HelloPLATO Product Evaluation
Evaluation | Project Management | Research
An evaluation on the usability of a new educational product designed to allow teachers to reach more students via a critical contact point: Their phones.
The Problem
Is HelloPLATO ready for a U.S. market? Evaluate a product already being used in India for release in the United States. This product allows learners to access micro lessons from anywhere at any time on their smart devices utilizing AI technology.
The Solution
Utilize unmoderated user testing and focus groups in order to address the question of “How does HelloPLATO add value to teacher experience?” In addition, complete a usability and heuristic analysis. Target areas of evaluation included:
- What potential enhancements will be most beneficial to teachers?
- What weaknesses can be identified in the product?
- Does the product meet the objectives of improving student access, providing teachers access to learning data, and allowing teachers to customize content?
My Role
My role was the project manager on the four member evaluation team. My contributions were:
- Project Management
- Created the logic model used as the guide for the evaluation process
- Determined UX testing protocol
- Conducted focus groups
- Collaborated in coding the data from UX tests and focus groups
- Collaborated in writing final report
- Formatted and edited the report
- Created final stakeholder presentation
- Collaborated on a Usability & Accessibility evaluation
A Look at the Process
The logic model was created to focus the team on the main question, How does HelloPLATO add value to teacher experience? The logic model was referenced often to prevent scope creep, focus our work, and keep stakeholders informed on the process.
In order to find answers to our research questions, we recruited teachers from local schools. We conducted unmoderated UX Testing and focus groups. We then analyzed the data based on six categories:
- Benefits to the teacher
- Weaknesses in product use or design
- Student Access
- Customizing content
- Teacher access
- Needed enhancements
Based on our research, we made four distinct recommendations to the stakeholders. Our final report included a description of our methods and processes, feedback from participants, and detailed research results. In addition, we presented our findings and our recommendations to the stakeholders directly. We also included a separate Usability and Accessibility report.
Design Lessons
- Follow a proven method. We utilized the Kirkpatrick Learning and Evaluation model to plan our process, design interviews and testing protocol, and code our research. This ensured our results were valid.
- Don’t make assumptions. Whether the assumptions are about the user, team members, or the product, don’t assume anything. Ask questions. Communicate. Listen.
Stakeholder report sample