EduCompass
AI Integration Journey
"Throughout this project, I've learnt how to effectively integrate AI technologies, while also refining my skills in stakeholder management to ensure alignment with diverse user needs and project objectives."
Executive Summary
In my role as the design lead, I guided the enhancement of EduCompass, a platform helping US teachers in aligning their curriculum, with a particular emphasis on integrating AI/ML functionalities. Through extensive research and user-centered design, we developed a prototype that seamlessly incorporates advanced AI/ML features while ensuring user-friendly navigation and aesthetics.
Introduction
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EduCompass is a platform designed for US elementary and high school teachers to simplify the alignment of curriculum with diverse state standards. The complexity of the US educational system often leads teachers to spend about 30% of their time on administrative tasks.
Request:
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The client outlined two primary objectives:
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Smoothly incorporate new AI/ML features into existing platform. ​
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Refresh and enhance overall visual design.
Research
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Our research focused on:
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AI/ML Application: Investigating the potential of AI/ML, exploring algorithms, and reviewing competitor usage.
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Platform Usability: Conducting heuristic analysis and usability tests on the EduCompass platform to identify current planning challenges.
Teacher Needs: Interviewing teachers to understand their barriers to technology adoption.
Key Opportunities​
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Despite initial reservations, teachers have grown to appreciate digital tools like Zoom and Google Classroom.
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There's a notable absence of a unified tool that merges student management with curriculum planning, presenting an opportunity for EduCompass.
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The adoption of Google Classroom across educational institutions presents additional integration opportunities.
Key Challenges
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Reluctance towards AI/ML due to misconceptions and lack of exposure.
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Balancing diverse student needs within a standardised curriculum.
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The heavy administrative load on teachers.
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The need for adaptive curriculum alignment in response to ever-changing state standards.
Design Process
In our design process, we closely engaged with the client and consulted data scientists to ensure our solutions met stakeholders' needs and design constraints.
Visual Design:
The rebranding of EduCompass, aimed at enhancing the brand identity with AI integration, we chose blue as the primary colour, complemented by green tones, to present a professional, secure, and cohesive visual identity. To make the platform more engaging for the educational sector, we added descriptive, playful icons for AI features.
Solution
During the initial design phase ee utilised the Crazy 8 exercise for rapid ideation, with each member creating quick sketches to explore diverse possibilities. This process helped us come up with many ideas that we then synthesised into a basic visual plan, laying the foundation for our design.
Dashboard
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​Taking into account the absence of a unified tool, we came up with the idea to create a comprehensive dashboard integrating Google Calendar, displaying overall progress and curriculum alignment to promote daily use of the EduCompass platform.
Student hub
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A secure portal linked with Google Classroom, providing class overviews and individual student profiles.
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Class overview: Displays key metrics like academic performance and learning styles.
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Individual Student Profile: Offers insights into academic performance, attendance, cross-subject performance, and facilitates teacher communication.
AI Helpers​
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Create AI Helper (Generative Adversarial Networks [GANs], Transformer Models like GPT or BERT): Assists in generating educational content, adapting to specific lesson plans or assignments.
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Plan AI Tool (Utilising Recommendation Systems, Natural Language Processing [NLP]): Automates unit or quarter planning based on curriculum standards and teacher inputs.​
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Align-o-meter (Rule-Based Systems, NLP and Semantic Analysis): Ensures content alignment with state standards, providing real-time feedback and suggestions.
Wireframe and Prototype:
During the wireframing and prototyping phase, we applied UX design principles, iterating on a mid-fidelity prototype in Figma based on initial feedback. Usability testing with teachers led to adjustments for improved intuitiveness and learnability.
The process concluded in a high-fidelity prototype that effectively integrates AI tools into a user-friendly interface.
Conclusion:
Our team redesigned the EduCompass platform, incorporating AI/ML tools seamlessly into the user interface. We are proud to have successfully uncovered business and user needs in an industry with varying degrees of technological aptitude.
Next Steps:
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Develop a Beta version for further user feedback.
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Introduce a predictive analytics feature to identify students at risk of falling behind, using historical performance data.
Our journey with EduCompass reinforced the belief that integrating AI into educational tools can dramatically reduce administrative overhead, allowing educators to dedicate more time to what truly matters: inspiring students