Podcast: How District Leaders Put UX to Work

User experience (UX): the overall experience of a person using a product such as a website or computer application, especially in terms of how easy or pleasing it is to use.
 
 
When you think of UX research or testing, you probably think of people in roles like mine—working for software companies to learn how to make our customers’ experiences better. But what if I told you UX efforts shouldn’t stop with us? What if I told you UX testing is the fastest way you can meet and exceed staff, parent, and student expectations, especially when it comes to online processes?
 
We were very excited when Dr. R.J. Gravel, assistant superintendent for business services/CSBO at Glenbrook High School District 225, told us he was intrigued by what Skyward’s UX team was doing and saw value in learning some of these skills himself. He signed up to take a class on UX, hoping to do some testing in his district. R.J. decided to put his newly acquired knowledge to work in an effort to create the best benefit management open enrollment (BMOE) experience for his district.  
 
Here’s what happened: R.J. and two members of his team, Alice Raflores (human resources) and Vicki Tarver-Andersen (business services), observed a total of 10 staff members, from HR specialists to maintenance personnel, as they walked through the BMOE process. As the testing went on, they made changes to the process, improving it based on the feedback they received.
 
Thanks to their efforts, the BMOE custom feature that Glenbrook staff use will now be clearer and result in better data collected. 
 
We asked R.J., Alice, and Vicki to share their story with you. Let their conversation inspire you to give UX a try in your own district.


 

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