Contextualizer: Teacher Dashboard

This study was conducted in conjunction with the University of Florida’s ELX lab with the intent to design and research a teacher dashboard that integrates students’ real-life experiences into lesson planning to promote contextual learning.

  • Phase one involved conducting interviews with real teachers to identify user needs.

  • Phase two involved the design of the dashboard to reflect those needs. Phase three involved user testing this design to identify problem areas and refine the product.

  • The next step is a reiteration of phase 3, applying these changes to redesign, and testing again with real teachers.

Teacher Interviews

I was onboarded onto this project past the interviews themselves and spearheaded the qualitative analysis. I created a coding system using MAXQDA, and after a few iterations, identified repeat concerns/requests from teachers that could be integrated into the dashboard. These insights led to the eventual design of the dashboard.

Notable insights from teachers to integrate:

  • Frequent references to state standards

  • Calendar Feature

  • Easy integration of experiences into lesson planning

Features mentioned most frequently in teacher interviews:

  • Calendar

  • State standards reference

  • Suggestions for additions

Initial Sketch

First Draft Tested

Features retained from sketch:

  • Drag and drop experiences

  • Reference to lesson standards

  • Lesson plan/student experience feed layout

Testing the Interface: Simulated Classroom Approach

To ensure the teacher interface met real-world needs, I developed a simulated classroom environment grounded in actual student experiences. This simulation was designed to replicate the challenges and dynamics of a real classroom, enabling participants to create lesson plans and interact with the interface in a lifelike setting. By incorporating authentic student scenarios, the testing process provided valuable insights into usability, ensuring the design aligned with the needs of educators in diverse learning contexts.

Refined Interface: Insights in Action

Leveraging user insights, we integrated AI features into the interface to enhance functionality and streamline user workflows. These additions were tailored to address key pain points, providing intelligent, context-aware support for educators in real-time. This draft is currently in development and getting ready for the next round of user testing. A project to be continued…