EdTech · Data transparency · Dashboard design

Making a "black box" data validation process legible to the people it affects most

Designing a data upload flow and verification dashboard so school districts can see and trust what goes into student outcomes reporting.

My role

I led user research and UX design for the data upload and verification dashboard — building prototypes, moderating user research sessions, and synthesizing feedback to create a final design that allowed 14,000+ student records to be uploaded and verified accurately. I also managed project scope and timeline, bringing in contractors for UI and copywriting as needed.

Collaborators

Nonprofit stakeholders | Product manager | UI designer | Developers

Deliverables

  • Interactive prototype for user testing
  • User research plan and findings from testing
  • Iterated and WCAG-compliant designs for implementation

Outcomes

Successful pilot at scale

Our redesigned upload and dashboard flow enabled successful data verification for one of the top 10 largest school districts in the US

Increased clarity

In early testing, users were confused what distinguished the outcomes "cohort" from the entire student body — our design changes increased clarity and reduced errors

Flexible design

The new layout flexibly reflects the highly varied nature of demographic reporting in school districts across the country, which reduces the chance of inaccurate visualizations in the future

Due to confidentiality agreements, this is all I'm allowed to share publicly. Please reach out if you'd like to learn more about my work.