Better School Choice
The Problem
What are we trying to solve?
For many parents, the search to find a school for their children can be very tiring since there is so much information to look into. Because of this, they need an app to help them choose a school so their children can excel in their academics.
The Goal
What are we trying to improve?
The goal of this project was to create a feature for parents to help them search for schools and provide profiles so they can review the information. We completed this by reviewing interviews from parents and compiling the information. We were able to then organize the information and create prototypes for users to test.
The Team
Who did we ask for help?
My role for this project was UX designer, consisting of reading interviews and creating the final product. To develop this app, we looked for input from six parents who shared insights into their school searching process. Their valuable feedback helped us identify the key features that should be prioritized, and with it we designed a low fidelity prototype. This prototype was then tested by three users, allowing us to gather more feedback and make improvements.
A parent we interviewed:
Sabine Kussman has two sons in elementary school. Her private school search was for both of them. We asked her several questions about her school-choice process. We covered topics such as her goals, research methods used, challenges faced, and plans for the future.
The Audience
Who is this app for?
This app is being designed for parents who have school-aged children in kindergarten through 12th grade. These parents are searching for schools for their children. With their help, we were able to collect meaningful information to decide what was most important for our app.
Discovery
What we learned.
By interviewing parents, we learned about their school search. Key factors include tuition, disability access, distance, and class size. We organized insights into formats like affinity diagrams and jobs to be done. Used info to make and test low fidelity prototypes.
What made parents start searching?
Design Methods
Based off of our comprehensive UX research, we created a low and high fidelity prototypes for user testing. The primary focus of our design was centered around searching for a school profile. We wanted to ensure that users could navigate through the app and be able to access the information. Additionally, we incorporated an example of a school profile.
How we created the designs.
Results
The final product.
We created style tiles to explore different visual directions and establish a look for the app. This process helped us refine the color palette, typography, and overall visual identity of the app. We also conducted competitive research to observe different types of designs. Incorporating these findings, we developed a high fidelity prototype that not only showcases an appealing design but also prioritizes accessibility for a wide range of users.
Reflection
What I learned.
Throughout this process, I discovered numerous approaches to creating app features. Reflecting on the project, if given the opportunity to redo it, I would have experimented with different color schemes to further enhance the visual impact of the app.I am also looking into expanding the prototypes to create a fully accessible app that caters to the needs of all users. By doing this, I aim to ensure that every user can use this app easily.
Check out my prototype below!