High School Social and Emotional Learning Study
Ideating SEL (social and emotional learning) programs for high school students.
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.
Senior UX Researcher | 8 Weeks | Foundational Research | 2022