ScholaMatch
Matching families with their ideal school
To successfully achieve the Schola mission and help users find their ideal school, it is crucial to continually enhance the search experience for families and establish a more effective matching system with schools.
My team and I aimed to deliver an unmatched user experience, tailored to the families’ specific needs and preferences.
MY ROLEProduct Designer
ABOUTResponsive Web
2021
CHALLENGEImproving the Search Experience: Finding the Perfect School Match for Families
The search for the perfect school match for families involves the following steps:
Gather information about families' needs and preferences through a quiz (ScholaMatch Quiz).
Use a search algorithm to match families with schools that meet their criteria.
Provide families with the results of their matches so they can connect with their chosen school.
Previous research has revealed that some users did not take action to connect with the schools recommended to them. This feedback has prompted us to further investigate the underlying reasons and explore potential solutions to encourage more meaningful connections between families and schools.
ScholaMatch Quiz
Matches
DISCOVERYDecoding the Search Behavior: How Do Families Look for Their Ideal School?
I conducted a usability test and a survey to understand how parents use our platform to search for schools. The goal was to find any barriers on the ScholaMatch quiz. The study also looked at the specific characteristics parents look for in an ideal school and any patterns or differences that emerge during the search process.
Key takeaways
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Unfamiliarity with Terms
Quiz Uncertainty Arising from Unfamiliar ScholaMatch™ Terminology, Leading to Difficulty in Choosing the Correct Options.
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Navigation Challenges
Struggled to find the best school, and they were unsure of Follow-Up Steps, so they looked on other websites.
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The Key Path
Users who skipped school profiles felt confused and uncertain, while those who explored them felt progress and excitement.
NEW CHALLENGE DURING DESIGNInconsistency in School Data and complex School Information Architecture, in the Unstandardized USA Education System.
To improve the ScholaMatch experience and help families find suitable schools, we faced a major hurdle in our School Information Architecture. This hurdle included inconsistency, duplicates, and a poor structure. We have encountered yet another problem - the lack of standardization in the USA Education System, which made it difficult to manage and analyze educational information.
To overcome this challenge, we conducted extensive research to identify patterns and find the best solution. As a result, we restructured the School Information Architecture to make it clearer and easier to understand.
SOLUTIONOptimizing the matching process, and pushing the profile exploration.
In our quest to enhance the Schola experience and achieve the goal of matching families with their ideal school, we've identified essential solutions aimed at simplifying and optimizing the school search process.
Personalizing and expanding the criteria for better matches
We improve the quiz and the algorithms by expanding the matching criteria. We take into account factors such as reviews and gather additional preferences and priorities to find their ideal school, resulting in a more accurate match.
Relatable Wording and Informative Snippets
Make the wording more relatable to families and provide them with some snippets of information about challenging decisions regarding preferences.
Highlight top matches and encourage school exploration
We have made it easy for families to identify their best match by displaying the characteristics that align with their preferences. The next step is to explore the profiles of these schools and take action.
A nudge to motivate them to complete the quiz
We have divided the quiz into sections to provide an overview of the information we will gather from them. This will also give them a sense of progress as they complete each section.
IMPACTMeaningful connections
Families now experience a more personalized school selection process. Optimized matching, clear best matches, and a revamped information structure make it easier to navigate the complex U.S. education system. These enhancements boost user satisfaction and align with ScholaMatch's mission to meet families' unique needs and preferences.