Guardian Culturally Responsive EdTech Platform
Collaborating with a team of 3 product designers in a fast-paced startup, I was able to design and ship a digital platform that allows students in South Sudan to access educational resources offline and interact with those resources using AI.
Role
Product Designer
Timeline
December 2024 - March 2025
Team
[1] Product Manager
[3] Product Designers
Skills
Cultural Research
Inclusive Design
User Testing
Information Architecture
01 The Problem
Most EdTech tools assume stable internet, Western norms, and ideal learning conditions—not the realities many students face.
Poor Connectivity
Students in developing countries often lack stable internet, making it difficult to access educational resources.
Limited Resources
Many students lack access to quality educational materials, leading to gaps in knowledge and skills.
Cultural Barriers
Traditional learning methods may not align with the cultural norms and learning styles of students in developing countries.
02 Solution
Offline Resources Made Accessible
Allows students to access scientific simulations without an internet connection, with implementation of PhET simulations that were requested by our partner schools.
How can we design EdTech that is culturally responsive and accessible to students in developing countries?
03 UX Research
Designing for a non-Western context means going back to the basics and understanding the cultural norms and learning styles of the students we're designing for.
My role focused on designing and conducting user interviews and surveys to understand the cultural norms and learning styles of the students we're designing for.
Researched existing tech in our target countries to understand the accepted design patterns and workflows.
Applied the accepted design patterns to ensure it was culturally responsive, such as aligning our icons with WhatsApp, a familiar system.
Conducted interviews with students in South Sudan to understand their learning styles and pain points.
03 UX Research
Designing for a non-Western context means going back to the basics and understanding the cultural norms and learning styles of the students we're designing for.
My role focused on designing and conducting user interviews and surveys to understand the cultural norms and learning styles of the students we're designing for.
Researched existing tech in our target countries to understand the accepted design patterns and workflows.
Applied the accepted design patterns to ensure it was culturally responsive, such as aligning our icons with WhatsApp, a familiar system.
Conducted interviews with students in South Sudan to understand their learning styles and pain points.
How might we translate our research findings into impactful and intentional design decisions?
04 Iterative Design
To ensure we were constantly meeting the needs of our users, we iterated on the product through a series of user tests and feedback sessions.
My role focused on contributing to the design process in brainstorming sessions, feedback sprints, and owning the design of a user flow.
Participated in brainstorming sessions to come up with new features and ideas for the product.
Engaged in feedback rounds with the team and iterated on my designs.
When designing for non-Western educational resources, it was important to consider the actual resources available to students.
Participated in brainstorming sessions to come up with new features and ideas for the product.
Engaged in feedback rounds with the team and iterated on my designs.
When designing for non-Western educational resources, it was important to consider the actual resources available to students.
04 Iterative Design
To ensure we were constantly meeting the needs of our users, we iterated on the product through a series of user tests and feedback sessions.
My role focused on contributing to the design process in brainstorming sessions, feedback sprints, and owning the design of a user flow.
Moving forward, what must we consider to revise and improve our product to be more culturally responsive and functional?
05 Handoff & Revisions
After the intial design was completed, I worked closely with engineers and other stakeholders to refine and revise the MVP.
My role focused on presenting the design to the team and stakeholders, as well as revising the design based on technical constraints and feedback.
Collected real feedback and ideas to inform our product and design decisions moving forward.
Iterated designs to ensure they were technically feasible, such as including only PhET simulations that were easily available offline.
Constantly iterated on the product to ensure it aligned with feedback from users and stakeholders, such as altering the dashboard to highlight monetary metrics.
05 Handoff & Revisions
After the intial design was completed, I worked closely with engineers and other stakeholders to refine and revise the MVP.
My role focused on presenting the design to the team and stakeholders, as well as revising the design based on technical constraints and feedback.
Collected real feedback and ideas to inform our product and design decisions moving forward.
Iterated designs to ensure they were technically feasible, such as including only PhET simulations that were easily available offline.
Constantly iterated on the product to ensure it aligned with feedback from users and stakeholders, such as altering the dashboard to highlight monetary metrics.
Reach out to me if you'd like to see a full in-depth case study!