Proposal File

https://cloud.hs-anhalt.de/s/9EgTCZLGHjBgTb2

Regenbogen Schule Dessau-Roßlau New Website.

We chose to embark on the redesign of the Regenbogenschule Dessau website to elevate its online presence and enhance the overall user experience. The previous website faced challenges in terms of aesthetics and responsiveness, which we aim to address comprehensively.

Our journey began with a close examination of the school's website Identifying key areas for enhancement. We recognized the critical role a well-crafted online presence plays in securing vital resources like funding, staff, teachers, and public attention. Our decision to address the website was fueled by the belief that it could serve as a catalyst for the school's growth, benefitting both the institution and the children. Initially skeptical, a meeting with the principal solidified our commitment as we uncovered significant challenges:

- Public Interactions: The school aspires to increase public engagement.

- Awareness: Elevating the school's visibility is imperative.

- Staff/Volunteer Shortage: Addressing the critical lack of personnel.

- Exchange Programs: A need for more diverse educational exchanges.

- Crowd Attraction: Utilizing the website to draw attention.

- Information Hierarchy: Improving the organization of information.

By tackling these challenges, our goal is to provide the school with a revamped digital platform that not only meets immediate needs but also serves as a powerful tool for attracting support, fostering awareness, and ultimately enhancing the overall experience for special needs children.

We started working on the website while setting some key objectives to start with:

1. Modernized Design: Introduce a visually appealing and modern design that reflects the organization's mission and values. Implement a clean and intuitive layout for easy navigation.

2. Enhanced User Experience (UX): Conduct a thorough UX analysis to identify pain points and optimize user journeys. Streamline information architecture to make relevant content easily accessible. Prioritize user-friendly features and functionalities to engage visitors effectively.

3. Responsive Web Design: Ensure the website is fully responsive across various devices, including desktops, tablets, and mobile phones. Implement mobile-friendly elements to accommodate users on the go.

4. Improved Accessibility: Enhance accessibility features to make the website inclusive for all users. Comply with WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards for a more accessible online environment.

5. Content Optimization: Review and optimize existing content for clarity and relevance. Integrate multimedia elements strategically to enhance engagement.

Problems Solved.

Let us show you some of the problems we solved.

One of the problems that the school principal talked about was the „lack of staff“. So we took a look at the original website and there was no proper information about the staff, no information about how to join the school, and nothing to encourage teachers and volunteers to join the school.

To address this issue, we created a dedicated page for teachers. This page encourages new educators to join the school and provides brief profiles of existing teachers. Our goal is to build trust with parents and attract potential staff by showcasing the school's committed teaching community.

Most of the schools' websites have a page dedicated to their foundation, to explain the foundation's tasks and goals, and how can people help the school through this foundation. The original school website also had this page but it had some issues. The existing page lacked an attractive presentation, failed to encourage participation, and provided insufficient information on how individuals could contribute.

In response, we redesigned the foundation page, starting with making it aesthetic appeal to draw in and inspire potential supporters. The redesigned page now clearly outlines how individuals can become members, detailing their potential contributions. Additionally, we've incorporated information on various ways to support the school, whether through donations or by contributing essential items.

Presenting the school concept on the school website is essential to gain parents' trust. The school concept and mission statement were not clear on the original website. 

We solved this issue by stating the concept and mission statement loud and clear, also we added the methods of learning and how the school inspires kids to learn and grow.  By transparently showcasing these aspects, We aim to resonate with prospective parents, reinforcing trust and encouraging them to join the school community.

Last but not least is one of the most important features, The online application form. The original website had no information about how to apply for the school. We solved this by adding an online application form.

These are a few examples of the problems we worked on solving while redesigning the website.

We also worked on enhancing the aesthetics of the website to make it more appealing to the users. The colors, shapes, and characters were designed by a team that was responsible for creating the identity and branding for the school. 

The colors used throughout the website are colorblind-friendly. New Playful characters were added to give a fun spirit to the website and work as tour guides for the visitors. while going through the website you will find surprises in most of the pages. 

We aimed to create a joyful website that reflects the lives of kids and their joy.

Process.

Personas.

Our project started with creating the Personas and empathy maps, designed to delve into the challenges and needs of our target groups for the website. The identified target groups include parents seeking the right school for their children, NGOs and potential donors, dedicated teachers, and caregivers.

By creating these Personas and empathy maps, we aim to gain insights into each group's perspectives, aspirations, and pain points. This approach ensures that the redesigned website will meet the expectations of our diverse audience, fostering a more inclusive and effective digital experience.

Problem statement.

After we were done with the personas and the empathy maps we came out with the problem statements: 

- John is a retired army personnel. He wants to donate a portion of his fortune to a school for impaired children but he is not able to find the right contacts to donate his money. Not able to find the proper platform or interface to check the bank details of the schools transparently.

- Rainbow School is a school for impaired children in France. They are not able to get exchange programs with other schools for impaired children in Germany for better exposure for their students. They are not able to contact the people to arrange proper accommodation and logistics.

- Wish is an NGO based in Germany that arranges for donations for schools of impaired children. They can’t get hold of a school in need and even if they find something then they are not able to contact or write to the schools directly.

We had a meeting with the Principal of the school and we came out with the following statements: 

- They aim for public interactions.

- The awareness of the school is essential.

- Lack of staff/volunteers.

- Need more exchange programs.

- Attract the crowd through the website.

- Hierarchy of information.

Competitive analysis.

Our next step was to create a thorough competitive analysis of existing similar schools in Germany to get insights into the weak and strong points and necessary features. We chose 4 schools:

- REGENBOGENSCHULE MEERFEDL.

- REGENBOGENSCHULE BERLIN.

- REGENBOGENSCHULE DÜSSELDORF.

- DPFA REGENBOGENSCHULE LEIPZIG.

Website architecture.

The final step in the research phase is building the Website architecture.

Website architecture involves the planning and organization of a website's structure, including how information is arranged, the layout of pages, and the navigation elements. It encompasses decisions on how users will interact with the site and the underlying technical infrastructure.

Now that we have the problem statements and the insights and findings from the competitive analysis we can start building it.

Prototype.

Finally that we have all the necessary information we can start building the Website prototype.

Please watch the next video to see the prototype.

Please feel free to give it a try. 

https://www.figma.com/proto/IpW8N2yWu3bC0dqBOcbPut/RBS-UX%2FUI?page-id=0%3A1&type=design&node-id=1-4788&viewport=-475%2C787%2C0.06&t=IgzjTQLRSPrMz7mr-1&scaling=scale-down-width&starting-point-node-id=1%3A4788&mode=design

Platform

The primary users of the platform/application are teachers, in addition to some parents. We followed a similar process for creating the app as we did for the website.

Users

Problems

For every identified problem, we developed an solution incorporated as a feature within the app.

User flow

After developing the personas and pinpointing the problems, we constructed a user flow.

Problem 1

The initial challenge we want to address is that new teachers take a long time to get to know and remember all the students in the school.

Solution

To tackle this, the app has individual profiles for each student. This makes it easier for new teachers to quickly understand their students and ensures a smooth process when a teacher is absent.

Problem 2

Parents and teachers of children with impairments often encounter frustration as they find it challenging to witness clear progress in their child's development.

Solution

The solution to tracking a child's development is simple: parents and teachers can choose to add or note down the child's abilities and include them in a development list. Additionally, there are a few categories such as „good at,“ „potential areas to develop,“ and „in progress.“

The app uses colorful infographics to show small steps in a child's progress. These visuals also highlight the child's existing abilities and skills, emphasizing positive aspects and achievements. Each skill has 5 levels from Novice to Master.

Problem 3

The challenge of time management among teachers.

Solution

The app incorporates a scheduling tool. This assists in organizing and visualizing teachers' schedules, making it easier for them to manage their time effectively and coordinate with their colleagues.

Prototype

The entire prototype can be viewed on Youtube below or via the link in Figma.