Catalyst Designathon
UX research
empathy mapping
user journey mapping
prototyping
Overview.
Catalyst is an annual UX-focused designathon for undergraduate students hosted by FORGE Design Studios.
My teammate and I were challenged to address a real-world design challenge by generating solutions, building a Figma prototype, and sending out a final deliverable to industry professionals—all in 40 hours.
Out of three track options, we decided on the Productivity & Learning track.
Design Challenge
“Although it’s been a year since the shift to online learning, students and educators are still experiencing virtual learning and time management problems.
How can we…design solutions to help those learning in different environments, and think forward about returning to a physical classroom or hybrid learning?”
- prompt from Catalyst Designathon
Research & Discovery
UX Research
Here are some quotes from my research that summarize the impact that online learning has had on children and their families.
“Only 4 out of 11 parents said they had heard directly from their child’s teacher this year.”
”Children with disabilities and children learning English have particularly struggled without in-person learning.”
”Students aren’t learning and advancing at the same pace, and scores are going down nationwide.”
Empathy Mapping
I was surprised to see that the parent and teacher empathy maps gave me so much clarity, considering students are the focus of this project. But, these two empathy maps, along with my research, brought to light how detrimental the disconnect between parent and teacher was during these unprecedented times.
Problem Statement
With virtual learning, the lack of communication between parent and teacher has become more prominent, with a need for teamwork between parent and teacher as teachers’ ability to monitor students’ academic success and overall well-being has been hindered. This brings forth the problem that there is not a safe and efficient way for teachers to communicate with parents.
User Journey Mapping
To see how an app that allows for communication between parents and teachers might help relieve pain points for both parties, I created some journey maps.
Parent: Karen
Needs/Pains: needs a way to easily communicate with teachers and access child’s info
Goals/Gains: for their child to succeed academically and maintain overall well-being
Teacher: Ms. Debby
Needs/Pains: needs a way to easily communicate with parents
Goals/Gains: to understand how to help her students succeed
Our Solution
Our solution is an app that makes it easier for teachers and parents to communicate.
