The most successful EdTech companies create products that meet their users’ needs in an evolving fashion. They understand that their users aren’t stagnant — and neither are their needs when it comes to the digital products they use in the classroom. Rather, the most successful EdTech companies nurture their products with ongoing cycles of user experience research and design. The decision to make UX an ongoing priority is a no-brainer. But figuring out how to budget for a long-term UX investment is another story.
As an experienced EdTech professional, you already know that technology is transforming the way educators share knowledge and interact with students. But the technology boom is changing more than just the way education is delivered. It is also generating an unprecedented quantity of data — data with the potential to revolutionize the way administrators, instructors, and students manage schools, teach, and learn. EdTech companies are in a unique position in that they are the ones generating and collecting this sort of data.
You probably already know that you can conduct meaningful usability tests with as few as five users. This widely-adopted tenet of UX research and design has endured two decades because it’s both surprising and heartening. After all, it shows that UX research doesn’t have to be expensive and time-consuming. To the contrary, it can be quick, accessible, nimble, and cost-effective. That’s good news. And in general, the guideline holds true. However, it’s important to recognize that the “five users rule” is more rule of thumb than rule of law.
Many EdTech product leaders are experiencing unanticipated challenges resulting from the pandemic and the related economic downturn. Some describe reductions in new users or engagement with current users while others have seen sudden surges in their user base. In either case, product teams are feeling immense pressure to maintain, or even increase, output to meet user demands while somehow reducing costs to mitigate the impact of the economic downturn.
The coronavirus pandemic continues to rapidly change (and challenge) the world in myriad ways. With social distancing a must for the foreseeable future, educators around the globe are scrambling to migrate to online learning. As a product leader at an EdTech company, you are in a unique position to help educators and students in this tumultuous situation. Chances are you’re already doing just that by offering your product free of charge for the duration of the pandemic.
