How to Design Effective Learning Analytics Indicators? A Human-Centered Design Approach

Empowering learners and teachers to take control of the indicator design process can increase value and drive forward the acceptance and adoption of learning analytics (LA) systems. In this paper, we present the Human-Centered Indicator Design (HCID) approach as a theory-driven framework to guide the systematic and effective design of LA indicators that truly meet user needs. With human needs at the forefront, the aim of HCID is to enable a shift from an ad hoc, data-first to a systematic, people-first approach to indicator design. As a proof of concept, we present a case of applying the HCID approach to indicator design in a higher education context. The case demonstrates that HCID could be a viable approach to design useful LA indicators for and with their users, informed by design practices from the human-computer interaction (HCI) and information visualization fields.