Contributing to the Tangerine mobile assessment program was an incredible experience that allowed me to play a role in improving education in low-resource environments. As a design facilitator and prototype designer, I had the privilege of leading a Design Sprint, inspired by Google Ventures, and contributing to how teaching coaches, managers, and decision-makers consume and interact with assessment data.

Research Triangle Institute (RTI) seeks to revolutionize learning with measurable, data-driven interventions. The Chief of Party knew that a collaborative approach was necessary to get buy-in from Kenya's Department of Education. He asked me to organize and facilitate a Design Sprint to set the direction for a creating an app that could reveal and make a positive contribution to the educational landscape.

Process

The Design Sprint, created by Jake Knapp of Google Ventures, asks participants to do a lot: to build and test a prototype in only five days. Having only one week does amazing things for investment, momentum, and cohesion. It brought together Department of Education officials, researchers, NGO workers, and developers to pack out a massive conference room with nearly 30 participants (far more than the recommended 4–6 and a lot to manage!).

In a field that wants to change the world, you can get some very strong and differing opinions. But the Design Sprint process got all 30 of us to agree to a direction, a prototype, and a user test. I was amazed. We shared a genuine commitment to empathize with end-users and create a user-centric app that would respect the immense challenges of its environment: users with low computer literacy, expensive cell networks, financial stress, and low accountability across a massive landscape.

Read the after-sprint report (PDF) →

After the sprint, I focused on translating our ideas into tangible experiences that could be tested and improved upon iteratively. It was an exciting journey to work with developers and see our designs evolve through user feedback and testing. Each iteration taught me the value of staying open to critique and continuously seeking better solutions.

Collaborating with Users

The heart of our process lay in collaborating with managers and learners during the testing phase. Their insights and feedback were instrumental in shaping Tangerine into a platform that addressed their specific needs and pain points. It was truly gratifying to witness the app's potential to empower managers to make informed decisions and foster a supportive learning environment for their teams.

The positive feedback from educators and managers fills me with gratitude. It reinforced the importance of a collective effort in achieving something meaningful. The eventual impact of the app on learners' engagement and motivation is particularly heartwarming, as it highlights the significance of user-centric design in education.