Evaluative research for Student Progress Report (SPR)

<aside> ❔ What is it?

The Student Progress Report was our solution to keep the parent updated about their kids’ progress and where they stand in real-time.
At any given moment, the parent could simply access the SPR from the Student Portal and take a brief look at what their kid has been up to; in terms of performance, punctuality, course progress, etc.
This product initiative was done under the observed notion that parents were usually too occupied to be bothered at particular times and SPR would be one of the ways to provide them with the flexibility of choosing their own time. </aside>

<aside> 🪪 Role

I led the research start-to-end before a major visual and feature revamp to the existing SPR.

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<aside> 🎯 Desired objectives and outcomes

Gain insights on whether it is reaching the intended audience, and its effectiveness/impact (a summative evaluation)
Understand what currently works, and what improvements or features are needed to make it a long-term success
On an organizational level, this served as one of the pushing factors in leveraging the teams to take a more user-centered approach to decisions, aiming at growing the UX maturity as a whole </aside>

<aside> 👥 People involved

me (researcher and facilitator)
CGO (enabler*, helped remove roadblocks, guidance and mentoring)*
mentor managers (full of insights due to direct interactions with parents and me)
mentor community (made the surveys possible through active participation)
beloved customers (enthusiastic and extroverted parents open to discussions and taking part)
sr. Marketer (actively interacts with parents; helped narrow down parents to talk to and arrange interviews)

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Process

Nailing a relevant questionnaire to gain necessary insights and conclusion
Gathering insights through interviews and surveys
Interviews are conducted with mentor managers and customers (parents)
- 1:1 with mentor managers: they represent the voice of mentor community and hold collective insights on parents that come from mentors interacting with them on daily basis
- A small discussion with parents post scheduled session arranged through a trusted mentor or employee who talks to them regularly, since convincing and setting up a special arrangement is challenging
Surveys filled by mentor community from mentor managers to communicate urgency and potential value addition
Identifying recurring themes and patterns, capturing behaviors and reactions on top of vocal responses
Pitch findings and insights to teams and move towards collective actionable decisions and changes

Questionnaire

For parents	For mentors
• Hi, how are you feeling today?
• Have you heard about the SPR?
◦ [if yes] Do you check it regularly?
◦ [if no] Enlighten them about the SPR. Do you feel this would be beneficial for your kid?
• What do you look up in the SPR?
• If you’re not regularly using SPR, what is the reason?
• Do you think the SPR is doing its job to give you valuable feedback?
• What is or would be your ideal way or source of following up with your kid’s progress?
• The SPR can be accessed through the SP. How do you feel about the current accessibility?
◦ [if not satisfied] What would be your ideal source of communication for the kid’s feedback?
• What do you think the SPR does well?
• Where do you think the SPR lacks?
• List 2-3 things you feel are the most important to know about your kid’s progress
• Do you think there’s some other way/channel/product that would suit better to provide feedback for your child?
• Is there anything else that you would like to share?	• Hi, how are you feeling today?
• Do you think parents check the SPR regularly?
◦ [if yes] What do they use it the most for?
◦ [if no] Why do you think that is the case?
• Do you think the SPR is currently playing a significant role in tracking, giving insights to the kid’s progress?
◦ [if no] Why not? What do you feel is currently lacking in the SPR?
• What is it that the SPR does well currently?
• What according to you, are the top 2-3 most crucial things for the SPR?
• Has there ever been an occasion where a parent / kid has given you feedback on SPR?
• The SPR can be accessed through the SP. How do you feel about the current accessibility?
◦ [if not satisfied] What would be your ideal source of communication for the kid’s feedback?
• Do you think there’s some other way/channel/product that would suit better to provide feedback to the child?
• Is there anything else that you would like to share?