Edxchange App Design Process
Solution
Edxchange is an education marketplace app that will let users acquire free or low-cost items from other educators or community organizations. This is expected to positively impact the well-being of educators and the success of students by allowing for easier acquisition of resources and less financial strain on educators. We will measure effectiveness by surveying a group of educators before using the app and then again after 2 months of using the app to determine the impact it has had on their job and well-being.
Research
User surveys were conducted to understand the pain points for educators in obtaining classroom supplies and other items vital to their job. I also wanted to know the main categories of items that educators might need or look for on the app. The target audience included educators with a range of roles, grade levels, subjects, and school types.
Empathy Maps
Bruno is a music teacher at a private school in New York City.
Joelle is a school social worker at a public school in Henderson County, NC.
User Research Themes
Convenience
Even users who feel they have sufficient funding for school materials end up spending their own money due to restrictions or processing delays that make it easier to use their own funds.
Personal Boundaries
Some users are OK with spending their own money while others are not.
Community
Several users mentioned partnering with community organizations as a potential way to obtain needed funding or materials.
Variety
There is an extremely wide variety of items that educators may need to access, from books and instruments to clothing and underwear.
Iteration
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
High-Fidelity Mockups
Style Guide
User Testing
Two rounds of testing included an unmoderated usability study and a system usability scale to answer the following research questions:
Do users find the app easy or difficult to use?
Does the app serve its intended purpose?
Would users use the app in real life? Why or why not?
Are there any parts of the user flow where participants get stuck?
Are there more features users would like to see in the app?
Research Themes & Insights
Themes and insights gleaned from the user tests informed improvements to the Edxchange app.
Next Steps
Users will be asked to use the app regularly for 2 months. Another survey will be administered after 2 months to determine:
User satisfaction with the app
Ease of use/pain points
Effectiveness of the app in helping educators acquire needed resources more easily