Strategic UX and design move print-based communication into a fully interactive experience

KnowledgeWorks is a national nonprofit organization focused on creating personalized learning experiences. Ready to bring their educational Forecasts into the 21^st century, they partnered with Sanger & Eby for custom user interface design to digitize a time-consuming, outdated process.

Challenge

KnowledgeWorks equips schools and educators across the country to advance a future of learning that ensures each student graduates ready for what’s next. Their strategic foresight branch uses educational forecasts that provide guidance on the changing education landscape while providing inspiration on stretching their imaginations about future possibilities.

Services:

Content audit/inventory Content strategy Information architecture development User interface design User experience planning Wireframe development

KnowledgeWorks is a national nonprofit organization focused on creating personalized learning experiences. Ready to bring their educational Forecasts into the 21^st century, they partnered with Sanger & Eby for custom user interface design to digitize a time-consuming, outdated process.

Services:

Content audit/inventory Content strategy Information architecture development User interface design User experience planning Wireframe development

Challenge

KnowledgeWorks equips schools and educators across the country to advance a future of learning that ensures each student graduates ready for what’s next. Their strategic foresight branch uses educational forecasts that provide guidance on the changing education landscape while providing inspiration on stretching their imaginations about future possibilities.

These forecasts are shared with a diverse and extensive audience of leaders, innovators and change makers in both the field of education and in the community who work to promote equitable outcomes for youth.

The first five forecasts were printed publications posted as PDFs on the website that could be ordered then shipped upon request by a fulfillment agency. For Forecast 6.0, they wanted a strategic partner to help them transform their new content into an engaging, inspiring web-based experience.

This new forecast was already written as a traditional printed publication and came with a design aesthetic that contrasted the overarching KnowledgeWorks brand. With an aggressive timeline and multiple stakeholders, our team got to work imagining what was possible.

Strategy

Our user experience team began with a deep dive to review KnowledgeWorks' existing forecasts, analytics, current website design and functionality. This deep dive helped us restructure the new content with interactive components and a forecast navigation that fit within the existing navigational structure of the KnowledgeWorks site.

Next, we sourced realistic photography for their unique subject matter and worked on an aesthetic that creatively melded the forecast design direction with KnowledgeWorks' brand.

Then, we worked alongside the development team to make design and content adjustments within the existing content management system.

Results

The interface design for Forecast 6.0 exceeded the client’s expectations. Transforming their already successful initiative into an optimized, digital experience expanded their reach to new audiences as well as their reputation as a leader in the education industry and the strategic foresight field. With information now readily available for those seeking resources from KnowledgeWorks, they are actively supporting a generation of confident and skilled learners ready to contribute to their communities.

Do you have an outdated or difficult process that needs reorganized? Let’s talk about user experience planning and interface design.