Researching the
Education System
Olga Howard -2009

Olga Howard
User Experience Architect
Research & Strategy
- Enterprise
- Education
- Social Networks

UX in Education Process
Using UX methods and methodologies to research the
education system.
• Look at existing data
• Interview stakeholders
• Deconstruct processes
• Build a foundation

Areas of research
Using UX methods and methodologies to research the
education system.
• Parent/school relationship (parent needs)
• Teacher/student relationship (teacher/student needs)
• Society/school relationship (what we value)
• Funding/school relationship (affect of funding systems)

Parent/school relationship
School marketing How parents feel

Parent/school relationship
Academics marketing How parents feel

Parent/school relationship
Administration marketing How parents feel

Parent/school relationship
Alumni marketing How parents feel

When I asked a teacher about the parent school relationship...
“The feeling seems to be that
parents feel they don’t have a
reason to know”

Teacher/student relationship

Society/school relationship
Teaching Characteristics Learning Characteristics
? ?
? ? ? ?
? ?
? ? ? ?
? ?

When discussing what the teacher loved about teaching.
“I love watching children learn.”

When discussing what makes a good teacher the response was...
“I was called into the principal’s office and she
said ‘your kids love you, but that’s not your
job.Your job is to get their NCLB scores up’
so I quit and went to a smaller school.”

Today’s funding/school relationship

A better funding/school relationship

We Need Answers
1. What is the parent/school relationship and what does it
need to be?
2. What are the elements of the Teaching Experience?
3. What are the teaching characteristics and learning
characteristics that we as a society value?
4. How does funding affect the school structure?

Thanks!
olgaHOW
olgahow.com/indiux.org
703-627-1847