SCADpro Schooling from Home Alliance
in collaboration with: Microsoft HP Intel
About the project
SCAD is collaborating with multiple brands (HP, Microsoft, and Intel) to assist in the research and development of concepts for the future of the K-8 schooling at-home experiences.
The Schooling from Home Alliance is determined to create a solution for teachers, students, and parents overwhelmed by the lack of stability and disconnected from humanity in the current virtual education system.
Learn more about our solution for schooling from home here.
Studying is hard online, especially during a pandemic
“Students are struggling to complete online assignments, missing social aspects of the classroom. I am not sure how the long-term impact will manifest.”
- Teacher, GA
“It’s tough to have a work-life balance since our working hours are blurry. I continuously have to be in touch with my students and their parents even way after school.”
- Teacher, CA
“I have a hard time concentrating on classes and homework. It’s boring. I have my games and a TV right next to where I study.“
- Student, TX
Pain points
After building our secondary and primary research, analyzing our chunk interviews and insights, and looking into other products and concepts that function in the virtual world today, our team discovered two main pain points.
Both teachers and students are not used to the new tools and the environment
Everyone misses the social connection in school
With various tools all spread out, teachers had a hard time learning all the materials. Not only that, the gap between schools with abundant resources and those who did not have much was hard to ignore.
Because it is hard for people to connect with each other face to face, they missed the small interactions. Students missed hanging out with their friends during break. Without their friends around, it was even harder for them to concentrate.
Our goal was to create an easy-to-use platform and help teachers and students feel comfortable to interact like old times.
Research
Competitive Analysis
To understand the goals of the companies through their products, but how students and teachers were benefiting from these products.
In-Depth Interview
After surveys and secondary research, we designed an interview guideline that would help us answer specific questions regarding the current situation.
Survey
To gather information firsthand, we went to the people who are in the thick of the situation we are trying to understand: teachers and students.
Persona & Journey Map
To help us better understand the users and what they go through as a K-8 teacher and student, and their pain points put together.
Market Research and Competitive Analysis
Personas & Journey Maps
Because the stakeholders wanted our target users to be specifically teachers, our team created different personas of teachers with the main data points from our research.
Iterations & Explorations
Our team explored different design systems and functions. Using the crazy 8 method, we diverged and converged ideas multiple times before our final iteration.
After weeks of ideation, we figured out that…
Both teachers and students miss the small interactions they used to have during breaks in the cafeteria and the hallways. They also had a hard time making the best out of classes, having trouble concentrating, and lack of interest and engagement.
Solution and Impact
Enabling social connections and quality education in an organized virtual environment for teachers, students, and parents.
Including spontaneous social connections, improving the quality of education, and creating an organized virtual schooling environment.
Join our “Hallway”
Memories to keep
Capture moments from their interactions and experiences within the virtual schooling environment. Additionally, it is a way for students, parents, and teachers to engage with each other and to be on the same page.
All in one system
Students can find their syllabus, upcoming assignments, or events related to the class that they can participate in.
It helps streamline meeting invites and make it easier for younger children, the entry link would take them to the software that supports the virtual classroom.
Just like the old times
Inspired by Microsoft Team’s Together Mode, the classroom is a simplified interface for kids to easily understand and navigate. Our focus was to make this usage intuitive for young kids and allow customization for the classroom environment.
Just like the hallway you know
Simply scroll across the hall to check announcements or talk to school mates on a public chat. The dashboard on top of the screen has shortcut access to different places such as classrooms, library, cafeteria, playground, teacher’s office, or the school office. Send them a note, a hug, or a fist bump. Just like you would in an actual hallway.
Key Takeaways
Working with these amazing companies was indeed a blessing. Getting direct feedback from industry professionals were extremely helpful for the team. As someone who wants to set foot in the education industry, this was an excellent opportunity to start my experience, get a step closer, open new doors, and inspire me for unique solutions in this industry.
In the future, I want to deliver a different solution, focusing more on the student's point of the virtual schooling experience, with more physical interaction or virtual visualization.