Helping an ed-tech nonprofit stand out in the field
When Education Analytics (EA) came to us looking for a brand refresh, we jumped at the opportunity. Our experience in the education space has taught us a thing or two about making complicated information highly accessible.
EA conducts research and develops analytic tools for their partners to make better decisions about education policies, programs and instruction. EA works at the nexus of research and technology to improve the education system and create positive outcomes for the students that need the most support. We were inspired by this intersection as we developed their new visual identity.
When Education Analytics (EA) came to us looking for a brand refresh, we jumped at the opportunity. Our experience in the education space has taught us a thing or two about making complicated information highly accessible.
EA conducts research and develops analytic tools for their partners to make better decisions about education policies, programs and instruction. EA works at the nexus of research and technology to improve the education system and create positive outcomes for the students that need the most support. We were inspired by this intersection as we developed their new visual identity.
At its simplest, the new logo represents the organization’s acronym: an E and an A. We wanted to convey an approachable and collegial look and feel, that speaks to their approach to collaboration and partnership. The logo also operates at a deeper level, showing the interplay between research and technology. As a mark it’s round but stable, with a bold color palette that evolved from EA’s previous visual identity.
We found that EA's collaborative nature dovetailed with our own, and the process for this work was iterative and continually growing. We were arm in arm the whole way.
Tracy Harris
Creative
During our discovery phase, we interviewed stakeholders across the organization, board members and external partners to understand how people saw them. We learned the deep commitment that partners have with EA and the rigor and speed with which EA can produce useful innovative solutions. When designing a logo, our conceptual process is just that: A process. We explored different ways of visualizing connection, iteration and collaboration.
We applied the new visual identity and messaging to a full website redesign. During the content architecture and design phase, we were challenged to create a structure that shows the breadth of what EA does in a way that would be easy to navigate and digest. Our user-centered design approach involved usability interviews to ensure our design solutions address pain points associated with helping potential partners understand how EA works and the value of their services.
Within the main brand family, EA creates products that have unique visual identities. The Rally Analytics Platform, Strategy Workshop, Podium, Stadium, StartingBlocks and edu are each co-branded with EA, using the same type and color as the main EA brand, paired with additional unique elements. We've used our user-centered design approach to help them define these products, name and create the visual identity and design the product in partnership with EA.
Having rapid support and response made us feel like we were in good hands—like a true partnership.
Libby Pier
Director of Impact, Education Analytics
We developed a collection of illustrations to represent EA’s four areas of expertise, in a loose, approachable style that represents data analytics and education with a human focus. This aesthetic extends to a broad suite of icons that they use across their website and communications.
EA had grown rapidly and expanded their capabilities beyond their roots as an organization specializing in educational growth models. The brand identity emphasizes their expanded capabilities, with case studies and publications to share their expertise.
Cricket Redman
Creative Director & Principal
A platform to help teachers find effective new methods of teaching
While teachers have a lot on their plate, they also yearn to improve their effectiveness in the classroom—not only for their students, but for their own career growth too. That's why EA partnered with South Carolina to develop Strategy Workshop, an application based on Marzano Research's toolkit of evidence-based instructional strategies. Teachers can select a strategy from the What Works Clearing House to try for a short time in their classroom, and collect and analyze data to determine if it results in positive outcomes. The platform processes the data and provides reports with student outcomes and encourages reflection about what worked and how to improve their approach to teaching.
While teachers have a lot on their plate, they also yearn to improve their effectiveness in the classroom—not only for their students, but for their own career growth too. That's why EA partnered with South Carolina to develop Strategy Workshop, an application based on Marzano Research's toolkit of evidence-based instructional strategies. Teachers can select a strategy from the What Works Clearing House to try for a short time in their classroom, and collect and analyze data to determine if it results in positive outcomes. The platform processes the data and provides reports with student outcomes and encourages reflection about what worked and how to improve their approach to teaching.
Improving literacy through UX design
It's the goal of tutoring program Future Forward to have every student reading at grade level by the end of third grade. The new interactive platform facilitates that goal with intuitively designed interfaces and workflows. As tutors conduct one-on-one lessons and family engagement measures, they can tap into digital lesson planning, attendance tracking, progress monitoring and family engagement coordination. It's all designed around how they work, so that the technology can get out of the way–and tutors can help students thrive.
The Cricket Team lead the human-centered design process from user journeys through usability testing, development handoff and iterations, to training and user acceptance testing.
It's the goal of tutoring program Future Forward to have every student reading at grade level by the end of third grade. The new interactive platform facilitates that goal with intuitively designed interfaces and workflows. As tutors conduct one-on-one lessons and family engagement measures, they can tap into digital lesson planning, attendance tracking, progress monitoring and family engagement coordination. It's all designed around how they work, so that the technology can get out of the way–and tutors can help students thrive.
The Cricket Team lead the human-centered design process from user journeys through usability testing, development handoff and iterations, to training and user acceptance testing.
Helping teachers know their students
When the pandemic hit, we knew students and teachers would need more support as their education landscape changed dramatically. We used a user-centered design approach to deliver front-end design for EA’s Rally Analytics Platform, a product that streamlines data and fills in the gap using predictive analytics where testing data is missing. The product was specifically designed to help teachers see all their data in one place with academic data alongside SEL data to guide with instructional planning. We knew it wasn’t enough to just have access to the data—teachers need easy interpretations of this data to help them understand their students needs. We used an iterative approach with multiple rounds of educator interviews and usability sessions to refine the platform to make information digestible and actionable. We've since expanded the capabilities of the design to include dashboards for districts and administrators to easily track students’ progress and potential outcomes.
When the pandemic hit, we knew students and teachers would need more support as their education landscape changed dramatically. We used a user-centered design approach to deliver front-end design for EA’s Rally Analytics Platform, a product that streamlines data and fills in the gap using predictive analytics where testing data is missing. The product was specifically designed to help teachers see all their data in one place with academic data alongside SEL data to guide with instructional planning. We knew it wasn’t enough to just have access to the data—teachers need easy interpretations of this data to help them understand their students needs. We used an iterative approach with multiple rounds of educator interviews and usability sessions to refine the platform to make information digestible and actionable. We've since expanded the capabilities of the design to include dashboards for districts and administrators to easily track students’ progress and potential outcomes.
Helping students take control of their academic career
The College Roadmap is a unique education reporting system for students and their families that uses predictive analytics to project where they are on their journey to college and how they can prepare. From early middle school through high school, students get not only a snapshot of their progress, but also guidance on how to stay on track. We developed messaging and designed report templates to make sense of attendance records, test scores, grades and financial planning information and to set the mindset that getting a college degree is attainable for anyone.
The College Roadmap is a unique education reporting system for students and their families that uses predictive analytics to project where they are on their journey to college and how they can prepare. From early middle school through high school, students get not only a snapshot of their progress, but also guidance on how to stay on track. We developed messaging and designed report templates to make sense of attendance records, test scores, grades and financial planning information and to set the mindset that getting a college degree is attainable for anyone.
