Summary
SuccessSpark was created to help education researchers, administrators, and policymakers understand how their programs were affecting students—particularly those in underserved communities across Louisiana.
I was brought in to help shape the early-stage product: translating complex research needs into an accessible, intuitive web platform. From survey creation and data collection to filtering and reporting, the goal was to design a tool that made research usable for real-world decisions.
Project Overview
SuccessSpark empowers education leaders to capture data on program effectiveness and turn it into meaningful insights—informing how funding and policy affect student outcomes.
My Role
Lead Product Designer — responsible for product strategy, information architecture, interaction design, and the full visual system. Collaborated with researchers, developers, and education leaders to ensure the design met real-world needs.
The Challenge
Disconnected Data Workflows: Researchers were using email, spreadsheets, and PDFs to run surveys—slowing analysis and limiting insight.
Non-Technical Users: The platform needed to work for educators and researchers with varying levels of digital fluency.
Complex Filtering & Reporting: Users needed flexible, customizable ways to explore and export survey results.
Equity in Outcomes: The system had to support school districts with limited resources and tools.
Discovery + Research
We facilitated working sessions with researchers, state officials, and school leaders to understand their needs and workflows. What we learned:
Clarity was critical—users wanted to see what was working at a glance
Reporting needed to be shareable and presentation-ready
Survey workflows needed to be guided, not open-ended
This led to a more focused, opinionated product design that emphasized simplicity and actionability.
Strategy + Design Approach
Guided Survey Builder
We designed a step-by-step interface for creating and distributing surveys, reducing confusion and human error while speeding up deployment.
Insight-Focused Dashboard
We prioritized a single dashboard that surfaced top-level trends with drill-down filters—empowering users to go from overview to insight in seconds.
Export-Ready Reports
Users could generate downloadable, presentation-quality reports with just a few clicks—complete with charts, response summaries, and data highlights.
Responsive Design for any device
Given the range of environments—from classrooms to state offices—we ensured the platform performed seamlessly on tablets, laptops, and low-powered machines.
Outcome + Impact
SuccessSpark was developed in partnership with Louisiana State University’s education research department as a new tool to modernize survey workflows.
The initial rollout launched with one key district, where it received overwhelming positive feedback and strong engagement from both educators and administrators. Based on these results, LSU began preparing to adopt the platform more broadly as a statewide research tool.
Key Results:
Streamlined survey turnaround, significantly reducing delays compared to previous workflows
High levels of educator engagement and researcher satisfaction in the pilot district
Positioned for statewide adoption by LSU to provide researchers and policymakers with real-time visibility into program effectiveness
The project showed how thoughtful design can simplify complex research processes and create tools that drive equitable, data-informed decisions.
Ready to make your product stand out?
Thanks for stopping by!