High School Social and Emotional Learning | Research and Design Study
Envisioning and ideating SEL programs for high school students nationwide.
Senior UX Researcher | 8 Weeks | Foundational Research | 2022
Business Needs
This foundational user research project aimed to surface insights from high school teachers who would be facilitating SEL-related curriculum, and from high school students whom the curriculum is designed to benefit. My research explored the experiences, challenges, and opportunities for learning SEL-related content inside and outside of school.
Process
1. Identify Appropriate Research Methodology (Individual Interviews)
- Worked within a team to schedule stakeholder interviews, the inspiration audit, individual interviews, the concept card session, and low-fidelity and high-fidelity concepts.
- Collaborated closely with the UX designer, along with the research director, design director, and project manager in a user-centered design project.
- Debriefed on previous research and academic papers from the client.
2. Oversee Stakeholder Interviews
- Monitored incoming data collected by the UX designer during stakeholder interviews. Assisted interviews in tandem with recruiting and creating the session guide for IDIs.
3. Create Interview Protocol
- Strategized two 90-minute interview protocols for 10 students and 12 teachers (for 8 and 10 to show), which included a co-creation activity and platform example walkthrough.
4. Recruit Participants
- Drafted two recruitment screeners with unique criteria for students and teachers. Sought a mix of household incomes, location, gender, racial identity, and feelings of connectedness to school to account for diversity.
- Collaborated with the internal recruitment team to schedule 22 participants over 8 session days.
5. Conduct IDIs
- Held 18 90-minute sessions with high school students and teachers over 8 days.
- Led participants through a co-creation exercise through Mural, where they sketched their ideal learning environment and “non-negotiables,” and a walkthrough of the current SEL for Adults platform.
6. Attend Client Workshop and Concept Card Session
- Supported the UX designer in leading a client workshop to discuss, vote, and prioritize “non-negotiable” SEL-related learning contexts and platforms.
- Contributed to an internal concept card session with 19 designers to sketch preliminary designs for 3 student experience pillars.
Analysis and Outcomes
- Synthesized and presented high-level findings and emerging themes in a “Topline Report” based on my initial impressions and observations one-day after the final interview session.
- Created an “Extended Topline Report” with deeper insights, quotes, and recommendations one week after the final interview session.
- Worked with the UX designer to create a cohesive research x design final presentation deck. Responsible for designing ~60-slides on Figma with qualitative data pertaining to 3 student experience pillars and 2 teacher experience pillars.
- Crafted 4 video highlight clips to visually articulate insights and capture key participant quotes.
- Presented the final deck to 8 stakeholders during a 2-hour walkthrough of key research insights, recommendations, and low and high-fidelity design concepts. Facilitated insightful group discussion and fielded research questions from the client.
