Enhancing the user experience of learning management systems in higher education: Chatbot design principles

Transformation in Higher Education

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Enhancing the user experience of learning management systems in higher education: Chatbot design principles
 
Creator Swanepoel, Maria M. Matthee, Machdel Hattingh, Marie J.
 
Subject Informatics; Information Systems; Learning Management Systems; Chatbots chatbots; design principles; design thinking workshop; higher education institutions; learning management systems; user experience.
Description The integration of chatbots into learning management systems (LMSs) has the potential to significantly enhance the user experience (UX) in the context of higher education. However, the lack of evidence-based guidelines for the design of such chatbots has diminished this potential. This study proposes a set of guiding principles to improve the design of LMS chatbots. A design science research approach was adopted to formulate the chatbot design principles, drawing on insights from 12 LMS users (students, instructors and administrators) at diverse higher education institutions, gathered during a design thinking workshop and refined through expert evaluation. This study offers a framework for developing LMS chatbots that prioritise UX, ensuring that LMS platforms remain an asset in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The principles address various aspects, including technical mechanisms, language usage, user experience and feedback mechanisms. Practically, it offers actionable principles to enhance responsiveness, accessibility, personalisation and trust. Future research should focus on the empirical evaluation of these principles in real-world implementations and their applicability to Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled chatbots to validate their effectiveness and broader impact on UX for users.Contribution: This study proposes a structured, empirically grounded set of design principles for LMS-integrated chatbots. It addresses user dissatisfaction and underutilisation in LMS platforms by offering evidence-based guidance to enhance UX. It builds on and provides a framework for improving chatbot-user interactions. Practically, it offers actionable principles to enhance responsiveness, accessibility, personalisation and trust. This study thus supports digital transformation in higher education by promoting more engaging, inclusive and student-centred technology-enhanced learning environments.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor None
Date 2026-02-05
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Design Science Research
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/the.v11i0.624
 
Source Transformation in Higher Education; Vol 11 (2026); 10 pages 2519-5638 2415-0991
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://thejournal.org.za/index.php/thejournal/article/view/624/1114 https://thejournal.org.za/index.php/thejournal/article/view/624/1115 https://thejournal.org.za/index.php/thejournal/article/view/624/1116 https://thejournal.org.za/index.php/thejournal/article/view/624/1117
 
Coverage None None None
Rights Copyright (c) 2026 Maria M. Swanepoel, Machdel Matthee, Marie J. Hattingh https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ADVERTISEMENT