Hoopoh — The app that bridges teachers and parents.
The final project at Ironhack has been the most challenging and exciting experience of the Bootcamp. We have had two weeks to build a digital solution for a real stakeholder, based on our vision, research, findings and the whole process we have learned throughout the program.
My teamwork, formed by Agnieszka Mysluk and Way Sum Choy, and I have successfully achieved our goals, which is why I’m so happy to announce that we have won the Internal Hackshow as the best UX/UI project of the Ironhack Bootcamp.
Yes, we made it! And we made it by always believing in the process — namely, the UX/UI process we have acquired during this journey.
I am also very grateful to say that we have felt inspired by our talented classmates and teachers along the way. Therefore, it is my honour to show you the results below.
Hoopooh
Hoopooh is an app founded by Amir Matatallaoui and Ahmed Jemaa, which bridges the communication between educators and parents.
The main goal was to improve the UX behind their idea and design a complete smartphone prototype.
To do that, we have implemented the following process: UX research, user personas, problem and hypothesis statement, user flow, Moscow method, lo-fi, mid-fi, testing, mood board, testing, style tile, hi-fi, testing and more testing.
UX Research
Quantitative research
We have come up with a survey for our two different types of users: teachers and parents.
We have focused on pain points, such as communication, time management, feedback quality, expectations, feelings, and frustrations, to figure out which of them are problematic.
These are the results:
- 43% of parents are not satisfied with the feedback they are getting from teachers.
- 62% of teachers complain about the lack of time and opportunities to give feedback to parents.
- 65% of teachers and parents love the concept to connect with Kindergarten and other parents.
Consequently, we have created our two user personas.
User personas
Teacher user persona
Parents user persona
Define problem and hypothesis
Problem statement
Teachers don’t have time to give all the information needed to parents, making communication fragile between them.
Hypothesis statement
We believe that creating an app that allows teachers to deliver the children’s daily updates will create a closer connection between teachers and parents. We know that we have succeeded when parents are well-informed, and the teachers would not have to spend too much time updating.
Ideation
Arriving at this point, we have concluded that Hoopooh must connect teachers, educators, and kindergarten management with parents.
Now, the questions are: How do we do it? Which features should be prioritized? How does it work for these two user personas?
To answer these questions, it was very useful to first find out which features are essential so that we can emphasize them as our primary features.
Moscow Method
Hoopooh must have daily updates, a chat function, upcoming events, and the option to schedule meetings.
User Flow
Teacher user flow
Parents user flow
Mid-fi prototype and testing
In the following slides, you will briefly see some screens from the Mid-fi prototype for respective user flows, teachers and parents.
Teacher mid-fi prototype
Parents mid-fi prototype
We have tested them many times, addressing potential errors to avoid future loss of money or frustrations.
Some of the changes are:
- For teachers: streamlining the feedback process for fast, efficient, and simple communication. Instead of providing feedback to each category — food, sleep, mood, activities and behaviour — we offer the option to do all the feedback on just one screen, enabling one child’s input and then jump to the next one.
- For parents: making the function of scheduling an appointment with teachers more accessible.
Mood board and style tile
Before designing the hi-fi prototype, we had to define the brand’s personality and how the UI elements are going to be, the colour palette, and generally, a full-set style tile.
The stakeholders provided their desired brand’s attributes: playful, caring, friendly, conversational, and trustworthy.
Once we had created three different mood boards, we tested them through a survey. Consequently, creating the next style tile.
Mood board
Style tile
Hi-fi prototype
Following there is the final prototype with all the changes from the testing — we tested it several times, during the mid-fi stage and the hi-fi.
You will see a Figma link attached in each photo, this way, you can interact with the prototype and experience it by yourself.
In case you want to watch the user flow that we have already recorded, you can find it in the Vimeo link below:
Teachers
Parents
Teacher hi-fi prototype
Parents hi-fi prototype
Next steps
Our next steps would be to test the hi-fi prototype one the last time before introducing it to the schools, which means simultaneously submitting an option for the chat to have more channels.
Looking back, it was worth it
I still remember when I did the admission test for Ironhack. I was so nervous. I thought I could fail it and how embarrassing it would be. Now, looking back, I can conclude with three observations.
Firstly, that test was elementary. In comparison to my skillset today, I am confident I could outperform my past self countless times. It is more apparent than ever that we are constantly learning, acquiring new skills and making better versions of ourselves.
Secondly, it is okay if we fail. During this Bootcamp, we had to test our prototypes many times, realising that it may is not the best solution. We have learned how to change our design to better approach our users’ needs. That is, in fact, what I like most about my job.
Finally, looking back, it was worth it.
