Case Study
Beacon for Schools
Empowering educators with innovative tools for enhanced school mental health support.
Services
- Technology Consulting
- User Experience Design
- Visual and Interaction Design
- Full-Stack Development
- CI/CD Pipelines
- AI Integration and Development
- Competitor Analysis
Deliverables
- Innovative Software Platform
- Data Visualization Dashboards
- Recommendation Engine
- Future-Focused Architecture
- Secure Data Management
- Interactive Prototypes
- Comprehensive Knowledge Base
Executive Summary
Beacon for Schools, developed in partnership with the Center for Intervention Research in Schools at Ohio University, is an innovative software platform that addresses gaps in school-based mental health support.
Designed to empower educators with research-backed tools and data visualization, Beacon's development involved refining initial concepts, iterative design and prototyping, and expert development with a secure tech stack. Since launch, the platform has received positive feedback, driving ongoing improvements.
Future plans include integrating AI capabilities through a grant application and exploring commercialization to expand its reach. Beacon exemplifies successful collaboration and innovation, setting new benchmarks in educational support services.
Introduction
In 2019, the Center for Intervention Research in Schools (CIRS) at Ohio University, under the leadership of Drs. Steven W. Evans and Julie S. Owens, sought to fill a critical gap in school mental health resources with the creation of Beacon, an innovative software platform. They partnered with our consultancy to transform their initial design concepts into a comprehensive tool that provides research-backed recommendations and sophisticated data tracking for student support services.
Unprecedented in the educational sector, Beacon aims to empower K-12 educators with actionable insights and visualization tools to improve student outcomes. This case study explores the collaborative process and the successful realization of Beacon's vision.
Project Challenges and Objectives
The Beacon project's challenges and objectives began with refining the initial concepts collaboratively with CIRS to establish a clear vision for the platform. Our focus was on creating a platform that fitted seamlessly into educators' busy schedules, adding significant value without extra burden.
The primary objectives were to enhance school mental health support with effective tools and research-backed insights while reducing friction in the domain. Balancing flexibility and security was crucial, as handling sensitive student data required a nuanced approach to accommodate various school district protocols.
Discovery
During the discovery phase, we collaborated closely with the CIRS research team through weekly meetings, diving into the intricacies of school mental health support. By examining similar products and conducting interviews with educators and administrators, we gathered essential insights.
To develop user journeys, we analyzed current processes for selecting and implementing support services, identifying ways to streamline and systematize these across various schools. A critical aspect was understanding different user roles within schools and districts, determining the necessary permissions and features each role required to effectively perform their duties.
UX Prototyping
In the UX prototyping phase, we used Balsamiq to create low-fidelity interactive mockups, allowing us to visualize overall workflows and key features effectively. Through an iterative process of feedback and revision, we engaged stakeholders, usability experts, and end-users to test and refine these designs.
UI Design
We integrated the client's brand guidelines into a customized UI design framework, focusing on translating key elements like color, typography, and imagery into a cohesive and intuitive user interface. This approach ensured a visually consistent experience across devices and enhanced usability.
Collaborative workshops with the client allowed us to refine the design continually, resulting in a highly refined and aesthetic interface.
Development and Deployment
Throughout the development and deployment phases, we utilized a modern tech stack deployed on cloud architecture, comprising Angular for the frontend and Laravel PHP for the backend.
Critical to our approach was ensuring the platform's security and reliability. We employed Oauth 2.0 for secure authentication and role-based access control (RBAC) to manage user permissions effectively.
We implemented continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines to facilitate seamless updates and maintenance, supported by automated testing for ongoing quality assurance. Post-deployment, we established comprehensive security monitoring to ensure the platform's reliability and safeguard sensitive data.
Results and Impact
Beacon is currently utilized by schools across Ohio, providing valuable insights into improving educational support for students with emotional and behavioral challenges. While the user base is still expanding, feedback from current users has been positive, highlighting Beacon's potential to transform school-based student support services.
One key learning from the deployment is the realization that many schools need to establish foundational systems to effectively benefit from Beacon. Additionally, user feedback has highlighted differing usage patterns from our original expectations, prompting ongoing updates to better align the platform with the practical needs of schools and educators.
Reid's outstanding contributions to the team and project extend far beyond just software development. His team regularly participates in brainstorming, project architecture, operations planning and helping us better understand our users.
Future Developments
A significant future development is our 2024 submission for the IES Transformative Technology Grant, which aims to integrate an AI-powered assistant with Beacon to guide users effectively through the MTSS framework, thereby enhancing the platform's utility and accessibility.
Additionally, we are exploring future commercialization efforts to expand Beacon's reach beyond Ohio, potentially offering its innovative solutions to a wider educational market. These advancements are poised to broaden Beacon's impact, empowering more schools to adopt and benefit from comprehensive mental health support strategies.
Conclusion
The Beacon project exemplifies the successful collaboration between our consultancy and CIRS at Ohio University in creating an innovative platform that addresses critical needs in school-based mental health support.
The project underscored the importance of adaptability, as ongoing feedback led to iterative improvements and highlighted new avenues for development, such as the integration of an AI-powered assistant and possible commercialization opportunities. By aligning technical expertise with educational goals, the Beacon platform represents a significant advancement in mental health support services for schools, with potential to impact educational outcomes on a broader scale.