The Project
This was a design challenge I had done based off of an exercise from the Weekly Product Design Exercises. In order to practice this as a take-home exercise, I was focused on the initial discovery and refining the idea of the solution. I also created visual mockups to practice UI design.
This was a design challenge I had done based off of an exercise from the Weekly Product Design Exercises. In order to practice this as a take-home exercise, I was focused on the initial discovery and refining the idea of the solution. I also created visual mockups to practice UI design.
My Role
This project was done on my own, as a challenge to practice UI and UX design.
This project was done on my own, as a challenge to practice UI and UX design.
The Problem
At the beginning of each new semester or school year, teachers are faced with the challenge of remembering names for a large number of new students.
Design an experience to help an educator match faces to names, with the goal of shortening the time needed to reach complete un-aided accuracy.
Defining the audience
I compared the needs and struggles of the different groups of teachers that would need this app. In the end, the group that would seem to struggle the most are the teachers that teach Grade 7 to Grade 12. These are teachers who have multiple sets of students that they see every day, and knowing who the students' names are key to their success.
Notes of the different sets of teachers, their age, and needs
Understanding the teacher's needs
After defining who the target audience would be, I analyzed when teacher's would need to know student's names, and when would be the best opportunity for them to practice during the school day. From this, I discovered:
- Teachers have 5 minute breaks between class periods for free time, potentially to memorize
- Teachers need to know a student's name during attendance, or when they call on them for participation
- Teachers only have about 2-3 seconds to know what the student's name is
- Teachers need to know a student's name during attendance, or when they call on them for participation
- Teachers only have about 2-3 seconds to know what the student's name is
From these findings, I developed user stories to help guide me in creating a solution:
1. As a teacher, I want to be able to call on students who do not participate often to encourage speaking aloud in class.
2. As a teacher, I want to be able to take attendance silently to speed up the process and have more valuable time teaching.
3. As a teacher, I want to be able to know the student’s name when they come to talk to me so they have a sense of trust and compassion
4. As a teacher, I want to know a student’s grade to always understand who is struggling so I can pay extra attention to them.
5. As a teacher, I want to know the student’s interests so I can relate to them.
2. As a teacher, I want to be able to take attendance silently to speed up the process and have more valuable time teaching.
3. As a teacher, I want to be able to know the student’s name when they come to talk to me so they have a sense of trust and compassion
4. As a teacher, I want to know a student’s grade to always understand who is struggling so I can pay extra attention to them.
5. As a teacher, I want to know the student’s interests so I can relate to them.
Notes of the teacher's needs and context of the situation
From the user stories, I came up with 3 possible solutions:
Build a mobile app for middle and high school teachers that is a flashcard-type memorization game to learn their students’ names. They can do this in between classes.
Solution 2: Build a tablet app for teachers that allows them to take attendance and reveal photos if needed to help them learn a student’s name.
Solution 3: Build a tablet app for teachers that allow them to add photos and configure a seating chart they can refer to.
From the 3, I decided to go with solution 2 because development effort would be easy, and it would already place a task that they have to do within the class period. Trying to take advantage of their free time between classes would be difficult.
Storyboarding to define specific tasks to be done within the app
Options for how to lay out attendance
Visual mockups of the app