Momentum: Cultivating self-regulation skills in high school students
In Collaboration with City of Bridges High School
Timeline
3 months
Team
4 Designers, co-design process with client
Role
Product Designer, Project Manager
Tools
Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Suite, Pen & Paper
OVERVIEW
Project Brief
The cultivation of self-regulation is a pivotal skill in student development and empowers students to effectively plan goals, govern their behaviors, and evaluate self-improvement. To reimagine the approach to cultivate self-regulated learning skills, we worked with City of Bridges High School (CoBHS) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. CoBHS is a progressive high school that grounds learning in real-world experience and tailors education to each student’s individual interests.
At CoBHS, every student engages in a Personalized Learning Plan (PLP), in which they select a topic, devise a timeline, carry out their plan, and reflect on their experience. The PLP is not only an enjoyable avenue for students to pursue their interests, but it is also a valuable opportunity to explore possible post-graduation interests.
Moments from our co-design sessions with CoBHS students
PROJECT PREVIEW
The Problem
The Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) provides a unique opportunity for students at CoBHS to explore their interests; however, the lack of accountability and self-regulation often deters many students from initiating a PLP or leads them to give up. From the educators' perspective, documentation of student work and management of multiple ongoing student projects are the biggest challenges of PLPs.
The Solution
Momentum is a digital check-in and progress tracking app that fosters self-accountability and cultivates self-regulation among students by empowering them to easily track their progress and submit check-ins. Simultaneously, this tool enables teachers to observe their students’ progress and understand which students need guidance and support. By helping them monitor student progress, it not only enhances their awareness but also streamlines the provision of personalized support, fostering a more effective and tailored learning experience.
The Outcome
“It would be great to see this get built and piloted at the school next semester…” - CoBHS Principal
”You cracked the nut of a valued technology solution for COB that listened closely to the needs and culture of the school and found meaningful opportunities at just the right level of complexity.” - CMU Professor
The most successful outcome from this project is Momentum’s high desirability and the real enthusiasm from CoBHS to implement this at the school as soon as possible. Our team is planning to handover our design to build the app and pilot it at the school soon!
So how did we get here? Below, I outline our design research process and concept development.
Design Research Overview
Design Research Timeline
To guide our design process we began with an opportunity statement provided by our client: How might we help students develop personalized systems of productive time management, goal setting and task planning which they can use in high school and beyond?
Over the span of 6 weeks we conducted design research to gain a deep understanding of CoBHS and the problem space.
Youth Focus Group
We conducted a focus group session with 7 students to understand more about students experiences with workload management, goal setting and PLPs. We also wanted to gain insight into students’ pain points and feelings about the learning experience at CoBHS.
We also asked students to draw their learning journeys - this proved to be very effective as it encouraged individual participation.
Students’ drawing their PLP journey
Contextual Inquiry
We conducted a contextual inquiry session with the principal of CoBHS to understand how instructors keep track of student progress and support student learning. We also wanted to learn how CoBHS currently incorporates technology into student learning
We decided to conduct an artifact analysis so that we could see examples of student work, communication and evaluation tools that are utilized to monitor student progress.
Instructors’ book for tracking student progress (left) and sample student evaluation form (right)
Design Probe
We designed a probe study for 5 students to understand more about the emotional experience for students in their day-to-day experience at CoBHS and their journey in a day regarding workload and learning management. We provided students with 2 open-ended, evocative activities:
1. A polaroid camera with comment cards
2. A Map Activity asking students to draw a map of CoBHS and annotate it based on prompts
Probe returns from a student
Secondary Data Analysis
We looked into the CoBHS Handbook, social media posts and the principal’s blog on progressive education to learn more about personalized learning management and the role of technology in fostering this experience. We learnt that technology can be used to help students achieve their "optimal experience", but it shouldn’t replace human-to-human interaction or the role of teachers.
Social media post (left) and CoBHS schedule (right)
RESEARCH SYNTHESIS I
Research Models
Our team synthesized data from our user research through affinity diagramming. Through our contextual interview and focus group session, it became clear that teachers and students work in partnership to develop personalized learning plans that cater to each student’s interests. As a result, we chose to represent this co-creation through a hybrid model that shows this collaboration and the unique structure of CoBHS schedule.
Affinity diagramming data points from Focus Group
Synthesis Model : Collaboration + Day-in-the-life Hybrid
RESEARCH SYNTHESIS II
Key Insights
Here some key insights that stood out to us as we moved forward to define design opportunities:
Documentation: Teachers currently use physical documentation to track student progress, but the lack of a uniform system poses a management challenge.
“I have a little brown notebook and go around to the students and write it down…the problem is that it is a singular physical object.”
Goal Setting: Students work with teachers 1-1 to set personalized goals, but don’t always achieve them. There is an opportunity to further build self-efficacy among students.
“There’s many spaces in the day for 1:1 interaction. Part of that is helping to build the internal culture of agency and self-efficacy.”
Past Efforts: CoBHS previously used Headrush - a documentation tool for tracking goals and progress, but it didn’t work well for students due to its cumbersome nature. Any tools introduced should have a net decrease in time consumption, ensuring that the energy invested by the educator is proportional to the value provided.
“Headrush was supposed to do documentation, but it was more frivolous than productive.”
Student Learning Management: There is no prescribed method for students to plan or document their learning and PLP progress. Students choose their own system, ranging from physical notebooks to Google Calendar.
“The freedom is nice, but it makes it easy to fall behind.”
SCOPE
Design Opportunities
Based on the model analysis, probe returns and insights we were able to identify four key opportunities to improve the personalized learning experience at CoBHS. These opportunities cover a breadth of areas within personalized learning: goal setting, progress tracking, personal interest discovery and resource facilitation to provide timely support.
Opportunity #1
Challenge: Students are expected to be accountable for their progress and completion of projects but it can be challenging for them to stay on track.
“Students should be able to measure their progress in relation to the goals they set.” - Teacher
Opportunity: How might we help students not only track progress effectively but also enable them to self assess their learning goals, fostering a sense of autonomy and motivation?
Opportunity #2
Challenge: The biggest challenge of personalized learning for instructors is documentation and management. The use of a physical notebook is positive due to the 1-1 student-teacher interaction but it is inefficient.
“It would be nice to know what they’re doing for their PLP and see what their progress is instead of ask.” - Teacher
Opportunity: How might we help instructors keep informed about their students’ updates and progress so they can better guide student learning?
Opportunity #3
Challenge: There is a gap between the curriculum mission of getting students to pursue their interests through PLPs and what’s actually happening (students tend to work on homework instead or give up on personal ideas).
“Some students have less of an internal drive (to pursue PLPs). Ways to move those folks along would be great.” - Teacher
Opportunity: How might we leverage the PLP block more effectively and empower students to realize their projects and goals?
Opportunity #4
Challenge: Students are initially excited to start a PLP but sometimes face roadblocks to a lack of resources, leading them to give up on their project.
“I was going to build a robot and I never finished it. I just needed a few more pieces of it but I never got them.” - Student
Opportunity: How might we facilitate finding resources to provide timely support and guidance for students’ work and personal projects?
Concept Development
IDEATION
Rapid Ideation
Guided by the insights from our research, we engaged in rapid ideation through Crazy 8s to brainstorm possible solutions for each of our 4 Opportunity Statements. We also highlighted which places, people, tools, and routines may be associated with each Opportunity Statement. This allowed us to consider how the proposed solutions could be integrated into the existing CoBHS community.
Rapid Brainstorming Activities
TESTING CONCEPTS
Storyboarding / Speed Dating
An important part of the ideation process was eliciting feedback from CoBHS students and teachers so that we could uncover any incorrect assumptions or possible gaps in our designs. We chose to design storyboards to help users visualize how our proposed solutions would impact their learning experience.
From the 20 storyboards that our team collectively created, we bundled similar ideas together to create 7 storyboards that addressed various opportunities for personalized learning at CoBHS.
Our storyboarding process (top) and sample storyboards shown to users (bottom)
Speed Dating Synthesis and Insights
Similar to the synthesis process during our Research Synthesis phase, we used affinity mapping to synthesize our findings from the Speed Dating sessions. We grouped our findings into categories and noted underlying themes, based on which we created a final storyboard. View all our storyboards and findings.
Goal Setting
While teachers emphasized that a goal setting tool would be helpful for students, students were weary that a required goal setting tool might be more cumbersome than helpful.
“I agree that personalized goal setting would be great as an option. If it was just available and you can use this if you like.”
Progress Tracking
Students were excited about a low-commitment progress tracker, and teachers were interested in saving time by knowing which students to check-in with.
“I’m the advisor for the freshmen, so it would be nice to know what they’re doing for PLP and see what their progress is instead of ask.”
Final Storyboard: Personalized check-in widget and progress tracker
REFRAMING THE DESIGN OPPORTUNITY
Moving forward with a combined check-in widget and progress-tracking platform
Students were drawn to these concepts because they would integrate well with their current workflow, rather than having to set time aside to fill out a more tedious progress tracker. Teachers appreciated these concepts because they would assist them in prioritizing students for check-ins and provide a quick insight into student progress.
Now that we were confident we were ‘designing the right thing’, we decided to focus on ‘designing the thing right’.
SERVICE BLUEPRINTING
Learner Experience Map
To model our vision we used Adaptive Path’s guides to Experience Mapping and Service Blueprinting and created a two-layer diagram (pdf here) that aligns the current state and our envisioned state of the PLP process.
We chose to represent the current state as a Journey Map to highlight the feelings of excitement and varying motivation levels students experience throughout their PLP. Then, we chose to represent our vision state as a Service Blueprint to highlight the specific touch points students and teachers would use to interact.
The Journey Map represents three key stages throughout the PLP process: (1) the start of the PLP, (2) during the PLP, and (3) after the PLP. While some students successfully complete their PLP, other students lack motivation and choose to discontinue their PLP. This is represented by the diverging paths towards the end of the journey.
For the Service Blueprint, we primarily focused on the daily interaction between student and teacher during the PLP block. Since CoBHS emphasizes interpersonal relationships, our tool focuses on enhancing student-teacher interactions rather than replacing them with digital alternatives.
PROTOTYPING
Prototyping & User Testing
Once our vision was clear we used Figma to create wireframes which developed into mid-fidelity prototypes to test with 2 students and teachers at CoB. Our goals were to:
Determine if the tool addressed student and teacher needs
Uncover missing features the users would like to see
Evaluate overall usability and ease of use
For the student experience, we tested the process of using the widget to check in at the beginning of the PLP session, and uploading progress photos at the end of the PLP session.
Check-in Widget Wireframes
Progress Tracker Wireframes
For the teacher’s end, we tested the process of using the tool to view student check-in status, access the check-in queue, and review student progress. We presented two versions of the teacher screen. Between the two options, the teacher preferred the vertical queue and week-based structure of Option 2. This felt more in line with teacher processes at CoBHS.
Two Prototype Options Shown to Teachers
User Testing Feedback
Overall, we received positive feedback on the concept design and usability and our users were excited about integrating the tool into the existing PLP process. Specifically, the users valued the simplicity of the tool and appreciated the ‘less is more’ approach of our design. Below are two notable insights that guided our next design iteration.
Feedback and Progress Annotation
When uploading a progress image, users would like to annotate the photo to add more context to their work and illicit feedback from teachers.
“It would be nice to draw on a photo just to show what’s going on. So that you’re not just submitting a picture of your laptop.”
Curate Prompts
Teachers would like to curate the daily PLP check-in prompt to reflect a current focus. For example, asking about final presentation at the end of the semester would be useful.
“Schedules changes throughout the semester. So, it would be nice to show different things at different times.”
Presenting Momentum…
THE SOLUTION
Momentum - A digital check-in and progress tracking tool for student self-regulation
We chose the name "Momentum", drawing inspiration from both its use as a verb, representing movement, and the concept of "moment" in a temporal sense. In our app, students not only track their progress, capturing the temporal moments of their learning journey, but they also propel themselves forward, making continuous progress and improvements— keeping the MOMENTUM alive.
With Momentum:
Teachers are more confident and knowledgeable about their students progress & learning
Students receive optimal support from teachers
Students are able to more effectively complete a PLP and/or show improvement in their learning management skills throughout the course of multiple PLPs
Student Mobile App
1. Easily check-in with a 2-click widget.
The simple usability of widgets aligned well with our intentions to create a non-laborious solution for students. At the start of each PLP block, students are notified to fill out a form to let the teacher know how they plan on spending the PLP block. If the student chooses to meet with the teacher, they will receive an estimated check-in time on their widget.
2. Track PLP progress
During or after the PLP block, students are notified to complete a progress check-in, by answering a daily prompt chosen by the teacher. The progress prompt includes visual/audio media, capturing the progress of that day’s PLP block, along with a short text entry.
3. Facilitate feedback from teachers
After a student has submitted their daily PLP check-in response, they will be able to see feedback once the teacher has commented on their progress.
Teacher Desktop View
1. View student check-in queue
Once students have submitted their PLP check-in form, the teacher will see a queue of all the students who have requested urgent or brief check in. Teacher can follow the queue to check-in with designated students with a timer feature.
Teachers can also toggle between weekly and daily view of the students’ progress status, where they can see if students have been submitting the check-in forms and the progress uploads.
2. Leave feedback for students
Teachers can click on individual student profiles to see their daily progress uploads and leave comments. Once they leave comments, students will be able to view it on their ends as well (refer to Student Mobile App Feature 3).
Teachers can also check students’ daily progress updates via the notification panel, and leave comments.
Outcomes and Reflection
FINAL PRESENTATION
What was the outcome?
We had a public presentation to showcase our design concept to CoBHS stakeholders and the external public. We saw a high desirability to make Momentum a reality and not only in CoBHS but in other learning environments as well! The challenges of tackling personalized learning progress and self-regulation using a low-effort tool resonated with much of our audience.
“This is a dire need and can double as a documentation tool and process journaling tool. Really effective and simple.” - CoB Teacher
“It would be great to see this get built and piloted at the school next semester…” - CoBHS Principal
“Nice to track multiple students’ progress...” - External Teacher
“..Consider mapping goals to student progress and display goals progress for teachers...” - CMU Professor
“This has the potential to extend beyond CoBHS to adult learning environments, where documentation is a big issue.” - Professor
Below are strengths of our solutions as well as some weaknesses and suggestions for improvement:
Doing one key task really well is a great focus
The specific focus of Momentum on check-ins and progress tracking for PLPs is what makes the concept so strong and desirable.
High desirability to implement in CoBHS
For the future our team is considering developing the tool and piloting it at CoB as Randy and CoB students have expressed interest in this becoming a reality.
Potential for more customization
Providing more customization settings such as filtering students by status and progress would be valuable for instructors and help with scaling challenges.
Connecting to goal setting
Momentum could potentially incorporate functionality such as goal setting and tracking. We could allow students to map their progress to their goals to discover if they are on track.
Key Takeaways
Doing one thing really well.
A strength of our design concept was our focus on doing one thing really well rather than tackling the entirety of personalized learning, which would have been overwhelming and too broad. This project reinforced the idea of quality over quantity when it comes to creating effective solutions.
Have data to backup design claims, whenever possible.
A rigorous research process ensured that we had the data to backup our design claims. This combined with synthesis allowed us to glean insights that could be transformed into a new and convincing solution for the school. Thorough documentation was also key to presenting our vision.
I’m so grateful for the collaboration with City of Bridges! Without the enthusiasm and valuable insights of students and instructors, we would not have been able to conduct such a rigorous research process and arrive at a nuanced solution.
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