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September 19, 2024 • read

How Skyward Software is Made

Lauren Gilchrist
Blogger, Traveler, and Video Talent

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User-centered design: it’s what drives the development of our software. Our user experience (UX) team works closely with you, our customers, to decide which updates should be made and what our roadmap should look like. Check out this video to learn more!

 



The basic UX design process looks like this:
  1. We hear about a user’s pain points and needs. This could come from the Product Ideas Portal, a user group, a customer call, or an internal expert.
  2. We conduct further research through interviews, benchmark surveys, and observations to better understand the user’s experience.
  3. We look at all our research and identify the user’s core problem. We create an actionable problem statement and determine what successfully solving this problem will look like.
  4. We brainstorm and collaborate on ideas and concepts to solve our user’s problem. We flesh out the best ideas and decide which we want to test with our users.
  5. We recruit real users—they are the ones who will be using the software, so their feedback is the most important to us. Depending on the part of the software we’re working on, we could recruit teachers, nurses, principals... whoever uses that part of Skyward most.
  6. We test the prototype with these users and get real-time feedback from them. We can then make iterations and improvements based on feedback and do additional research until we are happy with the results.
  7. We work with Skyward’s software engineers to implement the new design changes into the software.
  8. Once the code is launched, we conduct follow-up surveys and interviews to verify we were successful in solving the user’s problem.

As you can see, software design at Skyward is a team effort. It doesn’t just involve our team—it involves yours too! If you’d like to make your voice heard, submit an idea via the Product Ideas Portal. Learn more about the portal or visit sms.uservoice.com (SMS 2.0 users) or qmlativ.uservoice.com (Qmlativ users). We’d love to hear from you!



Follow-up resource: Behind the Curtain: The Skyward Development Process

Follow an idea, from conception to completion—and don't miss the fairytale-themed video!


 


Thinking about edtech for your district?
We'd love to help. Visit skyward.com/get-started to learn more.

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About the author
Lauren Gilchrist
Blogger, Traveler, and Video Talent

Lauren enjoys visiting school districts and spreading the word about creative, non-traditional approaches to universal challenges. Follow her for on-the-scene reporting (with a little fun sprinkled in) and tips on how to enjoy a better Skyward experience. 



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