Problem

Key features buried in complex information architecture.

When SNAP! Mobile acquired SchoolCNXT, I uncovered deeply buried features and inconsistent web-to-mobile experiences. Navigating the app required guidance, making user flows cumbersome and increasing demand on customer support. Transitioning to the new design system became an opportunity to streamline and enhance usability.

Solution

Create a cohesive web and mobile app experience.

By preserving SchoolCNXT’s mission, I reimagined the platform to bridge communication gaps while enhancing usability. Through a cohesive web and mobile experience, I optimized space for each user, ensuring a more intuitive design that drives engagement and empowers educators and guardians to support student success.

Legacy Product

Breaking communication barriers.

SchoolCNXT built a platform to connect educators, guardians, students, and administrators through inclusive communication.

Key features:

  • Translation in 100+ languages

  • Text-to-speech for multilingual accessibility

  • News sharing & important updates

  • Scheduled reminders

For this study, I’ll refer to the product as SNAP! Connect or Connect.

Insights

Accessibility is key to keeping guardians engaged.

Research shows most guardians don’t disengage by choice but due to a lack of inclusive resources. With 43M U.S. adults facing literacy challenges and 1 in 5 speaking a language other than English at home, accessibility is key.

Information Architecture

Valuable features discovered in sitemaps.

I mapped web and mobile differences to unify the design into a seamless experience. Though the site hierarchy seemed flat, hidden buttons and features made navigation difficult.

Design

Designing to drive engagement.

While taking into account established user needs and industry patterns, I created a design that addressed stakeholders’ big 3; update branding, enhance usability, and increase usage.

Design Choices

  • Mobile first
    Limit differences between mobile app and web experience.

  • Focus on staff and admin users
    This user group is the biggest driver for app traffic through generating content.

  • Consolidate the content creation flow
    Streamline post management and attachments in one place.

  • Create dashboard for staff users
    Surface key analytics and tasks for quick, easy access.

Iterations

Engineer and user feedback optimize designs.

The best part of iterating is that no feedback is too much or too little. Though some big changes were required to accommodate image sizes for posts, subtle changes made a big impact too.

Improved Usability

Edge cases reveal opportunities to tailor UI for post owner, update words for translation and expand touch targets.

Visual Hierarchy

Users struggled to identify new messages, highlighting the need for improved accessibility and a stronger visual hierarchy.

Responsive Design

Feedback from developers led to post layout changes for more viable and responsive designs.

Final Product

After 1 year,
SNAP! Connect goes live.

Challenges

Fast turnaround and limited dev resources.

As the sole designer on the team, it was a fast-paced design process with a three-month deadline for MVP design work.

Design challenges in the time constraint included:

  • Learning a new product quickly

  • Planning reskin designs in tandem with future iterations as fast follows.

  • Discovering missed features or components throughout the process.

  • Learning engineers can’t accomplish the full design and making iterations to accommodate their constraints.

Takeaways

Time is never wasted, just lessons learned.

After such a grind for the entire team and the success of meeting our deadlines, it took reflection to understand the individual gains from this project.

  • I gained a better understanding of the different programming languages and how they impact dev.

  • Learned that you may often end up where you started with designs - but that just validates the design!

  • Take advantage when you have stakeholders open to change.

Openness, curiosity, and eagerness to understand are key to developing an impactful team dynamic. I had an amazing time learning from my team and loved working so closely with engineering.