Communication app improvement in the education sector

In the education sector it is vital that there is clear communication, now also digital, between schools and families; understanding as communication the absences, grades, schedules, communications…

PROBLEM

Although the application responded to the communication needs of the schools, there was no way to foresee implementations. When the request for new functionalities was carried out, the team had to develop quickly. The result was an application with many usability problems, which was a pain for its users.

CHALLENGE

How could we improve the usability of the mobile application?

OBJECTIVE

Improve the usability of the mobile environment applications already in use by the company. This consists of two applications that allow each of the different user profiles to communicate with each other.

METHODOLOGY

Following Thinkers Co.’s work methodology, we held a first meeting, the Kick off, which allows us to align ourselves with the client. In this case, it helped us to better understand what they want and what they know about the users we are going to work with.

Once the basis of the project is established, it is important to better understand the app and the user. To do this we carry out a heuristic analysis of the appn, and conduct research to understand the user’s needs. In the article 4 benefits of Design Research we explain the main advantages of conducting this type of analysis. We use techniques such as qualitative interviews and surveys.

What brings value to our user, how can we make it easier for them to perform their tasks within the application?

At the end of the research, we not only deliver a report with all the information gathered, but we synthesize the results of the research to the client in a joint work session to better assimilate these types of reports. It is very important to pass on this research information to those responsible for the project about your user, since understanding what their needs are and what they value allows them to make data-driven decisions during and at the end of the project, so they are sure to understand why things happen.

Once the challenge was defined, we were able to get down to work and start creating solutions. To ensure that the project outcome was aligned with the client’s business objectives and fully viable, we worked closely with the client’s marketing and development teams. To this end, we facilitated a co-creation where we were able to guide and assist both teams in creating interesting and affordable solutions for our client.

It is essential to align the interests of the user with the interests of the company.

We landed the proposed solutions in high quality wireframes, resulting in two different design proposals that would allow us to assess whether a new design would bring more value to the user than a design similar to the application from which they started. We validated both proposals with the users of the application, understanding why one of the two versions provided more value, was easier to use and understand.

Once the feedback was obtained, we were able to select the final design and finish defining the layout, adding the final details and color. In this way, we created a high fidelity navigable mockup that allowed the client to visualize how it will look and what the application flows will be.

CONCLUSIONS

From Thinkers Co. we work in the conceptualization of products and services working side by side with the people who really have the problem, the clients and their users. You can see more creative projects here to see how we work.