Research
Research
Reading Rocket
Reading Rocket
Reading Rocket
An interdisciplinary minimum viable product (MVP) of an AI-integrated platform engineered to aid teachers in conducting short-form reading assessments
An interdisciplinary minimum viable product (MVP) of an AI-integrated platform engineered to aid teachers in conducting short-form reading assessments
Role
Role
Product Designer
Product Designer
Responsibilities
Responsibilities
User research
Visual design
Interaction design
User research
Visual design
Interaction design
Tools
Tools
Figma
Maze
Zoom
Trello
Slack
Figma
Maze
Zoom
Trello
Slack
Duration
Duration
5 Weeks
5 Weeks
Building our knowledge base
Building our knowledge base
Before embarking on the project, we initiated a comprehensive phase of background research to enhance our grasp of user needs, as well as to refine communication channels with both clients and subject matter experts.
We conducted literature reviews on the following focus areas:
reading assessment types and techniques
zone of proximal development
science of reading
machine learning
generative artificial intelligence
existing use of AI in classrooms
common terminology
Before embarking on the project, we initiated a comprehensive phase of background research to enhance our grasp of user needs, as well as to refine communication channels with both clients and subject matter experts.
We conducted literature reviews on the following focus areas:
reading assessment types and techniques
zone of proximal development
science of reading
machine learning
generative artificial intelligence
existing use of AI in classrooms
common terminology
Analyzing the competition
Analyzing the competition
Our next task was to identify potential competitors and conduct an in-depth analysis of their product offerings, strengths, weaknesses, and potential opportunities. This evaluation aimed to uncover ways in which Reading Rocket could differentiate itself and effectively address unmet market needs. After evaluating all identified competitors, we narrowed down our research to focus on four key competitors.
Our next task was to identify potential competitors and conduct an in-depth analysis of their product offerings, strengths, weaknesses, and potential opportunities. This evaluation aimed to uncover ways in which Reading Rocket could differentiate itself and effectively address unmet market needs. After evaluating all identified competitors, we narrowed down our research to focus on four key competitors.
Defining the users
Defining the users
The team recruited both teachers and educators from a diverse range of schools and school districts for interviews in order to gain crucial insights needed to define our primary users. We focused our questions towards these educators to discover how they are currently conducting reading assessments, to find out what challenges teachers are facing when conducting reading assessments, to understand what technology is available and what is being used during reading assessments, and to learn what metrics are being measured after conducting reading assessments.
The team recruited both teachers and educators from a diverse range of schools and school districts for interviews in order to gain crucial insights needed to define our primary users. We focused our questions towards these educators to discover how they are currently conducting reading assessments, to find out what challenges teachers are facing when conducting reading assessments, to understand what technology is available and what is being used during reading assessments, and to learn what metrics are being measured after conducting reading assessments.
After synthesizing the user interviews, we were able to find the following insights:
After synthesizing the user interviews, we were able to find the following insights:
1
Our users prefer to use pen and paper to take down notes during reading assessments.
2
Our users do not use a lot of technology in the classroom.
3
Time constraints and interruptions are the biggest challenges for our users.
4
Students are grouped based off of initial, formal assessments, as well as focus areas they’re struggling in.
5
There are many methods used to keep students engaged.
1
Our users prefer to use pen and paper to take down notes during reading assessments.
2
Our users do not use a lot of technology in the classroom.
3
Time constraints and interruptions are the biggest challenges for our users.
4
Students are grouped based off of initial, formal assessments, as well as focus areas they’re struggling in.
5
There are many methods used to keep students engaged.
Understanding the subject matter
Understanding the subject matter
Although we conducted extensive background research, we were still left with lingering questions. To resolve this, we met with a subject matter expert who helped us further define what metrics are recorded from short-form reading assessments, how these assessments are conducted, what reading material is used, and how students are grouped in terms of reading development.
Although we conducted extensive background research, we were still left with lingering questions. To resolve this, we met with a subject matter expert who helped us further define what metrics are recorded from short-form reading assessments, how these assessments are conducted, what reading material is used, and how students are grouped in terms of reading development.
1
Reading material is chosen from existing, well known books, based on reading level and focus areas the student's struggling in.
2
Students in most schools have access to laptops or iPads in the classroom
3
Common metrics tracked by teachers are words-per-minute and accuracy rate
4
Students are grouped slightly differently teacher-to-teacher but are usually based off of initial assessments and areas they're struggling in
5
Pen and paper is what's popularly used to both conduct and record reading assessments
6
It's hard for most teachers to assess more than one student at a time
1
Reading material is chosen from existing, well known books, based on reading level and focus areas the student's struggling in.
2
Students in most schools have access to laptops or iPads in the classroom
3
Common metrics tracked by teachers are words-per-minute and accuracy rate
4
Students are grouped slightly differently teacher-to-teacher but are usually based off of initial assessments and areas they're struggling in
5
Pen and paper is what's popularly used to both conduct and record reading assessments
6
It's hard for most teachers to assess more than one student at a time
Persona
Tina the Teacher
Caring | Personable | Fun
Occupation: 1st grade public school teacher
Age: 45
Platforms: Desktop, tablet
"I wish I could assess my students more frequently, but traditional methods are too time-consuming."
Behaviors:
Uses pen and paper to take notes during reading assessments
Conducts reading assessments 1:1 with the student
Closely observes the student’s behaviors during reading assessments to better understand their process of learning
Engages with students based on their personal interests and personalities
Puts a lot of consideration into what book the student will be using for their reading assessment
Needs:
An easy way to record and keep track of their notes from the reading assessments
A quick means of accessing student data
A way to easily assess students for their decoding abilities
To keep the student engaged when conducting reading assessments
A system to group students based on their areas of difficulty when learning to read
Frustrations:
Doesn’t like the idea of AI in the classroom
Often interrupted when conducting reading assessments
Lacks time to complete reading assessments
Storyboard
Storyboard
To help visualize how Reading Rocket could integrate into Tina’s daily workflow, we worked with our subject matter expert and an illustrator to develop a storyboard depicting how Reading Rocket can be used in the classroom.
To help visualize how Reading Rocket could integrate into Tina’s daily workflow, we worked with our subject matter expert and an illustrator to develop a storyboard depicting how Reading Rocket can be used in the classroom.
Tina prepares to conduct a reading assessment by setting up a round table for a small group of students, distributing a tablet and headset for each student.
Tina heads back to her desk to launch an assessment for the students.
Tina selects the group she wishes to assess and assigns them a leveled text.
Tina calls the group over and sets them up to begin the assessment. During the assessment Tina walks around and monitors the group, taking notes on paper.
The first group of students finishes the assessments and Tina prepares for the second group.
Later, Tina returns to her desk when the kids go to recess and reviews the students' reports from the assessment conducted earlier that day.
When finished, Tina closes her laptop and begins preparing her lesson plan based on insights derived from Reading Rocket.
Tina prepares to conduct a reading assessment by setting up a round table for a small group of students, distributing a tablet and headset for each student.
Tina heads back to her desk to launch an assessment for the students.
Tina selects the group she wishes to assess and assigns them a leveled text.
Tina calls the group over and sets them up to begin the assessment. During the assessment Tina walks around and monitors the group, taking notes on paper.
The first group of students finishes the assessments and Tina prepares for the second group.
Later, Tina returns to her desk when the kids go to recess and reviews the students' reports from the assessment conducted earlier that day.
When finished, Tina closes her laptop and begins preparing her lesson plan based on insights derived from Reading Rocket.
Tina prepares to conduct a reading assessment by setting up a round table for a small group of students, distributing a tablet and headset for each student.
Tina heads back to her desk to launch an assessment for the students.
Tina selects the group she wishes to assess and assigns them a leveled text.
Tina calls the group over and sets them up to begin the assessment. During the assessment Tina walks around and monitors the group, taking notes on paper.
The first group of students finishes the assessments and Tina prepares for the second group.
Later, Tina returns to her desk when the kids go to recess and reviews the students' reports from the assessment conducted earlier that day.
When finished, Tina closes her laptop and begins preparing her lesson plan based on insights derived from Reading Rocket.
Tina prepares to conduct a reading assessment by setting up a round table for a small group of students, distributing a tablet and headset for each student.
Tina heads back to her desk to launch an assessment for the students.
Tina selects the group she wishes to assess and assigns them a leveled text.
Tina calls the group over and sets them up to begin the assessment. During the assessment Tina walks around and monitors the group, taking notes on paper.
The first group of students finishes the assessments and Tina prepares for the second group.
Later, Tina returns to her desk when the kids go to recess and reviews the students' reports from the assessment conducted earlier that day.
When finished, Tina closes her laptop and begins preparing her lesson plan based on insights derived from Reading Rocket.
Finding a solution to the problem
Finding a solution to the problem
Problem
Problem
Tina, an experienced and dedicated educator, is limited in her ability to conduct day to day reading assessments. Frequent classroom interruptions, time limitations, and reliance on time-intensive traditional assessment methods impede her ability to provide regular, thorough evaluations in order to inform targeted lesson planning and reading intervention for students.
Tina, an experienced and dedicated educator, is limited in her ability to conduct day to day reading assessments. Frequent classroom interruptions, time limitations, and reliance on time-intensive traditional assessment methods impede her ability to provide regular, thorough evaluations in order to inform targeted lesson planning and reading intervention for students.
Solution
How might we help Tina quickly create and conduct a short-form reading assessment, specific to the student’s needs?
How might we design a solution that supports Tina’s current methods of conducting reading assessments while also expediting the assessment process?
How might we create a user-friendly interface that displays the student’s reading assessment results in a way that’s helpful, as well as easy for Tina to comprehend?
Solution
How might we help Tina quickly create and conduct a short-form reading assessment, specific to the student’s needs?
How might we design a solution that supports Tina’s current methods of conducting reading assessments while also expediting the assessment process?
How might we create a user-friendly interface that displays the student’s reading assessment results in a way that’s helpful, as well as easy for Tina to comprehend?
Design
Design
Deliver
Deliver
Creating our design principles
To help guide our design process, we used our user research insights to create four design principles.
Simplicity
Keep the user interface clean and intuitive, ensuring that educators like Tina can easily navigate the application without unnecessary complexity. Use clear and concise language, minimizing cognitive load and making tasks straightforward to accomplish.
Accessibility
Ensure that the application is accessible to a diverse range of users, considering factors such as font size and color contrast. This ensures that educators like Tina can effectively use the application regardless of their specific needs.
Efficiency
Streamline the workflow by minimizing the number of steps required to complete common tasks. Provide shortcuts, automation features, and efficient data entry options to save time and reduce repetitive actions.
Data Analysis
Provide tools for analyzing student progress, identifying areas for improvement, and generating actionable insights. Visualizations, data dashboards, and reports can assist Tina in understanding student performance trends and making informed instructional decisions.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
We began implementing our design by constructing low-fidelity wireframes, striving to meet both the users’ and clients’ needs.
We began implementing our design by constructing low-fidelity wireframes, striving to meet both the users’ and clients’ needs.
Testing the first iteration
In order to ensure optimal user experiences and gain valuable feedback for future iterations, we conducted five moderated usability tests using Maze and Zoom. We were then able to gain the following insights:
Users found the flows intuitive overall
Users had a hard time finding the button to create and assign a new assessment
The "Reviewed" button on the analysis page was often overlooked
Establishing the style guide
Establishing the style guide
The team came together to decide on a color palette to implement into the Reading Rocket brand and our high-fidelity prototype. Our goal was to discover colors that exuded a modern aesthetic while maintaining a whimsical charm suitable for classroom environments. After finding images that inspired us, we carefully selected colors that we believed perfectly embodied the look and feel of the Reading Rocket brand.
The team came together to decide on a color palette to implement into the Reading Rocket brand and our high-fidelity prototype. Our goal was to discover colors that exuded a modern aesthetic while maintaining a whimsical charm suitable for classroom environments. After finding images that inspired us, we carefully selected colors that we believed perfectly embodied the look and feel of the Reading Rocket brand.
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
Dashboard
Dashboard
We developed the dashboard with our persona in mind. The top navigation has clearly defined sections relevant for her day-to-day. The top section, Assessments, allows her to visualize in progress, recent, and scheduled assessments with relevant details like group number and identifying icon. The main call to action button here allows Tina to quickly create an assessment. The bottom section shows the educator the average accuracy rates for a few students under the labels of developing, proficient, and excelling learners.
We developed the dashboard with our persona in mind. The top navigation has clearly defined sections relevant for her day-to-day. The top section, Assessments, allows her to visualize in progress, recent, and scheduled assessments with relevant details like group number and identifying icon. The main call to action button here allows Tina to quickly create an assessment. The bottom section shows the educator the average accuracy rates for a few students under the labels of developing, proficient, and excelling learners.
Prototype
Prototype
Next Steps
Next Steps
Further usability testing
Further usability testing
Our first priority would be to conduct moderated usability testing on our mid-fidelity prototype to ensure both our design and layout is functional for our users. This would help enable us to assess the prototype's performance and ensure that it is meeting the users' needs and expectations, while also allowing us to identify any potential pain points.
Our first priority would be to conduct moderated usability testing on our mid-fidelity prototype to ensure both our design and layout is functional for our users. This would help enable us to assess the prototype's performance and ensure that it is meeting the users' needs and expectations, while also allowing us to identify any potential pain points.
Build the high-fidelity prototype
Build the high-fidelity prototype
Following the insights gained from the mid-fidelity usability tests, our next objective would be to expand upon features within our high-fidelity prototype. This would involve collaborating with our subject matter expert to refine and solidify assessment and student progression metrics, implement a grouping system, and finalize the overall system copy. Furthermore, we would further develop the reporting features, create the classroom view, and add supplementary widgets into the dashboard interface.
Following the insights gained from the mid-fidelity usability tests, our next objective would be to expand upon features within our high-fidelity prototype. This would involve collaborating with our subject matter expert to refine and solidify assessment and student progression metrics, implement a grouping system, and finalize the overall system copy. Furthermore, we would further develop the reporting features, create the classroom view, and add supplementary widgets into the dashboard interface.
Creating the Assess feature
Creating the Assess feature
Lastly, the next logical step for us would be to begin research and create the Assess feature. We would accomplish this by researching and gathering insights to create a secondary persona based on the student's perspective. We would then use the persona to guide our design process and integrate Reading Rocket's generative AI capabilities to create a truly fun, engaging, and rewarding platform for students.
Lastly, the next logical step for us would be to begin research and create the Assess feature. We would accomplish this by researching and gathering insights to create a secondary persona based on the student's perspective. We would then use the persona to guide our design process and integrate Reading Rocket's generative AI capabilities to create a truly fun, engaging, and rewarding platform for students.
Assigning an Assessment
Assigning an Assessment
After selecting “Create Assessment,” the educator can then select a group of students, select an assessment, and launch the assessment efficiently.
After selecting “Create Assessment,” the educator can then select a group of students, select an assessment, and launch the assessment efficiently.
Analyzing an Assessment
Analyzing an Assessment
The Assessment Analysis page allows teachers access and review assessment results for individual students, as well as groups. Here, they can examine and edit the student's errors, replay audio transcripts, mark items as reviewed, jot down notes, and seamlessly transition to other students' assessments.
The Assessment Analysis page allows teachers access and review assessment results for individual students, as well as groups. Here, they can examine and edit the student's errors, replay audio transcripts, mark items as reviewed, jot down notes, and seamlessly transition to other students' assessments.
Assessment Summary
Assessment Summary
After reviewing a student’s assessment results, the teacher will be shown a summary of the assessment, accompanied by tailored recommendations for further intervention.
After reviewing a student’s assessment results, the teacher will be shown a summary of the assessment, accompanied by tailored recommendations for further intervention.
Getting to know the company
Getting to know the company
About
About
Reading Rocket is an educational startup that leverages AI to assist teachers in conducting short-form reading assessments for students ages 5-8, empowering them to spend more time teaching and less time setting up and reviewing assessments using traditional methods. The platform combines this powerful assessment tool with a Read feature which engages young readers through traditional and generative content tailored to their interests, crafted to spark a love of reading while simultaneously developing and exercising critical decoding skills.
Reading Rocket is an educational startup that leverages AI to assist teachers in conducting short-form reading assessments for students ages 5-8, empowering them to spend more time teaching and less time setting up and reviewing assessments using traditional methods. The platform combines this powerful assessment tool with a Read feature which engages young readers through traditional and generative content tailored to their interests, crafted to spark a love of reading while simultaneously developing and exercising critical decoding skills.
Design Challenge
Design Challenge
Because Reading Rocket was a startup, they had no pre-existing users nor a tangible product for my team and I to redesign. With that, we were tasked with the following:
Discover users' needs and behaviors, particularly with regard to how educators conduct reading assessments
Design a human-centered, approachable product for a diverse user base with minimal training requirements for users
Understand how Reading Rocket can integrate into classrooms and teachers' existing workflows
Because Reading Rocket was a startup, they had no pre-existing users nor a tangible product for my team and I to redesign. With that, we were tasked with the following:
Discover users' needs and behaviors, particularly with regard to how educators conduct reading assessments
Design a human-centered, approachable product for a diverse user base with minimal training requirements for users
Understand how Reading Rocket can integrate into classrooms and teachers' existing workflows
Persona
Tina the Teacher
Caring | Personable | Fun
Occupation: 1st grade public school teacher
Age: 45
Platforms: Desktop, tablet
"I wish I could assess my students more frequently, but traditional methods are too time-consuming."
Behaviors:
Uses pen and paper to take notes during reading assessments
Conducts reading assessments 1:1 with the student
Closely observes the student’s behaviors during reading assessments to better understand their process of learning
Engages with students based on their personal interests and personalities
Puts a lot of consideration into what book the student will be using for their reading assessment
Needs:
An easy way to record and keep track of their notes from the reading assessments
A quick means of accessing student data
A way to easily assess students for their decoding abilities
To keep the student engaged when conducting reading assessments
A system to group students based on their areas of difficulty when learning to read
Frustrations:
Doesn’t like the idea of AI in the classroom
Often interrupted when conducting reading assessments
Lacks time to complete reading assessments
Creating our design principles
To help guide our design process, we used our user research insights to create four design principles.
Simplicity
Keep the user interface clean and intuitive, ensuring that educators like Tina can easily navigate the application without unnecessary complexity. Use clear and concise language, minimizing cognitive load and making tasks straightforward to accomplish.
Accessibility
Ensure that the application is accessible to a diverse range of users, considering factors such as font size and color contrast. This ensures that educators like Tina can effectively use the application regardless of their specific needs.
Efficiency
Streamline the workflow by minimizing the number of steps required to complete common tasks. Provide shortcuts, automation features, and efficient data entry options to save time and reduce repetitive actions.
Data Analysis
Provide tools for analyzing student progress, identifying areas for improvement, and generating actionable insights. Visualizations, data dashboards, and reports can assist Tina in understanding student performance trends and making informed instructional decisions.
Testing the first iteration
In order to ensure optimal user experiences and gain valuable feedback for future iterations, we conducted five moderated usability tests using Maze and Zoom. We were then able to gain the following insights:
Users found the flows intuitive overall
Users had a hard time finding the button to create and assign a new assessment
The "Reviewed" button on the analysis page was often overlooked