Our previous posts explored the transformative power of Human-Centered Design (HCD) within The Exchange. From how it impacts our work to putting educators first, even explaining UX/UI design systems, HCD has been a significant part of our work.
HCD is a problem-solving approach that places people at the center of the design process. By deeply understanding our users' needs, behaviors, and experiences, we can create solutions that truly resonate and address their challenges.
In this post, we will dive deeper into more specific details of how the HCD process affected our design and product development, and we will explore how we are applying what we learned to our work at The Exchange moving forward.
Data Health Check
Key Findings and Recommendations:
Prioritize data checks based on application usage: Users want to prioritize data checks most relevant to their applications.
Enhance data completeness: Incorporate an ODS health check to ensure real-time data accuracy.
Improve data granularity: Add more specific characteristics to data groupings for better analysis.
Provide flexible data views: Allow users to view data in different groupings to identify issues.
Implement threshold indicators and notifications: Flag abnormal data loads to ensure data integrity.
Application updates based on user feedback:
Added characteristics that break down data: We added information Including grade level, demographics, and program association.
Provided views that allow staff to identify data issues: This allows those staff members to see different groupings of data.
Prioritized threshold indicators and notiļ¬cations: This flags data loaded outside normal boundaries.
Leadership Analytics
Key Findings and Recommendations:
Enhance user experience: Allow users to save and share dashboards for consistent data interpretation.
Expand data analysis capabilities: Enable users to explore trends and patterns in student performance.
Include additional data points: Add data on students who have exited special education or Emergent Bilingual programs.
Refine data categories: Consider tracking students who qualify for 504 services but decline them.
Add mobility category: Incorporate a category to track student mobility.
Application updates based on user feedback:
Allowed users to set specific time frames to view data: The user requested a slider bar added to the ADA daily rate graph.
Updated the D/F dashboard: This reflects the Texas non-passing standard of 70% failing rate.
Added a classroom dashboard comparing assessment performance: This also features the sections and teachers working with students with the highest rates of behavior and attendance issues.
Created an MVP for the Student Profile dashboard: The addition surfaces attendance, assessment, course grades, and behavior side-by-side. In addition, we show demographic identifiers such as race, gender, 504, special education, economically disadvantaged, and EB.
Edvise
Key Findings and Recommendations:
Clarify report selection: Provide more explicit guidance or options to help users choose the right report.
Expand cross-comparison capabilities: Allow users to compare data across regions, districts, and campuses.
Provide comprehensive comparative reports: Create reports that list districts and regions for easy comparison.
Application updates based on user feedback:
Select Report Level
Adjusted terminology: Users suggested "Select Report Type" instead of "Select Report Level" for better clarity.
Select search method
Updated terms: Used the terminology "Search Method" and its placement to make it more intuitive.
Reordered dropdown: this gives a clear and decisive look at the information and addresses any concerns with labels.
Added guidance/explanations: This applies to the selected search method.
Search results and fields
Updated fields and added fields: Users can search for school address, district number, and region number with these additions.
Adding Sorting and clickable headers: Users emphasized the need for sortable and clickable headers for more straightforward navigation.
Updated default rows per page: Users suggested a default of 15 rows per page, with a preference for 20 regarding regions.
Data export list
Updated the visibility of selections: Users wanted to see their selections reflected in the Data Export List for confirmation.
Updated placement and visibility: Users suggested relocating the Data Export List to a more visible location rather than at the bottom of the page.
Added verification of selected data: Users felt the need to verify their selections, which required scrolling between search results and the Data Export List.
Updated the icon placement: Users expected the export/download icon to be within the search results table, not just the Data Export List.
By actively listening to our users and incorporating their feedback into our design process, we are creating solutions that are not only innovative but also truly impactful. The insights gained from user research enable us to develop tools that empower educators to focus on what matters most: student success.
At The Exchange, HCD is more than just a methodology; it's a commitment to creating solutions that truly make a difference in the lives of educators and students alike.