Designing a research platform that uncovered deeper insights and helped shape the future of education for underserved communities.

Designing a research platform that uncovered deeper insights and helped shape the future of education for underserved communities.

Discovery + Research

Discovery + Research

Discovery + Research

Product Design

Product Design

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.

The final product shipped on time, reduced survey turnaround time by 40%, and was adopted by 200+ schools. It not only gave researchers clearer insights but helped drive more equitable outcomes across the state.

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 launched statewide and quickly gained traction with districts and researchers.

Key Results:

  • 40% faster survey turnaround compared to previous workflows

  • Adopted by 200+ schools across Louisiana

  • Gave researchers and policymakers real-time visibility into program effectiveness

The project demonstrated how thoughtful design can turn complicated research processes into actionable, equitable tools—and make a difference in real-world decisions.

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