Helping teachers cultivate little readers
Client: Cleverbean
Timeframe: 2.5 weeks
Problem: Cleverbean would like to know how to promote and encourage teachers to share their app.
Solution: By researching how and why teachers currently share resources, Cleverbean will be able to effectively market their app.
Skills and techniques:
+ Heuristic Evaluation + Survey writing + Competitor Analysis
+ Usability Testing + Usability Interview + Persona development
+ Scenario development + User Journey Mapping . + Wireframe design
What is Cleverbean?
“In one easy-to-use app, you can guide and track the reading progress of every individual student, collaborate with other teachers, create reports and much more.”
Overview
Provided with a high-fidelity app, our task was to find out the best way to market Cleverbean within the educational industry. Additionally, was there a feature we could add to the app for the sharing process? And at what stage of the user journey would a teacher share it?
Our biggest concern was that the app hadn't been tested. How did the client know if their users thought the app was useful? Whether they liked it and then on top of that, liked it enough to share with work colleagues? The main reasons people use/share apps are they are useful, usable and delightful.
What use would our research be if the app itself was not at a level where people would want to share it?
We negotiated with the client to take a few steps back. To look at the app and business as a whole to make sure it was a resource teachers would want to share. We would then investigate how teachers currently share digital resources - to uncover the best option for marketing the app. Finally, we wanted to present new wireframes. These would showcase the suggested iterations (based on testing) to to ensure optimal user experience.
Phase 1 - Research.
We began with a Business Analysis, Heuristic Evaluation and Competitor Analysis. This gave us a solid overview of the business. We wanted to better understand their motivations, direction and their product
+ Cleverbean has many established direct and indirect competitors.
+ While Cleverbean is visually pleasing, the functionality was yet to be determined.
+ The business was yet to establish a revenue model and discover how to promote their app.
+ The business wanted to grow their offering to include mathematics.
We used the information to develop an online survey. Our goal was to answer how and why teacher’s share resources within their school and outside of it. The survey also provided insights into the behaviours of teachers. In particular, how they collaborate with other teachers and parents and the use of technology in their classrooms.
Survey results/insights.
+ Teachers share resources daily, mostly through causal conversation.
+ As teachers don’t work in a competitive environment they are more team orientated and want everyone to succeed. Students and teachers alike.
+ They believe education is a joint venture between home and school.
+ Teachers use their own funds to purchase teaching resources so Cleverbean needs to be priced accordingly
Lightbulb Moments.
Sharing - Promotions are’t an option for teachers, they're not competing with each other to get ahead. So they are more likely to share resources and insights with their colleagues.
Facebook - Teachers like to keep lesson ideas fresh and up-to-date. They use specific Facebook teaching groups to find inspiration for classes.
Phase 2 - Usability Testing & Interviews.
We invited teachers in to conduct user testing and interviews. The main goal was to identify any usability problems. We also wanted to determine the participant's satisfaction with the current prototype. Satisfaction was especially important for Cleverbean. People share apps if they are intuitive, delightful and if they offer something of value to the user. We developed a script and two tasks and monitored the user’s progress.
The teachers completed the tasks with ease, but they did have trouble with the navigation. We also confirmed our survey findings around sharing. The frequency preferred was daily, and the main method was through casual conversation. We were also able to empathise with the teachers and their roles. It was comforting to know that the youth of Australia are in such safe and inspirational hands.
Following usability testing and interviews, we created two primary personas with corresponding scenarios. By identifying the pain points we were able to suggest ways to avoid hurdles. And highlighting user gains enabled us to emphasise positive aspects.
Phase 3 - Wireframes.
We presented our low-fidelity wireframes based the research and usability testing.
HOME PAGE
+ Redesign of Home screen - relabelled menu options and new feature 'Chit-Chat'.
+ We removed the bottom tab-bar menu as it repeated information show in the 4 menu options above it. We also redesigned the shape of the menu options to stack on top of each other, as this provides a consistent theme throughout the app.
SETTINGS
+ We created a settings menu. Teachers can take a tour with coaching marks, encouraging older users to use the app.
+ Shareability is now built in - Facebook. Twitter, Pinterest and hyperlink, making the action of sharing a simple process.
+ Student’s page now defaults to sort students in alphabetical order. We’ve kept the colour coded reading level but added an option to identify the student with a photo.
STUDENT PROFILE
+ Student Profile. We can invite other members of staff with a Cleverbean account or edit the profile.
+ Strategy section reflects the Strategies Page. Compartmentalising the chapters within each strategy.
+ Options to add notes via video, voice or document.
+ Library hold an ongoing record of books read. Ensuring their not given the same book twice, which from interviewing parents we know is an issue sometimes.
STRATEGIES
+ Compartmentalised the chapters under each Strategy title. This eliminates the need to scroll down through all chapters.
CHIT-CHAT
+ Chit-Chat is an inbuilt message feature. We wanted to add a place where teachers could have quick and easy contact with other teachers and parents. Our survey found that teachers would like to be in contact with parents on a weekly basis in general, so this is a concept worth exploring.
In conclusion
SUMMARY
This assignment was especially interesting as we were involved once the app had already been developed. So rather than creating from scratch, it was a matter of validating the design and function through research and testing. We needed to find the areas of improvement and in some cases suggest new features. Reinventing the wheel would have been no use to them, as their budget wouldn't allow starting from square one.
NEXT STEPS
Testing. We recommended to the client that they conduct further user testing. The functionality wasn't at the stage where it was simplistic and intuitive. Design, test and iterate would be the best way to improve functionality.
Price point. As teachers buy apps themselves, we suggested a free trail period for a month before charging a yearly subscription. To encourage sharing within schools, Cleverbean could charge a cheaper a school subscription.
Marketing. Facebook was evidently the biggest source of inspiration for teachers when planning lessons. By infiltrating teacher focused Facebook pages, Cleverbean could promote themselves to their audience.
Gain Point. The biggest pain point for teachers is administration. We would suggest promoting the ways that Cleverbean assists in reducing admin tasks and report writing as a key feature.
LEARNINGS
1. User testing is super fascinating (people are so interesting!) and super helpful and also super time consuming.
2. Timing is everything. This assignment fell within school holidays. Finding teachers with a 50km radius of Sydney was an interesting challenge.
3. Teachers care. They are inspirational people who want to do the best by their students within their classrooms and within their school. Developing anything that reduces the time they spend on admin, will ultimately increase the time they can spend on the children and developing enriching lessons. If that's not an investment in the future - I don't know what is.