In mid February, Avatar New York launched MusicFirst, the first part of a larger multi-year project to build a Learning Management System (LMS) that seamlessly integrates music technology into classrooms worldwide. Avatar New York designed and built the project in sevearl phases, each timed to coincide with our client's marketing and business requirements.
Below are the 5 keys we used to successfully designing successful education focused project.
Defining the Project Scope
Building a successful education website design requires thorough planning before a pixel or line of code is created. We kicked off projects with several weeks of information gathering on platform requirements, business rules, user roles, and project goals. This enables us to create workflow diagrams, planning documents, functional prototypes, website designs, and a detailed project plan.
Identifying Key Messages Behind the Brand
When an education client approaches us about building an online education platform, we first try to find out more about what makes them tick, or what stands out as the defining principle behind their project. Identifying key messaging upfront allows us to check back throughout the project to ensure everything we do stays on message.
Choosing the Right Tools for the Job
Before recommending a technology or platform, it's best to fully understand all business goals and project requirements. Choosing the technology behind education web design project is crucial to a project's success. Understanding and correctly implementing the technology that powers the platform from inital launch to supporting real-world end-users is imperative to long-term success.
Creating an Intuitive Responsive Interface
Successful education companies needed a branded visual design that distinguishes them within the education-based community. While this is a challenge in itself, we also have to consider the needs of vastly different user types, such as students, teachers, and school administrators.
To accomplish this, we create UX/UI guidelines for each user type across the entire platform and then followed these guidelines while creating architectural and design assets.
Employing Iteration over Documentation
Building a complex, multi-year project with multiple launch dates requires a high level of project coordination and client visibility. To facilitate this we employ an iterative Agile/ Scrum methodology. Our team of designers, UX/UI experts, programmers, and project managers meet regularly to evaluate and test completed tasks and devise strategies to tackle new ones. The product owners were involved at every step, reassuring them that the project is on track and on budget.
The Result
We launched the first phase of the education website design project in February 2014 on a scalable, redundant, cloud hosted environment to support the sales and LMS beta testing teams. When schools open in the Fall of 2014, music teachers and students around the world will - for the first time - learn, create and share music anywhere.