SPARK
Information Architecture
About the project
Spark is a hybrid learning product with a 360-degree camera, mic, and speaker integrated with a video conferencing platform that facilitates a more intuitive and collaborate learning environment.
Time Frame
10 weeks
My role
Research Lead
Problem Space
Many schools have implemented hybrid learning systems, but it is not enough for an emotionally engaging, collaborative, and honest learning environment for both students and teachers
Target Audience
Primary Target User:
Teachers
Secondary Target User:
Students
Research
Methods: Secondary Research, Surveys, Interviews, Focus Group, Card Sorting, Diary Study, Tree Test
As students start to return to the classroom, schools have had to adopt some form of hybrid learning for their students and teachers.
“Classrooms are emotional settings. Students’ emotional experiences can impact on their ability to learn, their engagement in school, and their career choices. Yet too often education research ignores or neutralizes emotions.” -Kelly Trezise, Postdoctoral Researcher
Online portion class issues
- The online portion lacks interpersonal connection with classmates and teachers, decreasing engagement and creating a non emotional environment.
- Teachers are forced to use a variety
of different software and learning management systems to create an effective hybrid class, which takes away the flexibility that hybrid can offer.
In person class issues
- The main problem with in person sessions of hybrid classes is the instructor having to balance teaching both students online and in person at the same time.
(Detailed research methodology, process, insights, and user testing can be found on the process book)
After analyzing all the insights from the research, we come with a "How Might We" statement to help ideate for out concept:
How Might We
facilitate a more engaging, collaborative, and honest learning environment that enables instructors to have a better understanding of the needs and emotions of their students, while reducing the time they must spend to organize and prepare material?
SPARK
The teacher hub is a stationary docking station that alerts and facilitates interaction between online students and in-person teachers through a 360 degree auto-tracking camera, audio input, light, and remote.
The teacher tablet docks into the stationary hub when the teacher is not actively moving in order to promote a seamless transition between their desk and navigating the classroom.
The remote features a microphone for quick feedback and can control the audio and video settings, as well as basic functions of the video conference.
Featuring a reimagined meeting experience, Spark shows all the students' shared screen at once, with a better messaging and feedback system. The platform also adds a social aspect to discussion posts with a class forum that students and teachers can look back on for feedback and questions. Lastly, the recordings include analytics to give the instructor a better understand of their class' performance
Vision Video
How Might We
mitigate uncomfortable interactions by facilitating intuitive collaboration and discussion; enabling students to inform instructors of feedback and concerns while creating a sense of community in the classroom?
