school website service - ux personas. working as a retail store manager she has more flexibility in...

UX DESIGN Personas In detail

“It would be great if I could actively access the information online, to feel

more connected to my children’s high school.”

Meet Nathan EldridgeBusy father hoping to engage with sons’ school life

Nathan is trying to juggle between his work and family commitment. He is a father of two sons (13 years old and 16 years old) and an account in a multinational accounting firm. He has a very busy work life, with extended working hours. His wife is a stay home mum and does most of the parenting of the two boys. She also usually communicates with the school. Nathan would like to be more engaged with the school by reading newsletters and staying informed about upcoming events, but has very limited time due to his heavy workload.

NAME: Nathan Eldridge

AGE: 47

LOCATION: Carlingford

OCCUPATION: Accountant

HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $100-$120,000 p.a.

FAMILY STATUS: Married

CHILDREN:

Oliver, Year 8 (13 years old)

David, Year 10 (15 years old)

DEVICES NEEDED

70%

with laptop to seek information and check emails

at work and at home

30%

with a tablet and smartphone to check emails at home, and on the way to work

CONTENT & FEATURES OF INTEREST

ąą Up-to-date school calendar and newsletters on the website

ąą Notifications for upcoming events related to the children

ąą Online communication channels e.g. portal, App

ąą Information on choosing HSC subjects

SPECIFICATIONS

CURRENT ACCESS TO SCHOOL INFORMATION ONLINE

DESIRED ACCESS TO SCHOOL INFORMATION ONLINE

LEVEL OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS

TECHNOLOGY SAVVINESS

BEHAVIOURS

ąą Rarely visits to the school website, as it is usually not up-to-date

ąą Receives emails regularly for school newsletters and upcoming events

ąą Relies on the wife as the main source of information for the sons’ school life. His wife is the first point of contact for school communication

FRUSTRATIONS

ąą Occasionally overlooks/misses school emails so is not aware of events

ąą It is hard to search for information in newsletters (to confirm dates)

ąą The elder son often keeps the school information to himself

ąą The school webpage is not updated and monitored regularly

NEEDS

ąą Wants to keep track of what is happening at his children’s school

ąą Wants online channels such as a portal/an app to access information from the school e.g. calendar for important events, school newsletter, so he does not solely rely on his wife for information

ąą Wants to track academic performance of his children online

ąą Wants to have guidance on helping his son to choose subjects for his HSC exam

Limited Expert

Low High

Low High

Low High


Nathan’s Stories

NAME: Nathan Eldridge

AGE: 47

OCCUPATION: Accountant

LOCATION: Carlingford

HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $100-$120,000 p.a.


CHILDREN:

Oliver, Year 8 (13 years old)

David, Year 10 (15 years old)

NEEDS Wants to keep track of what is

happening at his children’s school

Wants online channels such as a portal/an app to access information from the school e.g. calendar for important events, school newsletter

Wants to track academic performance of his children online

Wants to have guidance on helping his son to choose subjects for his HSC exam

Struggle 1: Difficulty remembering school eventsI signed up to volunteer at my boys’ “Working Bee” day at the beginning of the school year. I vaguely remembered it was in Term 4, but could not remember the exact date. This morning, my colleague came in and asked for my availability over the next couple of weeks to schedule a

business trip to Singapore. I worried it would clash with the school event, however, I couldn’t find the dates on the School website and I couldn’t remember which email had the details about the “Working Bee”. I knew one of my colleagues who sends their kids to a different public school had an app

that included a calendar with all the activities relevant to his kids. It even sent him a reminder a few days before his daughter’s violin recital. Now something like that would really make my life easier.

Struggle 2: Not being informed of important school communicationsI bumped into one of the parents from David’s class at the petrol station. She asked me if David was going to the formal next week, but I had no idea there was a formal coming up. When I got home, I asked my wife if she knew about it, but she didn’t either.

During dinner, I asked David about the formal, and David said he did not

want to attend, so he decided not to tell us about the event. My wife and I both thought it was important for our children to develop socially as well as academically, so wanted to understand why he didn’t want to go.

After talking it through with us, he decided he would like to go but it was too late to register. It would have been good to be informed about the

formal earlier. I must have missed it in the school newsletter. If only there was an app where I could easily access past newsletters easily or even get notifications of upcoming events, I would have been able to encourage my son to attend the formal on time. We will now have to wait until next year.

Struggle 3: Unable to keep track on children’s academic performanceLast term my youngest son was having some trouble keeping up with his maths class. My wife and I found out at the parent teacher conference and made sure to speak to him about it as soon as we got home. It turned out he had not understood one of the concepts at the start of term and had been struggling ever since.

He didn’t tell us because he thought he would get in trouble. We wanted to help as much as possible but it is difficult to help with things we don’t know about. We sent him to some tutoring to help him catch up, but by this time he had already failed quite a few of his assessments. I wished we didn’t have to wait until

parent teacher conference to find out these things so we could have done something sooner. It’s hard because they don’t tell you much when they are teenagers and you can’t be asking them how every class went every day.


Limited Expert

Low High

Low High

Low High

“I would like to discuss issues that arise through my child’s disability so I

can find out what we can do at home to help.”

Meet Joanne RobinsonSon with special needs in primary school

Joanne is an enthusiastic mother that likes to stay informed about her son Joel’s progress at school. As he has a learning disability and is being treated by a psychiatrist she needs to remain in regular contact via email with his teacher to update him on any changes in Joel’s medication.

Joanne takes a vivid interest in the school’s undertakings and welcomes the opportunity to take part in the decision-making. Working as a retail store manager she has more flexibility in her working hours than her husband. This gives her the opportunities to speak to teachers and parents face to face and means she does not have to rely on the online communication. However, sometimes Joanne prefers to use online services, such as paying for excursions and uniforms and canteen ordering.

NAME: Joanne Robinson

AGE: 31

LOCATION: Bathurst

OCCUPATION: Retail Store Manager

HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $80,000 p.a.


CHILDREN:

Joel, Year 4(9 years old)

DEVICES NEEDED

30%

with a laptop to read newsletters and respond

to longer emails

70%

with a tablet or smartphone to keep up-to-date with incoming

emails and notifications


ąą App to receive notifications about son’s progress and message teacher

ąą Central online platform to administer payments

ąą Latest News

ąą Digital permission slips and absentee reporting capability

SPECIFICATIONS





BEHAVIOURS

ąą Stays in touch with Joel’s teacher via email to update him about her son’s doctor’s visits

ąą Actively participates in the school by joining parent committees and voting in polls for new play equipment

ąą Seeks opportunities to keep up-to-date with the school’s activities by reading the Newsletter and talking to other parents about upcoming events when picking up Joel

FRUSTRATIONS

ąą Feeling uncomfortable leaving messages for teacher containing sensitive information about her child but finding it hard to contact the teacher directly

ąą Uncertainty on whether Joel has handed her all communication from the school or if notes have gotten lost in his bag

ąą Frustrated about many processes not being available online

NEEDS

ąą Staying up to date about her son’s progress at school (whether he has taken his medication, eaten lunch)

ąą Ability to get into contact with teacher quickly if needed

ąą Access to online services such as payment gateways for excursions and canteen ordering, online newsletters and polls.

ąą Would like to receive Facebook updates and photos of Joel’s activities


Joanne’s Stories

NAME: Joanne Robinson

AGE: 31

OCCUPATION: Retail Store Manager

LOCATION: Bathurst

HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $80,000 p.a.


CHILDREN:

Joel, Year 4(9 years old)

NEEDS Staying up to date about her son’s

progress at school (whether he has taken his medication, eaten lunch)

Ability to get into contact with teacher quickly if needed

Access to online services

Would like to receive Facebook updates and photos of Joel’s activities

Struggle 1: Difficulty to contact teacherAfter sending Joel to school, I realised I forgot to update the teacher about a change to Joel’s medication. Last week we went to the doctor and

reduced the dosage of his medication. I called the school but unfortunately his teacher was in class and could not take the call. I felt uncomfortable

leaving a voice message as I worried she might miss it. I wish there was a direct communication channel to handle this sensitive information.

Struggle 2: Child forgot about school paymentTonight when I helped Joel pack his school bag, I found the cash I had given him in the morning for the excursion was still in the bag. Joel must have forgotten to hand it in to

the teacher again. I wish the school could offer an online payment service so I could transfer the money to the school account directly.

Struggle 3: Few updates from child’s school activitiesI was chatting to my friend at her daughter’s birthday party on Saturday afternoon, and she showed me an app her daughter’s school recently signed up for. The app looked

amazing as she got instant updates from her daughter’s teacher. Her teacher gave her digital stars when she did something good, and my friend got an update instantly. I wish

Joel’s school would set up something similar, so I could receive updates on Joel’s behaviour easily.school account directly.

Struggle 4: Social media newsfeed is unavailableMy sister is looking for a school for her daughter, and I would like to recommend Joel’s school to her. When we were at brunch on Saturday, I went to Joel’s school website on

my mobile, and wanted to show her how the school life is there. However, it was hard to browse on mobile, and there was not many photos uploaded. As a big fan of social media, I wish the

school would have a Facebook page for the school activities updates, so I could give my sister a better idea of what the school is actually like.


Limited Expert

Low High

Low High

Low High

CindyJayden

“Communication is the key. We are all busy

people and don’t always get the chance to get to the school to speak with the Principal or teachers.”

Meet Patrick TaylorTwo children studying at different schools

Patrick is a single father with two children. He owns his own business and works from home most days. His daughter Cindy lives with him and his son Jayden stays at his house once a week. He finds it challenging to access information about his children’s schools online, especially his daughter’s timetable, which since this year is alternating every week.

For Jayden, Patrick receives few updates as he is not the nominated recipient for the school communication and communication with his ex-wife is limited. Patrick would like to receive more information about upcoming events at Jayden’s school and check his school schedule occasionally so he can be more involved.

NAME: Patrick Taylor

AGE: 39

LOCATION: Gosford

OCCUPATION: Self employed

HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $74,000 or below

FAMILY STATUS: Divorced

CHILDREN:

Jayden, Year 3(8 years old)

Cindy, Year 12 (17 years old)

DEVICES NEEDED

80%

with a desktop when working at home

20%

with a smartphone when he is out and about


ąą School calendar

ąą SMS notifications for important updates

ąą Up-to-date timetables

ąą Upcoming exams and assessments

SPECIFICATIONS





BEHAVIOURS

ąą Uses his desktop computer for internet browsing

ąą Regularly access information for Cindy’s school life, but he is less involved in Jayden’s school life

ąą Checks Cindy’s school timeble to ensure he is at home when she finishes school

ąą Relies on the children to pass on messages from their schools

FRUSTRATIONS

ąą Unaware of what is happening in Jayden’s school e.g. he misses out on events that he could attend due to lack of communication

ąą Cindy’s alternating timetable is not up-to-date, and makes it hard for him to schedule his day

NEEDS

ąą Needs to keep track on the updates from both schools through online communication as he is busy managing his own business

ąą Would like to receive important event notifications from Jayden’s school via a short SMS

ąą Wants to check Jayden’s school schedule for upcoming assessments, so he can assist him with the preparation on the days he is with him


Patrick’s Stories

NAME: Patrick Taylor

AGE: 39

OCCUPATION: Self employed

LOCATION: Gosford

HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $74,000 or below

FAMILY STATUS: Divorced

CHILDREN:

Jayden, Year 3(8 years old)

Cindy, Year 12 (17 years old)

NEEDS Needs to keep track on the updates

from both schools through online communication as he is busy managing his own business

Would like to receive important event notifications from Jayden’s school via a short SMS

Wants to check Jayden’s school schedule for upcoming assessments, so he can assist him with the preparation on the days he is with him

Struggle 1: Unable to receive important information from schoolI picked up Jayden from school this afternoon as he was going to stay at my place for Father’s Day. The teacher told me he was crying in class as most of his classmates’ fathers attended the special

program for Father’s Day celebration. I felt really sorry for Jayden, as I couldn’t make it. I would definitely make myself available for the Father’s Day special program if I had prior notice, but sadly

I did not receive any information from Jayden’s school and I have minimal contact with my ex-wife. I wish the school could send me nonfictions for important events like this.

Struggle 2: Accidental double paymentMy ex-wife messaged me the other day and asked me to pay for Jayden’s new uniform and upcoming school camp. I made the payment

accordingly. Three days later, I received a call from Jayden’s school and told me I had double paid for the trip, so they will refund it. I wish I could track

the payment record online on to avoid paying the same things twice.


Limited Expert

Low High

Low High

Low High

“I would love to take a look at the school’s calendar for key dates, so I know when enrolment begins or when

Orientation week is on”

Meet Sarah IngleParent with daughter going into high school

Sarah has recently started looking into potential high schools for her daughter, Kirsty, who is currently studying in Year 6. She wants to choose a local high school that has a good academic standing and also provides a range of extracurricular activities.

She likes to look up information on her mobile during her free time at work, but she remembers not enjoying her previous experience when searching for Kirsty’s primary school. The school’s websites were often difficult to browse on mobile and it was really hard for her to get the information she needed.

NAME: Sarah Ingle

AGE: 37

LOCATION: Five Dock

OCCUPATION: Real Estate Agent

HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $150,000+ p.a.

FAMILY STATUS: De facto

CHILDREN:

Kristy, Year 6(11 years old)

DEVICES NEEDED

30%

with a desktop or laptop when seeking information at work

70%

with a tablet or smartphone to access

portal from home


ąą Important dates, e.g. deadline for application, orientation week

ąą Variety of extracurricular activities and learning programs

ąą Online enrolment form

ąą School ranking and available subjects

ąą Testimonials from other parents

ąą Information about where past students are now

SPECIFICATIONS





BEHAVIOURS

ąą Chooses the right school for her daughter

ąą Conducts her research on her desktop at home and avoids using her mobile as she has low expectation on school’s mobile sites

ąą Talks to family friends for recommendations about good high schools in her local area

FRUSTRATIONS

ąą Finding it difficult to compare between different schools as their webpages look very similar and seem to have a lot of the same information

ąą Is annoyed that she cannot use her phone to research, as the webpages are difficult to view on mobile

ąą Spends a lot of time looking for information about key enrolment dates and forms, as the navigation is confusing

NEEDS

ąą Differentiated webpages with easily accessible information about the school’s offering and enrolment details

ąą Webpages comparable for mobile that provide her with the key information

ąą More information about the on-boarding process, e.g. what will happen once she’s enrolled her daughter at a particular school, when will orientation week begins

ąą To arrange visit to the school (open day or tour)


Sarah’s Stories

NAME: Sarah Ingle

AGE: 37

OCCUPATION: Real Estate Agent

LOCATION: Five Dock

HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $150,000+ p.a.

FAMILY STATUS: De facto

CHILDREN:

Kristy, Year 6(11 years old)

NEEDS Differentiated webpages with easily

accessible information about the school’s offering and enrolment details

Webpages comparable for mobile that provide her with the key information

More information about the on-boarding process, e.g. what will happen once she’s enrolled her daughter at a particular school, when will orientation week begins

To arrange visit to the school (open day or tour)

Struggle 1: Browse the school website on mobileI just finished my lunch at a café near my client’s office, and had a spare 20 minutes before my next meeting. I wanted to spend some time researching potential high schools for Kristy. Unfortunately, I realised my laptop had no battery, and the

only way for me to browse online was using my iPhone. I remembered how tricky it was to view the school webpages on mobile when I researched the local primary schools 6 years ago. I had a quick look but the sites seemed hard to use and all very

similar so I decided to come back to it after dinner when I could use my laptop. Of course the day got away on me as usual and I never got around to it. I really hope the schools could develop a mobile friendly webpage for busy parents like myself.

Struggle 2: Unsure about the erolment eligibilityThere was a number of high schools within a reasonable travel distance from my place. I have a short list of schools in mind but am not sure which ones we can enrol in. Last night, I spent quite awhile looking for the

school catchment areas, but I could not find them. I was not sure whether it was hidden under somewhere I was not aware of, or the tool was not available online. I ended up calling a couple of schools this morning to

find out whether I was eligible to enrol my daughter. I wish the school could place the catchment area tool in a prominent place in the website, as that is an important feature for researching schools.

Struggle 3: Insufficient information regarding school subjects offeredMy daughter loves music and dancing so I want to ensure the high school that she attends would provides subjects in performing arts, and ideally she could choose it as an extra subject in HSC. However, when I did my research online, there was

not much information regarding the individual school’s curriculum. In fact, the link directed me to the government website, showcasing the generic subjects and curricula suggested by Department of Education NSW. I wish there was

more specific information regarding an individual school’s curriculum and extra-curricular activities. It would definitely help parents to make the right decision for their children.

school website service - ux personas. working as a retail store manager she has more flexibility in...

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