Growing Minds
Overview
Among the myriad of educational resources, Growing Minds aims to create a clear path for parents in finding the right school for their child, bringing the school to them in a personalized experience without the need of an app or a subscription.
my role
Product Designer
User research, thematic analysis, wire-framing, journey mapping, usability testing, visual and interactive design
The Process
Empathize and Understand
Parents and guardians of school-aged children, as well as those proactively seeking educational options for their younger children, require a user-friendly and engaging solution to streamline the school selection process, ultimately empowering them to make informed choices for their child's education journey.
User Research: Simplifying a complex decision
We began by understanding families' school search challenges, like limited personal attention, communication gaps, and scarce environment info. With these insights, we set out to create a user-friendly resource addressing parents' concerns. Whether searching before a child's birth or later, our aim is to help all parents find the ideal educational fit.
our users: Diverse Paths with a Shared Goal
market Research: filling the gap
As we explored existing school search options and location-based websites such as Zillow and Airbnb, we were able to identify opportunities to enhance the school research experience such as interactive pin points that show the location of a school and displaying commute times from important locations.
Setting the tone
Designing for our users
Throughout this research we gained insights that informed the style decisions, and the goal was to create an environment that was reminiscent of playing outdoors, inspiring natural growth.
Screenshot showing Intuition style tile
communicating the goal
Then a style tile was arranged to ensure clear communication with stakeholders, developers and other parties involved in future development.
Screenshot showing Growing Minds' style tile
Design Solutions
Our goal was to streamline the school search, but still offer a personalized, engaging experience for parents, mirroring the stimulating environments classrooms aim to provide for children.
Personalized quiz
The personalized quiz addresses the user need for a tailored school discovery experience, ensuring that individual preferences and criteria are prioritized, delivering them results custom fit to their family’s specific needs.
Screenshot showing Growing Minds' quiz
Commute visuals
Visualizing commute times and locations directly addresses the user need for practical information, helping parents assess the feasibility of each school option.
Screenshot showing Growing Minds map and commute times
information organization
We prioritized key factors parents value, like teacher-student ratios, placing this essential information upfront to streamline school selection and reduce research overwhelm.
Screenshot showing magnified school details page
verified parent and teacher reviews
Our structured pros and cons feature authentic insights from parents and teachers who've been part of the school community, ensuring trustworthy guidance for your child's educational journey.
Screenshot showing Growing Minds reviews section
The Results
User Engagement
The overall usability rating received was a 9/10, with a quiz completion rate of 100% in 2 minutes or less. The insights gained from user testing exposed some vocabulary changes that would improve communication. Initial user testing and prototype evaluations have shown positive responses to the engaging quiz and practical thoughtfulness of this product, indicating a robust user engagement upon launch.
Addressing practicalities
The feedback we received confirmed that the dedicated sections for commute times and tuition costs addresses the user need for practical information, decreasing the time and effort in finding a school that’s a practical fit.
Verified insights
Reliable and structured reviews from parents and teachers address the user need for authentic and trustworthy insights into each school's community and educational environment.
The Future
Continuous Growth
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the perfect product is developed with trial and error. Moving forward we will be evaluating:
- Clicks on quiz button rate
- Quiz completion rate
- Quiz vs. Search rate
- Saved schools
Acknowledging that the design landscape evolves, a commitment to continuous learning and adaptation will be a guiding principle for future iterations. Delivering the basics while leaving room for both potential growth and being open to feedback from our users will help refine this product and improve its usefulness over time.
- Clicks on quiz button rate
- Quiz completion rate
- Quiz vs. Search rate
- Saved schools
Acknowledging that the design landscape evolves, a commitment to continuous learning and adaptation will be a guiding principle for future iterations. Delivering the basics while leaving room for both potential growth and being open to feedback from our users will help refine this product and improve its usefulness over time.
Partnership opportunities
Explore potential partnerships with schools, educational institutions, or related organizations to enhance the platform's offerings and reach.
Virtual Exploration
In the future, integrating a virtual tour feature will give parents just another way to view the environment and culture of the school before further research and inquisition as well as providing an upgradable option for the school’s subscription plan.
User Education
There is an opportunity to develop educational resources to guide users on utilizing the full potential of the platform, including understanding the quiz results and interpreting reviews and school terminology. By forming an educational blog, we can meet the parents need for education on the school finding process.
Let's connect!
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