Reducing Cognitive Load and Deadline Anxiety in Canvas LMS
A systems level UX research case study exploring how learning management systems can reduce student stress by improving priority clarity and deadline comprehension.
Year:
2026
Timeframe:
4 weeks
Tools:
User interviews, Journey mapping, Cognitive load analysis, UX writing, Figma, Research synthesis
Category:
UX Research, Learning Experience Design, Educational Technology
Designing Clarity in Academic Systems
Learning management systems function as the primary control center for students navigating coursework deadlines assignments and expectations across multiple classes. While platforms like Canvas provide access to information they often fall short in helping students mentally organize that information in a way that supports focus confidence and emotional regulation. This project examines how cognitive overload and deadline anxiety emerge not from workload alone but from ambiguity unclear prioritization and fragmented signals across the system. The goal was to explore how Canvas could better support students in understanding what matters now what is coming next and how to act without constant checking or stress.
When Everything Feels Urgent Nothing Feels Clear
Students managing multiple courses in Canvas are presented with dense dashboards frequent notifications and overlapping deadlines. The system treats all assignments as equally urgent and surfaces information without helping students interpret priority or effort required. As a result students rely heavily on mental tracking and repeated checking to stay on top of work. This creates unnecessary cognitive strain increases anxiety and contributes to missed deadlines despite reminders being present. The core issue is not a lack of information but a lack of support for how students think plan and prioritize under pressure.
A Priority First Learning Experience
The proposed solution reimagines Canvas as a system that actively supports student cognition rather than simply displaying data. Assignment views were redesigned to emphasize priority clarity effort expectation and temporal context. Key interventions included a simplified priority overview that distinguishes urgent tasks from upcoming work clearer expectation cues at the moment of action and notification language that reduces pressure while reinforcing confidence. The solution focuses on helping students quickly understand what requires attention now and what can wait without adding more visual or informational noise.
