My K-12 Advisor (Prototyping Class)

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Created a mockup of a tabbed search option that allows users to search by category or by vendor (2nd and 3rd images). Plan to test the current version (1st image) against the tabbed search. 

The first image or search option, would be complex to create. If we can prove the 2nd/3rd searches match user needs, then it will save future dev time and potentially improve the user experience.

See the post below, where we came up with the idea by looking at Cars.com’s search options.

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From previous tests and interviews, we learned that users want to be able to search by category and by vendor. For example, sometimes they are early in the search and want to search broadly by category. Other times they are farther along and need information for a specific vendor they have in mind. 

We found a search bar design on Cars.com that provides users with multiple ways to search. We plan to create a similar prototype with tabbed search options, then test with users. We would create two tabs: allowing users to search by category and by vendor. 

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Learnings from experiments & expert interviews

T1: Show the balsamiq log-in page with the search bar. Ask them what would be the first couple things they would do or click on. This would help see if any of them consider using a search bar on this page.

- Didn’t notice it the first time, actually. Much more focused on just getting the lay of the land.

- Would scroll down first to see what was on the landing page. Get familiar with the site. 

- Early conclustion - we can remove the search page as it is not being used or benefit the user on the log-in page

T2: Tell the user the idea of the website. Ask what would be a couple menu options you would expect to see and any sub menu options. 

- A search by name function so they can check on recommendations given by a peer, search by product type, key words. 

- Would be nice if there were also recommendations like you might see on Amazon. 

- Needs further testing for conclusion T3: Ask the user to think of a couple items they would image searching for if needing k-12 vendors. Give some people a search page (after login) version with the search bar and some people no search bar. Would they have been able to search for the items they thought of?

- Common items thought of to search for by user: Design firms, computer software, fundraising, maybe school supplies (but those are usually just purchased by the school). 

- Also common to for a specific vendor, most likely because someone higher up asked to look. 

- Early conclusion, need to have functionality to search by specific vendor. Needs further testing to see if we can fully remove the search bar. 

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Experiments to run

T1: Show the balsamiq log-in page with the search bar. Ask them what would be the first couple things they would do or click on. This would help see if any of them consider using a search bar on this page.

T2: Tell the user the idea of the website. Ask what would be a couple menu options you would expect to see and any sub menu options. T3: Ask the user to think of a couple items they would image searching for if needing k-12 vendors. Give some people a search page (after login) version with the search bar and some people no search bar. Would they have been able to search for the items they thought of?

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Questions to answer through tests

Q1: Search bar. Should we include or not? (login page)

Q2: What should be the menu options on the menu bar? (login page)

Q3: What should be the sub-options under each of those categories? (login page)

Q4: Can we only allow users to search by department or top professionals (no search bars on the post-login page)? Search bar logic can be difficult and time consuming to create. Standard 'shop by department' links would be easier to create for an initial website. (search page)

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Mock ups for intial site: login/signup page, search page, search results page, and vendor details page

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Initial mockup and MVP of the review form

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Initial Solution & Concepts to Explore

My K-12 Advisor is an online platform in which K-12 schools can access ratings and reviews of the relevant vendors in their area, and eventually serves as the go-to technology for the end-to-end procurement process. Our platform connects K-12 institutions with the companies, organizations, and individuals who serve them, streamlines the vendor identification and procurement processes, and provides a safe, peer-reviewed avenue for institutions to rate the quality of products and services rendered by those with whom they decide to partner.

In building My K-12 Advisor we plan to explore the concept of building an online community where K-12 procurement and leadership functions can rate and share feedback on vendors they have used with their peers at other participating school systems, similar to Angie’s List.

We additionally will explore how to gain access to the transaction part of the process, allowing us to leverage a transaction-fee-based revenue model to fuel future growth.

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Existing Solutions

K-12 schools can find vendors through a variety of methods including: word-of-mouth referrals, online research, and traditional sales and marketing channels. Existing solutions do not have accurate and consistent cost data, detailed requirements and offerings, and vast amounts of qualified consumer reviews. These gaps provide room for My K-12 Advisor to disrupt the sector, gain market share, and benefit K-12 schools and top performing vendors.

Examples of current solutions:

Similar platforms (not     in education): Angie’s List, Houzz, Yelp,     WeddingWire

Similar platforms (in     education): Procure K12

Websites used by K12     buyers: Google, regional/membership organizations, EdTech publications

Websites used by K12     suppliers: FindRFP, eMaryland Marketplace, Cville     bids and proposals

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Problem

Regardless of size, location, or philosophy, K-12 schools consistently struggle to navigate their medium- and long-term budgets due to constrained administrative resources and opacity in the procurement process. In particular, K-12 leaders select vendors (e.g., textbooks, supplies, services) with limited information about those vendors’ past performance. Currently, K-12 schools are on their own to navigate the complex procurement process, from the initial vendor discovery through the final evaluation of the vendor’s performance.

At the same time, even established vendors struggle to break into new school districts to sell their products and services. In the K-12 space, word-of-mouth holds more weight than traditional sales and advertising tactics, especially during the earliest stages of the process.

Additionally, vendors often complain that they have little transparency into schools’ expiring contracts and upcoming RFPs. It is not uncommon for a vendor to receive an RFP from a school with just several days to turn around a proposal. The process can be so complex and taxing that vendors often decline to propose on contracts below a certain size, leaving smaller schools with limited options. Schools and vendors are both losing because of an unnecessarily complex, opaque process.

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Executive Summary

Rising costs and shrinking budgets have forced K-12 schools across the U.S. to do more with less. As schools struggle to balance their budgets, they also have to manage complicated, time-consuming end-to-end procurement processes, often selecting vendors with poor information about past performance vis-à-vis their cost. For their part, vendors struggle to cope with the complexity and lack of transparency into bureaucratic timelines when trying to respond to requests for proposals (RFPs) from K-12 schools.

My K-12 Advisor is an online platform through which K-12 schools can access ratings and reviews of the relevant vendors in their area, and eventually serve as the go-to technology for their end-to-end procurement process. Our platform connects K-12 institutions with the companies, organizations, and individuals who serve them, streamlines the vendor identification and procurement processes, and provides a safe, peer-reviewed avenue for institutions to rate the quality of products and services rendered by those with whom they decide to partner. The platform also provides vendors with streamlined access to RFP opportunities at K-12 organizations and provides an outlet to build brand awareness across potential customers.