Namrata Adsul
Product Design
I created SchoolTalk, a user-friendly communication platform designed primarily for parents, enabling them to stay informed and engaged in their child's academic progress and social-emotional well-being. By bridging the communication gap between parents and teachers, SchoolTalk ensures parents receive personalized insights that enhance their ability to support their child’s growth and development during key educational transitions.
Problem Space
Decline in Communication
Research shows a decrease in parent-teacher communication as children transition to middle school (Weiss, 2010). This decline hinders the ability to provide comprehensive support to students.
Conflicts
Lack of communication can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts, disrupting collaborative efforts. This also leads to inconsistency in feedback practices, needing more focus.
Lack of Personalisation
Current tools focus on academics, neglecting social-emotional aspects, limiting proactive parental support.
User Persona
I developed this user persona through a structured process, starting with affinity mapping—conducting one-on-one user interviews to uncover key themes, patterns, and pain points. Using these insights, I created a detailed user persona. To further inform the design process, I mapped Mrs. Johnson’s journey to discovering the app, allowing me to empathize with her experience and identify critical challenges and pain points.
Mrs. Johnson is a dedicated working professional and a mother of two. She balances her career with her commitment to her children’s education and well-being.
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Occupation: Working professional
Family: Two children, one in middle school and one in high school
How Might We
give parents a clear and accurate view of their child's emotional and educational well-being in a school setting?
Task Flow
I crafted multiple user stories, grouped them into epics, and selected the most relevant one. This task flow ensures seamless navigation in the SchoolTalk app, guiding users through exploration, interest selection, and inquiry submission.
Epic
Enable parents to ask specific questions about their child’s individual progress and well-being, rather than only receiving generic class updates and reports.
User Story
As a parent, I want to request insights into my child’s social interactions and emotional well-being at school, so that I can understand and support their social development.
SchoolTalk App
This mobile app user flow demonstrates how Mrs. Johnson navigates the Classroom Insights feature.
Mrs. Johnson has just downloaded the SchoolTalk app and is eager to dive into the classroom insights section for her child. She starts on the home screen and quickly spots the "Classroom Insights" button, which she taps to begin her journey.
On the Classroom Insights selection screen, Mrs. Johnson is presented with various areas of concern and interest related to her child’s education. She carefully selects one or multiple areas that she is most curious about or worried about.
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She carefully selects one or multiple areas that she is most curious about or worried about. To get more information before making a final decision, she chooses to play an audio explanation for a couple of areas, which helps her understand the importance of each.
Feeling confident, Mrs. Johnson swipes to the right, bringing her to the question selection screen. Here, she’s prompted to choose from a range of possible questions or concerns that she wants to address. With her questions and concerns clearly defined, Mrs. Johnson makes her final selections and presses “Continue.”
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Next, she adjusts the concern levels where needed, ensuring the teachers understand the urgency or priority of each issue.
The app then takes her to a summary screen where she reviews all the areas of concern she has chosen and the questions she plans to ask.
Finally, Mrs. Johnson submits her inquiry. The app confirms her submission and offers her two additional options: she can book a meeting with the teacher directly through the app, or she can explore strategies and resources related to the areas she’s concerned about. Feeling reassured by the smooth process and the options available, Mrs. Johnson decides to explore strategies while scheduling a meeting for later, confident that she’s taking proactive steps to support her child’s learning.
Design Justification and User Testing
This section outlines the rationale behind key design decisions and the iterative process followed. It highlights usability considerations, user feedback integration, and the strategic choices made to enhance functionality and user experience.
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A list home screen layout for clear navigation, allowing users to quickly find what they need, enhancing usability and efficiency.
All options displayed at once to reduce cognitive load, improve decision-making, and allow parents to compare and select without scrolling.
User testing revealed the need for selecting and submitting multiple areas on one screen. I implemented this change to give users a sense of control and efficiency, enhancing their overall experience.
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Card sliders for a seamless experience, allowing users to swipe through options without changing screens, ensuring continuity and engagement.
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Pre-made prompt selection screens to enhance engagement, streamline decision-making, and maintain user focus for a smoother experience.
Rating scales to quantify subjective feedback, enabling easy analysis and helping teachers understand parents' mindsets.
I decided to include a confirmation step before submission so users can review all details, which helps reduce anxiety about potential mistakes in the submission process.
I added an option for users to book a meeting with the teacher after submitting their inquiries, providing them with the reassurance of a dedicated time for deeper conversations.
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User testing revealed the need for a streamlined selection process. I integrated card sliders with questions and rating screens into a unified layout, enabling seamless navigation and improving efficiency.
User feedback showed the text needed to be more concise, so I merged sentences and simplified the language for clarity and efficiency as seen in the final screens.
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This screen was later transformed into users tapping the question mark icon to present information about each level in a pop-out modal. This approach helps keep the screen uncluttered while providing detailed explanations when needed.
Brand Development Process
This involved crafting a cohesive visual identity, starting with defining the brand description and selecting a name. I then explored app logo options and typography to align with the brand’s personality. A mood board helped establish the overall aesthetic, followed by extracting two distinct color palettes. Each palette was tested through iterative injections into UI elements to evaluate their impact. I then sought UI inspiration while integrating colours into screens, refining the visual direction. Finally, conclusions were drawn on key design elements to include and avoid, ensuring a polished and consistent brand experience.
User Interface (UI) Library
The UI library was built using a structured approach, starting with foundational elements such as typography, color, grids, and illustrations. Leveraging the Atomic Design methodology, I systematically developed components at different levels—atoms, molecules, organisms, templates, and pages—to create a scalable and cohesive design system. This approach ensured consistency across the interface while allowing for flexibility in future iterations. The library serves as a unified resource for maintaining visual harmony and streamlining the design process.
Design Impact and Future Thinking
The customizable parent queries feature transforms how parents engage with their child's education, shifting them from passive observers to active participants. This change fosters collaboration, strengthens parent-teacher relationships, and leads to more informed decisions that support a child's holistic development. Looking ahead, the customizable parent queries feature paves the way for significant advancements in educational communication. These are some of the key future potentials:
AI-Driven Insights
Integrating AI could analyze patterns in student behavior and performance, offering predictive insights and tailored interventions.
Holistic Child Development
Expanding the platform to include mental health, physical well-being, and extracurriculars would provide a comprehensive view of a child's growth.
Community Support
A community space could connect parents, fostering shared experiences and support.
Global Scalability
The design could be adapted to diverse educational systems worldwide, enhancing communication and supporting student success on a global scale.