User Experience Design

CHAPTER 01CASE STUDY OF ALTEDUKATION: Going digital is not the sole determinant of great outcomes

AltEdukation¹ (a fictional company inspired by real life) was a well‐established company providing after‐school enrichment programs to K–12 students across the West Coast. By 2019, after decades of growth, the organization was operating 20 locations in California, Oregon, and Washington, working with more than 4,000 paying students at any given time.

The company grew its revenue by more than 40% in 2019. Then, in early 2020, the COVID‐19 pandemic erupted. By March, state governors were issuing shelter‐in‐place orders. Unfortunately, all of AltEdukation’s in‐person sites shut down for an extended period.

Upper management quickly convened a meeting to determine how to move forward. They had to transform to survive, so they asked their small but effective design, technology, and education teams to digitize all training and to find tools enabling their enrichment programs to go fully virtual. It was imperative that the current programs not stop due to the shelter‐in‐place orders. Otherwise, the company would need to refund students’ fees en masse, which would set the business back significantly.

For the next month, the team worked hard to select and transition to various online tools and platforms. They digitized booklets and tests; integrated tools for student collaboration, curriculum ...