Megan Simmons and Cynthia Jimes of ISKME describe the format of the Use Case Design Lab, a prototyping workshop which spans three sessions of the The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation’s OER Grantees Meeting 2014.

1. Use Case Design Lab
Megan Simmons and Cynthia Jimes
Hewlett OER Grantee Meeting 2014
April 23, 2014
ISKME 2014:

3. Today’s Goals
• Experience ISKME’s process of using design thinking to
showcase use cases and articulate value propositions
• Work together through a real example that is ripe for creating
a use case and ready for analysis and feedback
• Discover new insights into current projects and present use
case success scenarios and unique value propositions

4. Our Steps
Determine Standout Examples (Yesterday)
Identify Success Indicators
Select the Use Case
Prototype “Success Scenario”
Storyboard “Moments that Matter”
Determine Value Proposition
1
2
3
4
5
6

5. 1. Starting Point: Standout Examples

6. 2. Identify Success Indicators

7. 3. Select the Use Case
• Articulate the goal that the use case is trying to satisfy
• Identify the primary user
• List the stakeholders and their interests
• Brainstorm five steps the user takes to complete the goal

8. 4. Prototype the Use Case ‘Success Scenario’
Build - Present - Refine

9. 5. Storyboard the ‘Moments That Matter’

10. 6. Brainstorm the Value Proposition
Who is my
primary user?
What challenge or
opportunity is my
primary user facing?
What will my primary
user accomplish with my
support?
How will this
accomplishment
benefit my primary
user?
How will this
impact the OER
movement?
• Headline - The end-benefit you are offering, in one short sentence - can mention the
product and/or the user. Should be an attention grabber.
• Sub-headline – Specific explanation of what you do/offer, for whom, and why it’s useful.
• 3 bullet points - A list of key benefits or features.
• Visual (optional) - An image reinforcing your main message. Images communicate much
faster than words.

11. Present the Value Proposition

12. Growth in an OER Collection
Increased Awareness & Reach
Impact on Teaching & Learning
Partnership Growth
OER Success Indicators
• Number of new resources added
• Number of derivative resources added
• Number of tweets about an initiative/project
• Number of references in external publications
• Analytics data showing changes in students’
length of time on the resources
• Percent of teachers reporting changes in practice
as a result of the OER intervention
Cost & Other Efficiencies
• Number or new or expanded partnerships
• Diversity in the types of partnerships built
• Data showing decrease in student spending on
course materials
• Number of teacher leaders or district leaders
adopting the project
• Percent reporting changes in student engagement
• Improved student test performance
• Number of user-generated tags added
• Number of reviews or ratings added
• Number speaking engagements about the project
• Number of collections or websites that host/refer
to the project or resources
• Percent of teachers reporting efficiencies gained
from using OER

13. Case Example: Primary Source Toolkit
Success Indicators
• Recruited 388 OER Commons e-newsletter readers to participate in a usability test about the toolkit
• Recruited six teachers across elementary and high school, who are excited to pilot and adapt the lessons
Other - Interest & Engagement
• Established a partnership with Center for Teaching Quality’s Collaboratory that led to the successful
recruitment of teacher pilot participants
• Established a partnership with a K-12 professional learning leader in mathematics to refine the toolkit
to more deeply meet the Common Core math instructional shifts
• Established two new partnerships with California-based organizations to build networks of teachers
in using the toolkit for the next phase of the project
Partnership Growth
• Supported the development of new, cross-discipline curriculum development projects, as reported
by 3 of the 11 original teachers participating in the project
Impact on Teaching & Learning