Framework
OVERVIEW
FRAMEWORK is a time-saving academic research management system designed to gather research data and workflows in one place.
Goal
Research is an intricate process that requires efficient data management, organization, and guidance. However, many researchers face significant challenges:
Research is an intricate process that requires efficient data management, organization, and guidance. However, many researchers face significant challenges:
Challenge
DISCOVER
Market Research
To better understand the landscape, I conducted a thorough competitor analysis:
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Google Scholar: Great for discovering papers but lacks tools for workflow management.
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Zotero/Mendeley: Useful for reference management, but limited in terms of topic-based organization and research planning.
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Airtable/Notion: Flexible in organizing information but too generic for academic workflows.
None of these tools offered a comprehensive solution for academic research management that combined ease of use, topic organization, and roadmap creation.
DEFINE
Target Audience
I began by identifying our primary users—academic students and lecturers . Through a series of user interviews, I uncovered key pain points and needs. The insights revealed.
DEFINE
User-centric solutions
Solution 1: Suggested citations based on the research topic and similar research done in the same field, can solve the time spent on irrelevant reading sources, and trying to find quotations and authors suitable for the research.
Solution 2 : Data organization by topics and easy creation of a roadmap by guidelines, can solve inefficient organization of the sources and stages of the project.
DEFINE
Featured User-Flow
The user flows were designed around three core phases: Data Gathering, Topic Organization and Roadmap Creation. By breaking down the journey into these three steps, I aimed to create a structured yet flexible process for managing complex research projects.
Flow 1: Data collection by suggested topics and articles
Flow 2: Data organization & roadmap building
IDEATE
Wireframing
I started by sketching wireframes and building low and high-fidelity prototypes to visualize the layout and flow. Key features included:
Topic-based Categorization: Users can group related resources under customizable topics.
Roadmap Builder: A drag-and-drop interface to create and adjust research data and ideas.
TEST
User Testing & Feedback
I tested my prototypes with real academic researchers, gathering feedback on usability and feature relevance. Key learnings included:
Simplicity is key: Users preferred the minimal, clean interface that didn’t overwhelm them with options.
Customizable guidelines: Researchers valued the ability to tailor the roadmap templates to fit their specific needs.
Collaboration tools: Some users requested collaborative features to work on projects with other students or lecturers.
Final Screens
DESIGN
I chose minimalistic and clean visual style to avoid overwhelming users with too much information.
Brainstorming and Smart Roadmap
Guided research flows and pre-built templates that offer structure to new or less experienced researchers.
Project Management
GBite-sized guidelines and drag & drop mechanism are designed to make the cognitive process and effort a bit easier and fun.
Data-Driven Suggestions
Recommendations of relevant research sources, articles, and papers based on the topics the user is working on. These suggestions help minimize the time spent searching for relevant materials.
Data Clustering
An easy-to-use categorization system that allows users to sort resources by topics, authors, or other custom labels.
DISCOVER
Qualitative and Quantitive Research
I conducted qualitative research by interviewing academic figures, such as bachelor's, master's and PhD students, and lecturers. The goal was to understand their experiences, expectations and needs while conducting research. Also, quantitative research has been done by me with Google Forms surveys.
LOCATION
Tel Aviv, Israel
SOCIAL
Tel. 054-567-3099
© 2025 by Noy Avrahami