student feedback, and iterate faster than manual analysis allows.
Security note: Evidano encrypts data and does not share it to third-party model training; see Evidano data security for details.
FAQ: LMS UX design research
What specific UX changes improved student satisfaction in the Faculty Focus study?
Answer: Structured weekly templates, breadcrumb navigation, accordion sections, embedded submission links, and visual checklists improved satisfaction, according to Drs. Savignano and Page in the August 10, 2026 Faculty Focus article.
Supporting detail: The Faculty Focus authors report a 4.7 average satisfaction rating for the redesigned shell and qualitative praise for time management supports (Drs. Savignano and Page, August 10, 2026).
How did the researchers combine qualitative and quantitative data?
Answer: The researchers used open-ended questions in one course and Likert-scale surveys in the other, enabling triangulation of detailed student comments and numeric satisfaction scores (Drs. Savignano and Page, August 10, 2026).
Supporting detail: The Faculty Focus article emphasizes that mixed methods revealed both the why and the how much behind student preferences (Drs. Savignano and Page, August 10, 2026).
Can AI tools reproduce this study’s mixed-methods insights?
Answer: Yes, AI-enabled qualitative platforms can extract themes, count feature mentions, and link sentiment to satisfaction scores when provided the same transcripts and survey data, as recommended by the Faculty Focus authors’ mixed-methods approach (Drs. Savignano and Page, August 10, 2026).
Supporting detail: Using structured coding plus frequency counts reproduces the study’s ability to show that 65% of students preferred the redesigned shell (Drs. Savignano and Page, August 10, 2026).
Conclusion & Next Steps
The Faculty Focus study by Dr. Mark Savignano and Dr. Scott Page (published August 10, 2026) shows that modest UX investments in an LMS can produce measurable gains in student navigation and satisfaction.
Course teams should replicate the study’s mixed-methods approach: deploy a templated shell, collect Likert scores and open text, then iterate on navigation based on student voice (Drs. Savignano and Page, August 10, 2026).
If you want to accelerate that work, Evidano can ingest transcripts and survey spreadsheets, run thematic and frequency analyses, and surface the exact student quotes and metrics you need to make design decisions; try it now: Try Evidano for free.
Topics
- LMS UX design research
- UX design for LMS
- qualitative LMS research
- course design UX
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