The EdTech sector is experiencing an increase in funding and investment. However, you still need firm justification for UX research and design initiatives across a long chain of command. That means if you want to invest in user research and design services, your product team needs to demonstrate a clear return on investment. As specialized EdTech UX research and design experts, we’ll guide you through each stage of our comprehensive approach to UX design, including outcomes and deliverables. This guide will allow you to assess whether Openfield is the right UX partner to drive measurable value for your EdTech.
We’re sensing a lot of pent up desire to move on big picture initiatives in 2024. The past couple years were filled with many unknowns as investment in the sector was heavily scrutinized for both early-stage and mature EdTech products. If you’re like many product leaders we talk to, you may be looking at 2024 with continued trepidation but feeling the pressure to address underlying issues that are keeping your product from being the best it can be. But 2024 could shape up to be your best year yet — if you play it right. We compiled a list of critical trends that will be the biggest influencers on your business.
Following a period of reticence toward spending on longer-term strategic initiatives in favor of quicker wins, we believe there is pent up desire to tackle bigger picture initiatives. But the need to scrutinize big moves feels more important than ever as investment in the EdTech sector continues to reset to normal pre-pandemic levels. That means investors, stakeholders and buyers are seeking safe bets on viable solutions to well-researched user needs. Whether you are an early, mid, or late-stage EdTech product, you can’t afford to have a declining user experience.
Without proper user validation, many EdTech companies risk missing the mark with their products. If your concepts don’t actually resonate with your end users, they easily get lost in the crowded EdTech marketplace. It’s especially risky in light of funding fluctuations and the cessation of pandemic-era funding. You need to ensure that your products and services stand out as must-have solutions to users’ everyday needs. Our 3-step guide to validation will help your EdTech product get the best start possible.
Whoever receives a grant from your organization should assure you that those grant dollars will be put to good use. Especially if they’re an EdTech company designing products for better student outcomes, their ability to affect those outcomes is contingent on the quality of their UX research and design processes. Those elements are critical to their success as an EdTech — and yours as a grant foundation funding them. That means your grant program design must specify that applicants demonstrate a firm grasp of UX research and design best practices within the education industry.
