How task analysis, survey research, and concurrent concept testing shaped a national health program around teachers’ needs.
Employer
McGraw Hill
Year
2024
Project background
McGraw Hill was exploring its first digital-first health program, but health had historically represented a lower-investment market with highly variable state standards. Before committing to a national product, the team needed evidence that a viable opportunity existed and a deeper understanding of how health teachers actually worked.
A cross-functional team was formed to determine what a viable health program would need to address across users’ workflows, goals, needs, and pain points.
Phase 1 - Desk Research
We brought on a part-time researcher to analyze health curricula across the country. We created a rubric comparing curricula across subjects, grade levels, and topics.
The syllabi review laid the groundwork for the survey questions and allowed us to compare the team’s expectations with what was actually happening across curricula.
An example of a lesson plan found through the syllabi review
Broad-level questions from our survey to understand segments and approaches
Phase 2 - Survey
In the second phase, we launched a survey to understand resource usage, classroom types, schedules, class sizes, pain points, and instructional goals.
Because health was not typically treated as a core subject and students were not rigorously tested on it, the market differed substantially from other academic subjects. Standards also varied considerably across states, and health programs had historically represented a lower-ROI investment. As a result, we needed significant background research before moving forward.
The product team also needed the data to support the business case for leadership. Quantitative data on market size and potential opportunity was therefore critical early in the project.
Phase 3 - Task Analysis
Working with the product team, we used the survey data to identify our target participants and the specific tasks we wanted to explore.
Once aligned, we conducted virtual task analysis sessions in which teachers walked us through their most recent lesson and shared the digital resources they used. Those resources ultimately proved to be central to their instructional approach.
We then mapped and synthesized the tasks into a cohesive view of the teaching workflow.
Screen-Share of the title slide from a teacher made presentation on nutrition
Exploring prototypes with designers
Phase 4 - Concept Testing
The project coincided with a major redesign of the Learning Management System (LMS) and the adoption of a new front-end framework.
The health team and I partnered with UX to integrate and test health content within prototypes of the redesigned LMS. This allowed us to validate interview findings while simultaneously testing concepts for the new health program.
Deliverables, Impact, and Insight
I delivered a detailed slide deck and presentation highlighting key survey insights and walking stakeholders through the real-world task of teaching a health lesson. The presentation incorporated physical and digital artifacts to illustrate the steps and stages teachers moved through when planning and delivering a lesson. These artifacts also revealed opportunities for McGraw Hill to develop new resources and refine existing approaches.
The research provided the evidence leadership needed to approve bringing the health program to market.
The research ultimately helped shape a standards-aligned, activity-based program that more closely matched teachers’ instructional goals and accommodated the highly variable structure of health classes. This approach also reduced the need to invest in supplementary resources, many of which became outdated quickly or were poorly suited to the wide range of health-class schedules.
The task analysis also uncovered a widely used teacher-created resource that served as a cornerstone of many participants’ curricula. The resource was largely unknown to our product teams and challenged one of the assumptions underlying the program’s value proposition.
