Overview
The project spanned collaborative user research, competitive analysis, data synthesis, usability testing, wireframing, visual styling, and a high-fidelity mobile app prototype. Completed at Flatiron School.
Timeline
3 weeks
Tools
Figma
Deliverables
Hi-fi interactive prototype, visual design, competitive analysis, UX wireframes, style tile, IxD, UI design
Challenge
The task was to grasp how parents search for and select schools for their children while pinpointing areas for enhancing the school search process.
Project Goal
The goal was to identify a valuable opportunity and cater to parents who lack a community or social circle as a resource for firsthand school information by crafting a visually compelling and intuitively navigable solution.
Timeline
Sprint 1
Competitive research, source target users, design qualitative interview and survey questions. Conduct interview, send out survey and disseminate results.
Sprint 2
Synthesize inherited research with newly discovered insights and ideate visual direction and features through rapid sketching. Wireframe and build out lo to mid-fi screens for usability testing.
Sprint 3
Conduct usability testing and gather feedback. Build out hi-fi screens for mobile prototype with interactions and animations then pitch to stakeholders
Competitive Analysis
To begin, I mapped out search categories to better understand what a well-rounded school search tool included and to pinpoint opportunities for what my product should include. Through the analysis, it was discovered that Our Kids offered the most robust filter options but the platform only catered to private schools, it left out a huge group of potential users. Similar to Our Kids is Niche, which caters to both public and private schools.
To ascertain the motivation behind a possible new product and develop a unique selling point, I evaluated the user experience on Niche through performing a school search and checking school reviews. I found the experience to be overwhelming as Niche had packed in a mishmash of features on top of school search - incorporated features included housing search, mortgage search, job search, and neighborhood reviews.
On top of these features, school pages were crammed with data and reviews were found all the way at the bottom of the page. I discovered that any user could leave a review and reviews did not always pertain to the actually quality of education, facilities, staff or teaching methods. Overall, the reviews did not seem trustworthy nor were they a priority in the user experience.
Interviews
In addition to six inherited interview transcripts, I conducted an interview with Ely, a mother with a 4-year-old in Pre-K who recently went through the school search process in Brooklyn, NY. Ely, like other mothers in the transcripts, is mindful of key factors outlined in the competitive analysis: diversity, distance, ranking, and class size. She's considering both private and public schools and relies on personal connections, both in person and online, for school information.
Surprisingly, Ely's experience highlights a shared challenge among parents like her – the absence of a network for school advice, exacerbated by the complexities of COVID. This pain point uncovers an opportunity for a product that can connect parents in need of reliable school information with those who can provide valuable insights, effectively bridging this information gap.
Survey
In tandem with the interview, we worked collaboratively to create survey materials. Our aim was to gain insights into parents' priorities during the school search process. We distributed the survey via Google Forms to parents actively engaged in the school search, and our findings revealed that reviews and rankings were the paramount factors influencing their school decisions. Notably, these reviews and rankings are predominantly sourced online. With nearly half of parents relying on this information, it is evident that they play a significant role in informing school choices.
Research Takeaways
Through our research, it became evident that parents highly value insights from other parents, whether through word of mouth or online reviews. However, the challenge lies in the credibility of online reviews, and not all parents have an extensive social network for recommendations. These findings led me to the conclusion that parents need a reliable source of information about schools from fellow parents with direct experience in the school search process.
To set our product apart from competitors and effectively tackle these pain points, I devised a feature strategy aligned with our research insights and user objectives. By comprehending the challenges parents face, I identified an opportunity to create a product that addresses the dearth of trustworthy reviews and access to word-of-mouth recommendations. Consequently, it became imperative to implement features that validate user reviews and enrollment information, enhancing the overall trustworthiness of the platform.
Design Iteration: Sketching, Ideation, and Prototyping
Following thorough research synthesis and feature prioritization, I initiated the ideation phase, focusing on shaping the information architecture and refining the user task flow. This commenced with rapid sketching of screens and the creation of a low-fidelity prototype to visualize the user journey.
Recognizing the core challenge of reliability, I introduced a solution to address this issue. This involved proposing a Sign-Up Quiz and implementing school enrollment verification processes to customize search results for each parent's unique requirements. Additionally, this approach ensured that parents with direct school affiliations were vetted before contributing reviews, thus enhancing the trustworthiness of the platform. This solution aimed to streamline the search experience and deliver dependable reviews for parents navigating the school selection process.
Usability Testing
In a meticulous usability testing phase, I utilized low-fidelity prototype screens to engage three designated target users. Through the Figma platform, users were tasked with performing two distinct scenarios, all while I observed their interactions live. These tasks involved onboarding onto the platform and subsequently finding and saving a school that aligned with their specific criteria. The users openly shared their observations, identified points of confusion, and raised questions during a Zoom session aimed at improving the overall user experience.
Insights Gained
Following the usability testing, it became evident that some of our initial design assumptions were not as effective as envisioned. Users found the Sign-Up Quiz and enrollment verification process to be cumbersome, and it created uncertainty regarding the mandatory nature of sign-up, particularly when the quiz offered exit options. Moreover, when users embarked on school searches, they encountered confusion with the "fave" or "heart" icon, as some associated it with making purchases rather than bookmarking for future reference. To address this, we decided to replace the heart icon with a bookmark symbol, making it clear that the action denotes saving a page for later review.
Design Process & Visual Exploration
In my design process, I experimented with colors to evoke a sense of "intuition" in response to parents describing the school search as an "intuitive" experience. I also created a playful mock logo to visualize the final product's direction. In an early experimental version, I used mauve, brown, and purple for an intuitive vibe.
Recognizing the importance of intuition in parents' decision-making, I themed the visual design around "intuition" and "trust." I drew inspiration from crystals like rose quartz (symbolizing trust) and amethyst (representing intuition) for the color palette. Vintage movie posters guided the use of pinks and purples. The overall design aimed for sleek modernity with accessibility, employing an Analogous color palette with a 60-30-10 color distribution, featuring a deep pink for the call-to-action. The logo used Ribes for a bold presence, while Ortica, a serif font, was selected for the body copy.
Solution Proposal and Iteration
In crafting our solution proposal, I outlined a product strategy that places paramount importance on ensuring the authenticity of user reviews through a combination of enrollment verification and user sign-up processes. In this design, users are afforded the flexibility to search for schools and access essential statistics without the requirement of an account. However, to read reviews and bookmark schools for future reference, user sign-up becomes essential. This approach creates a trusted online community, with reviews exclusively originating from parents of current students.
Visual Identity
Visually, the product embodies trust and intuitiveness through its sleek and modern interface, characterized by a harmonious blend of purple and pink color elements.
Iterative Design Changes
In response to the insights gleaned from usability testing, I introduced key changes to the task flow:
Removal of the Quiz: The initial quiz was eliminated, streamlining the onboarding process and alleviating user confusion.
Enrollment Verification for Reviewers: To bolster the reliability of reviews, an enrollment verification process was introduced for parents intending to contribute reviews.
Icon Modification: The heart icon was replaced with a bookmark icon to enhance user understanding and eliminate confusion regarding its purpose.
Streamlined Access: Users were granted the option to commence school searches without immediate login or sign-up requirements.
Login Prompt: For users desiring to read reviews, a pop-up login wall was introduced to facilitate a seamless transition into the login/sign-up process.
Simplified Search Function: The dual map/filter toggle search function was removed to streamline the user experience and improve clarity.
These iterative design changes, driven by usability testing findings, collectively aimed to optimize the user journey and create a platform that fosters trust, user engagement, and an enhanced sense of community.
Interactive prototype
The end result is a mobile app that embodies not only efficiency but also a delightful and user-friendly experience. Users have the freedom to explore schools without the obligation of creating an account. However, the ability to access school reviews requires a straightforward sign-up process, with all reviews meticulously verified through enrollment verification.
With an account, users gain access to a rich repository of reviews and the capability to seamlessly filter and search for schools based on their individual preferences. The app's interface adheres to established design conventions, incorporating familiar elements such as loading animations, a user-friendly registration process, a prominent search bar, a navigation bar for easy navigation, and distinct primary actions with clear visual states. This thoughtful design approach ensures that the app not only meets users' needs effectively but also offers an enjoyable and hassle-free experience.
Reflections
Initially, I assumed parents favored advanced search and readily available information. However, research revealed that reliable information and word-of-mouth advice were sought after, despite the abundance of online information. This insight drove the creation of Kazoo, addressing the need for trustworthy reviews.
To enhance the experience, I plan to conduct controlled usability testing with a broader user pool, enabling timed task flow analysis. Additionally, I intend to incorporate prototype screens for enrollment verification via document upload.
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