→ Core Challenge
Design a resource library for a global school’s new curriculum: 120+ activities with language and age-group variants, where teachers had limited prep time and selecting the wrong age group could make materials unusable.
The tool needed to support structured drill-down through a linear curriculum while accommodating varied pacing across classrooms.
→ Process
- Mapped content structure against real teaching workflows
- Facilitated workshops to align on information architecture and interaction model
- Produced wireframes testing drill-down paths and decision points
- Validated wording and structure with team members closest to end users
- Designed visual wayfinding system using color and iconography
→ Key Decisions
- Made themes the primary entry point: they were already reinforced across school contexts and formed the shared language teachers used
- Designed drill-down to mirror curriculum structure: Theme → topic → activity → age/language variant → download
- Used curriculum nomenclature directly, eliminating translation burden for teachers navigating under time pressure
- Built consistent color system and icon-style illustrations to support recognition during quick scanning
- Negotiated scope to include favorites feature when full dashboard wasn’t viable, enabling teachers to save frequently used materials and reduce repeat effort
→ Key Insight
Teachers didn’t need more browsing options – they needed confidence. By making age-group variants the final selection before download and using familiar curriculum language throughout, we reduced the risk of unusable downloads that would force teachers back to old materials.
→ Outcomes
- Delivered library structure that matched how teachers actually work: structured but flexible for varied pacing
- Created measurement framework tracking time-to-download, wrong-selection rate, favorites usage, and drop-off points
- Established foundation for future improvements: earlier age-group prominence, preview cues, and personalized landing based on curriculum progress
- Enabled consultancy to deliver value to global school client under tight timeline constraints
Client name changed for confidentiality