Turning AI into a teachers bestfriend ✨
Capstone project
8 months Aug 23 - April 24
Role: UX/UI Designer, Researcher
Team: 4 members
The world of education can feel isolating and overwhelming for educators without mentors or role models.
So, we designed an AI-powered instructional Coach to enhance educators' coaching experience and address the challenges of traditional instructional coaching methods.
Read more about Instructional coaching
The world of education can feel isolating and overwhelming for educators without mentors or role models.
Challenges involved in traditional coaching
01 Creating distress in the teaching environment
02 Limited observation time
03 Inadequate progress tracking
Client & Vision
Through this project, We will work with Dr. Jocelyn Logan Friend and her team from (L&F) to offer educators AI-generated feedback and personalized resources to enhance their teaching techniques.
Dr.Logan already has a vision of how this would be achieved:
Analyzing audio recordings of teaching sessions against teaching frameworks, and generating personalized feedback by combining AI capabilities with human expertise.
Our objective was to build the experience around it.
Though our client had the vision in mind, the development process proved more complex than anticipated.
01 The team had no prior experience working with ML or AI models, so there were many questions about the feasibility, technical debt, and overall viability of the project.
02 Since there was no video input, It was challenging to understand how the AI model would use only audio to analyze classroom dynamics and provide accurate feedback to instructors.
01 Empathy
Recognizing the challenges teachers face in balancing the classroom demands with their professional growth.
Research - AI in Education
Conducting in-depth user interviews, surveys, and desk research to gather deep insights into user needs, pain points, and behaviors to ensure the AI tool is user-centered and effectively addresses real problems.
Schools provide teachers with instructional coaches in America
Teachers said they currently receive feedback verbally
Teachers would use an AI assistive tool to receive feedback
Teachers were comfortable being recorded in class
Research Process
USER
RESEARCH
LITERATURE
REVIEW
CHALLENGE
PROBLEM
COMPETITIVE
ANALYSIS
POSSIBLE
SOLUTION
PROJECT
DEFINITION
Click here to see more of research
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Concerns
Privacy and Security Concerns: Teachers worry about the security of recorded sessions and personal data.
Technological Comfort: Some teachers face challenges in effectively adopting and using new technologies.
AI Integration and Effectiveness: Concerns about the effectiveness and proper integration of AI tools in providing feedback and learning resources that contribute effectively to improving educational outcomes.
Continuous Learning and Development: Receiving professional development resources, and learning opportunities aligned with teaching frameworks.
Pain points
Needs
Goals
Opportunities
01
AI can offer teachers enhanced support and feedback, fostering the development of effective teaching strategies.
02
Addressing teachers' intrinsic motivation and providing high-quality professional development resources are crucial for their engagement and growth.
03
AI should not be seen as a replacement for human coaches, but rather as a tool to support teachers.
02 Define
Translate research findings into actionable insights and potential solutions.
Problem Statements
Problem Statements
How might we…
Increase access to personalized instructional coaching for educators who face limitations due to budget, time, or lack of qualified coaches?
Create a feedback process for educators that is more frequent, actionable, and aligned with established teaching frameworks?
Foster a supportive environment where educators can easily access personalized resources and tools to continuously develop their skills and teaching strategies?
Personas, Use cases, Scenarios & Journey map
We created detailed personas, use cases, and scenarios that capture the varied needs, goals, and pain points of different educators and coaches to represent different user types to keep the design process user-centered. We used diverse data points from our research, updated the personas, and brainstormed collaboratively.
Personas, Use cases, Scenarios & Journey map
Challenge: Ensuring comprehensive use cases and scenarios was challenging. However, we overcame this by regularly validating use cases with stakeholders and real users.
Alex, 29
Elementary School teacher
A novice educator who is passionate and dedicated, skilled in elementary subjects, eager to learn, and ready to inspire students, yet unsure how to leverage technology effectively.
Ethan, 58
Instructional coach
With 10+ years of experience, mentors new teachers and excels in curriculum development and instructional coaching, fostering collaboration and lifelong learning to empower educators and enhance education.
Nicole Anderson, 45
Highschool teacher
An extroverted, experienced high school science teacher from Iowa, engages students with practical learning, 15+ years dedicated to dynamic education, continually updating her skills and tech integration.
Maria Gonzales, 42
Experienced Elementary School Teacher
A seasoned educator with 20+ years in grades 6-12, specializing in English, blending music, wellness checks, group activities, and assignments guided by curriculum objectives.
Use Cases
We defined specific situations in which users would interact with the AI tool to ensure it meets their needs and provide clear examples of how our proposed solutions would function in real-world situations.
Take me to use cases
Journey (1/6)
12
12
Stage
Actions
Thoughts & Feelings
Opportunities
Pain points
Awareness
Hears about the AI Instructional Coach from colleagues or school administration.
Curious about how AI can help with coaching and professional development.
Highlight the benefits of AI-powered feedback and personalization.
Resistance to change or skepticism about AI.
Awareness
Hears about the AI Instructional Coach from colleagues or school administration.
Skeptical about AI's role in education.
Address concerns about AI's role and data privacy.
Resistance to change or skepticism about AI.
User roles & Permissions
Given the product's complexity, we identified key user roles and tailored the design for the MVP's most essential roles. This involved defining detailed user personas and understanding their specific requirements to ensure the first release met the needs of our target audience (Teachers and Coaches).