IEP Collect

Weekly Update #6

5/26/2015

We've met our goals for milestone three for the IEP Collect app. Data collection has been implemented for all interaction types that were designed. Navigation and layout have been redesigned and adapted over the past couple weeks as well. While the prototype is not fully implemented (some links in the configuration do not point to implemented pages), we've succeeded in meeting the goals we'd set for ourselves for the quarter.

• • Data collection is implemented
  • Multiple ways to view accommodations
  • Special Ed and General Ed teacher roles

Part of our success criteria when we set out was to have teacher testimonies. Our goal for them to find that our prototype provides more utility than their current paper tracking system, or that it contains enough functionality and is easy enough to use that they would want access to it in their classroom.

Today we met with one of our original stakeholders to show her the "final" product and get her feedback. She is a special education teacher who works with a group of about eight 6th grade students who remain in her specialized evironment throughout the day. She had wonderful thing to say about the app. She thought it was easy to use, had simple interactions, and was particularly pleased with the rapid surfacing of accommodations. She gave some helpful feedback about a couple of details in the interaction, but was overall pleased with the experience and said that she would use the app in her classroom as-is.

Weekly Update #5

5/19/2015

• 3 done:
  • Changed look of app
  • Added ability to add goals to students
  • Met with teacher
• 3 will do:
  • Finalize app appearance
  • Finish application data collection features
  • Meet with more teachers
• 1 blocker:
  • Differing ruby experience

We spent the last week trying to redesign our application to be more visually appealing and intuitive. We also had a very productive meeting with two teachers. One of them was an elementary school teacher, something we have been looking for for a long time. Many of the forms to enter data into the app have also been implemented. We finally have the structure to actually start extensively tracking data.

Weekly Blog

Entry #4

5/12/2015

While we are not in the exact place we had set as our Milestone Two goal, we have made a similar amount of progress.

We had meant to have data collection for a student completely implemented by now, and finished the digital mockup. We have finished mockup pages for all crucial actions in the app. Some secondary actions are not in the mockup, but they are not part of the tasks we are designing for.

The hosted prototype app has many of our main screens and actions implemented but the full data colelction work flow is not done. We have completed the home screen, student profile, teacher login and account creation, accomodation viewing, and goal and track item creation. We have not implemented the interface for the task of daily tracking but the ability to collect and save the data exists under the hood.

We have another usability testing meeting set up for this Wednesday and we are on track to reach our third milestone.

This slide deck contains more detail about our status.

Entry #3

5/4/2015

• 3 done:
  • built more task functionality into digital mockup, revised existing mockup pages
  • extablished database schema and structure of app, set up app hosting on heroku
  • got account creation and login for the app functional
• 3 will do:
  • finish redrafting mockup
  • set up usability testing meetings for the coming weeks
  • implement layout and most tested features in the app
• 3 blocker:
  • need usability testing to progress after this digital mockup draft
  • can only implement so much of app without confirmation that the design is right
  • contacts with teachers have fizzled, need to reconnect

We spent the last week doing a lot of work on the design via the digital mockup and in beginning the implementation of our app. Design changes have been made due to feedback from usability testing and course staff. So far the app has all the nuts and bolts implemented, but none of the interface, tasks, navigation, or other specialized details.

Entry #2

4/29/2015

After completing another interview and some mild usability testing with our rough digital mockup, our team is on track to meet our milestones as planned. Originally, we had expected to conduct some participatory design sessions by this milestone, however after last week's check in we decided to remove them from the plan. Scheduling a design session with multiple teachers at once was not feasible; all of our contacts are teachers at different schools in different parts of town with varied schedules. Also, since no one on our team has Android development experience we decided to switch platforms to build a web app instead of a mobile app. We will be using Ruby on Rails and hosting the app on Heroku. With these changes we are on track to meet our second and third milestones.

This slide deck contains more detail about our status.

Entry #1

4/21/2015

• 3 done:
  • met with professor from College of Edu
  • sent emails out to ~10 people about participatory design / future usability testing
  • submitted application to EEU to interview a teacher
  • met with teacher from cleveland high
• 3 will do:
  • find elementary teachers
  • schedule and carry out participatory design sessions
  • make a skeletal paper prototype or mockup
• 3 blocker:
  • waiting for email responses
  • can't move too far in a mockup until participatory design sessions done
  • need to talk with an elementary school teacher

In summary, we need to do more interviews with teachers, especially at the elementary level of education, in order to decide whether rescoping to a K-6 age group is the right choice to address the difference between age groups. In making a mockup we can at best estimate what choice we might make and then later likely have to change many things to fit with the answers we discover. We are in contact with lots of people, but to our knowledge not anyone who teaches at grade levels 1 though 5.