Designing Digital Front of Class for Early Years
Creating a digital front of class experience for Early Years teachers and learners through UX discovery
Role
Lead UX Designer, UX Researcher
Team
Product Manager, Delivery Manager, Commissioning Editor, Content Lead
Product
Cambridge Early Years: Phonics & Handwriting
Context
Cambridge Early Years is a programme for 3-6 year olds. Phonics & Handwriting will be a new addition to the curriculum which will include a digital front of class (FOC) component to support teaching and learning.
Approach
As UX lead, I led the transition from the problem definition to the solution discovery phase of the 'Triple Diamond' framework - translating insights into actionable user needs that informed our design direction. My approach centred on aligning the solution with phonics pedagogy, ensuring the practicality and utility for teachers, as well as creating an engaging experience for young learners.
Problem Definition
What do teachers want from a front of class tool?
Building on research conducted by the publishing team, I focused on drawing out the digital-relevant insights - understanding how teachers currently use technology in the classroom, and where gaps or pain points might suggest opportunities for further exploration or design.
What we learned:
Competitors
Jolly phonics is the most used phonics scheme
Digital Tool Usage
Teachers primarily use audio, video, pictures, PowerPoints, and eBooks, with audio and video being the most common.
Access Barriers
Internet connectivity, device availability, and cost are the main barriers to using more digital tools in the classroom.
Resource Creation
Teachers frequently create their own resources, such as flashcards and activity books, and find lesson plans helpful for time management.
Device Use by Age
Younger children use individual devices less, but device usage increases as students get older.
Parental Communication
Teachers often use platforms like WhatsApp to communicate with parents but need clearer guidance on supporting phonics learning at home.
Engagement
Phonics learning needs to be fun, with engaging characters and game-like activities to capture young learners' attention.
Workshoppin’
To expand our understanding of the problem area and user needs, I led a workshop with stakeholders from publishing, content, and digital teams, bringing together their perspectives and expertise to challenge assumptions and refine our focus.
Insights
Problem Statements
Jobs to be Done
Research Questions
To end the workshop, I instructed the group to write research questions based on the JTBD statements. We used these questions to evaluate areas where we felt confident and identify those that required further investigation.
Prioritisation matrix
JTBD statements and their research questions were themed and organised based on our assumed level of knowledge and priority.
I then tagged research questions with the best activity to do in order to investigate the area.
user research & desk research
ideation
Actioning
With the questions themed and tagged with actions, we were able to begin planning the next steps, such as drafting interview questions, organising ideation sessions, and designing solution experiments.
Solution Discovery
Components
These are the digital components that have been commissioned to be delivered with this product - at this stage the job was to figure out how to deliver them.
Scope & objectives
I ran a second workshop focused on aligning the team around the vision, user goals, and the sequencing of digital components for the digital phonics application.
We began by setting long-term goals and solution objectives, the defined user goals and used 'Jobs to Be Done' statements to inform specific user needs.
Through storyboarding and playback, we explored the purpose and practical engagement of digital components. We concluded by highlighting key questions for further investigation and summarising our main takeaways.
Make learning phonics fun and interactive through delivering engaging content
To create a seamless print/ digital teaching experience to enable ESL teachers
Accessible and engaging phonics content that incorporates trusted Cambridge pedagogy
Phonics resource activation rates (activations/sales+frees) exceed 60%
Positive teacher feedback on usability in the Early Years ‘monitoring and evaluation’ work
Deliver something that is scaleable and reuseable
Discovering the digital phonics space
Before jumping straight into sketching on my iPad, I needed to familiarise myself with the pedagogy of phonics (it’s been a while since I first learned how to read!), competitors in the FOC space and what to consider when designing for young children. My secondary research covered these areas:
Pedagogy
I identified key principles that guide effective phonics learning and digital design for young children:
Associating sounds with letters and blending them to form words
Recognising sight words to build reading fluency
Using positive feedback and engaging visuals
Setting clear learning goals
Incorporating animation and characters for motivation
Allowing forgiving interactions to support growth
Competitor Analysis
Examining direct rivals such as Jolly Classroom, as well as other platforms focused on digital phonics instruction, enabled me to identify key market strengths and weaknesses, which helped shape the design direction for our own solution.
Mood boarding
A fun exploration of digital applications and contexts for young children, used to gather design inspiration and track style trends, helping to shape the design system and UI in the future.
How might we
Going from a simple requirement e.g. 'we need a flashcard that flips' to user needs that define the purpose of the requirement, then ideating how might we statements and following these up with ‘can we’ potential ideas to explore.
Outcome
Specific user needs for each component and the essentials of creating pedagogically aligned and engaging early years activities
With an understanding of the user needs, requirements and pedagogy we could begin solution ideation
Low fi /early ideation
Navigation & application structure
I mapped out the information architecture and user flow to ensure a smooth user experience for teachers, using input from content teams on the prescribed teaching methods, lesson formats, and anticipated teacher interactions with the activities and lesson planning process and ensuring the application’s smooth integration and access within our current platforms.
Refined wireframes & an EY Design System
Working closely with our UI lead, we tailored our design system for Early Years: incorporating larger buttons, brighter colours, rounder edges, and bolder strokes. Additionally, we updated the design system to enhance FOC accessibility, focusing on text size, screen layout, and touch targets.
Prototype
Translating functionality into reality, I built the prototype using ProtoPie, which allowed me to showcase all the designed interactions and features as intended.
Solution Validation
What do teachers think of our solution?
Planning research questions
Revisiting the research questions we generated at the beginning and throughout the solution discovery process helped me to:
Reflect on what we've learned so far
Identify what still needs to be validated
Define the insights we need to gather from teachers
Reassess our assumptions
Pinpoint areas of uncertainty
Allowing forgiving interactions to support growth
Objectives
Look & feel
Understand what teachers think about the UI and their expectations for effective and appealing digital design
Digital resource usage
Investigate how teachers use digital resources, uncover pain their points and identify unmet needs with their current resources
Prototype functionality
Evaluate how well the prototype addresses teachers needs, identify gaps in functionality and determine compatibility with teaching methods
Competitors & switch factors
Learn about the schemes teachers are using and what factors would motivate them to adopt something new
Blending & Segmenting
Explore how teachers currently teach blending and segmenting and assess whether the prototype activities effectively support these practices
Methodology
Criteria
Cambridge Early Years school
Currently teaching or has taught phonics
Currently using or has used Jolly Phonics
Demographics
7 teachers
Roles: Director, Phonics trainer, Vice Principal, Kindergarten Teacher, Principal, Coordinator
Global representation (MENA, SSA, SEAP, EU)
Method
Question-answer interview
Prototype demonstration
Questions
How well do you think this activity aligns with learning objectives?
What are your thoughts on this activity?
How would you use this application in class?
How does this activity compare to similar activities you may have used?
Do you have any questions or concerns about this activity?
What would you suggest in oder to improve this activity?
Findings
Interview analysis
Each interview was transcribed using Dovetail, and analysed using a tagging system based on different areas. Then, excerpts were grouped based on theme and per digital component.
Unit & Lesson Overview
Teachers expressed this screen met their expectations by offering time-saving resources that simplify lesson planning and teaching.
Flashcards
This activity adds value by offering resources that align with pedagogy and give teachers the flexibility and customisability they need.
Projectable Short Story
Teachers valued the content and appreciate being able to control different elements of the activities to suit their classroom needs.
Letter Formation
Offers a unique and adaptable resource for teachers which they can use in different ways to maximise their educational impact.
Blending & Segmenting
As they are, these activities already meet teachers' needs by providing a variety of pedagogically sound resources that they’re actively looking for.
Takeaways
Overall thoughts
Reactions and feedback on the prototype was very positive and most teachers seemed excited to have a digital application such as what we showed them.
Key words we can attribute to this solution:
Consistency
Teachers believe that having a consistent syllabus, materials, and pronunciation would make teaching more efficient and effective.
Improved Language Skills
Teachers are confident that this will help progress learners, especially with tricky words
No extra materials:
Engaging for learners
Teachers believe this solution is more engaging and fun for students, making it effective
Integration
They feel that the solution would integrate well into their classrooms and be highly beneficial.
Complementary
Teachers were confident that the solution would complement their current methods, making teaching more streamlined, unlike other apps they have tried but didn’t continue using.
Built-in features
The solution includes built-in activities for blending and segmenting sounds, saving teachers time by removing the need to create their own
Next steps
To close and wrap up this triple diamond solution discovery phase, I would recommend the following actions. Ideally we'd:
Refine design based on feedback to ensure we're aligning with user needs
Conduct usability testing to identify specific areas for improvement
Conduct further research into key areas e.g. engaging content and activity guidance
Work with the content team to refine the content, making it more impactful and relevant
By focusing on these actions, we can continue to enhance the user experience, create a solution that truly stands out, and ultimately meet the evolving needs of phonics teachers and learners.