I helped Ânima Educação to build a web platform that is used to generate Bachelor's and Master's certificates for more than 350.000 students in Brazil.

Overview

Ânima Educação is a company responsible for managing multiple private universities within Brazil. In 2020, they realized that its platform could be restructured to attend not only Ânima itself, but other higher education organizations. This was possible since the Ministry of Education requirements should be followed by any organization that provides certificates to their students.

Role and project duration

August 2020 - July 2021

Product Designer — dti digital + Ânima Educação

User research, visual design, usability testing.

Results

Delivered the new platform to Ânima, which by 2021 was used to attend around 350.000 students.

A web platform by Ânima Educação showcasing a user-friendly mockup overview for generating personalized Bachelor's and Master's degrees.

Developing education management software for all higher education institutions in Brazil.

In 2020, Ânima recognized that its platform could be restructured to serve not only its own needs but also other higher education organizations, as all must comply with Ministry of Education requirements for issuing certificates. This led to the creation of A2S Technology for Education, a company derived from Ânima, aiming to offer education management software, including a certificate issuance platform, to other institutions.

Research

We needed to understand Ânima's certificate emission process on their internal platform and what could be applied to other companies.

The user flow was created during the MVP definition, aligning with the current Ânima flow and Ministry of Education requirements.

Illustration of Lucas, a newly graduated student, with a proud smile.

Lucas

Student

He graduates.

Illustration of Cleiton, an employee at the issuer institution, with short hair and professional attire.

Cleiton

Employee of the Issuer Institution

Verifies Lucas's documents, issues the diploma, and forwards it to Adalberto.

Illutration of Adalberto, a dean with a trimmed beard, shown in a professional style.

Adalberto

Dean

Digitally signs and sends the diploma to Juliana.

Illustration of Juliana, a higher education employee with brown hair and glasses.

Juliana

Employee of the Registry Institution

Verifies and returns the validated documents to Adalberto.

Illutration of Adalberto, a dean with a trimmed beard, shown in a professional style.

Adalberto

Dean

Re-signs and sends it back to Cleiton.

Illustration of Lucas, a newly graduated student, with a proud smile.

Lucas

Student

Receives the visual representation of the diploma sent by Cleiton.

*The separation between employees of the Issuer and Registry Institution exists because some institutions can only issue certificates, not register them. These institutions must send certificates to those authorized for registration, which helps manage authenticity control.

The avatars used belong to DiceBear.

Prototypes and user testing

A2S had an ongoing Design System, which I actively contributed to. It enabled efficient creation of high fidelity prototypes using predefined components. Low fidelity prototypes were also made, they were less frequent. When finished, I conducted usability tests with our users. Tests showed about 10 possible improvements, but we found out that the navigation hierarchy was visually confusing, as described below.

First version of the prototype showcasing a menu component for selecting the university view.

Solution

Improvements were made and another navigation hierarchy was tested. Minor changes included adding documentation so users could understand the flow clearly. These changes were tested again and navigation issues were fixed.

Second version of the prototype showcasing a menu component for selecting the university view.

Results and outcomes

After completing the MVP, the legacy platform was adapted to transfer student data to the new system, with smaller universities prioritized based on student count. The successful certificate issuance process will eventually cover all of Ânima's universities. Following Ânima's acquisition of Laureate's Brazilian assets in early 2021 (another large education group), A2S Technology for Education was discontinued and merged back into Ânima. The focus shifted away from offering the platform to other companies due to Ânima's growing student base, reaching around 350,000 students by June 2021.

Design system

When I joined the project, I contributed to Ânima's existing design system, which was being developed by other teams. Although we started a few sprints later, my team focused on the certificate issuance platform due to high demand, making significant contributions and managing the design system throughout the project.

A comprehensive mockup overview of Ânima's design system, highlighting a visually cohesive and user-centric interface.

Design documentation

I created and maintained comprehensive design documentation in Figma, serving as an interactive prototype. The team frequently referred to it for decision-making, which included personas, user flows, a glossary, and usability test results.

Mockup of Ânima's design documentation system, featuring clear design decisions and a glossary of terms. Streamlined interface for easy access and understanding of key design elements.