Project context

This project was preceded by a comprehensive discovery focused on understanding the pain points and needs of schools in England, with teachers and staff as primary users. This high-level discovery provided crucial recommendations, one of which led to the development of the Find teacher training service.

Find teacher training: Project overview

The Find service aimed to address a critical problem identified in the initial discovery: the disjointed and complex journey of finding teacher training courses. This fragmentation created barriers for potential teachers and impacted the quality of educators entering the system. Our goal was to understand, simplify, and improve this journey through user-centered design and research.

Key responsibilities and achievements

Comprehensive user research:

• Built upon insights from the initial school-focused discovery.

• Led a "User research frenzy" during the project's discovery phase, engaging with a wide range of users and stakeholders.

• Conducted in-depth interviews, surveys, and workshops to map the end-to-end user journey.

• Ensured inclusion of diverse user groups, including those with accessibility needs and varying digital literacy levels.

Innovative research communications:

• Created a wall-sized visual map of the entire process, from user interactions to backend institutional touchpoints.

• Produced an empathy-driven video showcasing teachers' challenges, bridging understanding between overworked educators and stakeholders.

Agile methodology application:

• Facilitated a one-week design sprint in the Alpha phase, rapidly ideating and prototyping solutions.

• Continuously iterated designs based on user feedback, ensuring all user needs were met across various teaching subjects and specialisations.

Digital transformation:

• Oversaw the transition from prototypes to full-fledged coding in the Beta phase.

• Integrated tools like LookBack for user testing and Google Analytics for behavioral insights.

• Successfully migrated the service from UCAS to the new Find postgraduate teacher training platform.

Stakeholder management:

• Conducted impactful show-and-tells using the visual journey map.

• Presented the final service to the education minister, showcasing its value and improvements over the previous system.

Excellence in service standards:

• Achieved a perfect score (18/18) in the GDS service standard assessment, validating our user-centered approach and quality of work.

Impact and outcomes

• Created a streamlined, user-friendly service that simplified the teacher training search process.

• Improved accessibility and inclusivity in the teacher recruitment pipeline.

• Established a new benchmark for digital services in the education sector.

• Received positive feedback from key stakeholders for our empathetic and thorough approach to user needs.

Methodologies used

• Ethnographic research

• Usability testing (in-person and remote)

• Survey design and analysis

• Co-design workshops

• Journey mapping

• Service blueprinting

• Analytics-driven insights

Why this matters

The Find postgraduate teacher training service is more than just a website—it’s a crucial tool shaping the future of education in England.

• Impact at scale: With around 30,000 + aspiring teachers using the service each year, we’re helping to influence the education of millions of students.

• Removing barriers: By simplifying a traditionally complex process, we’re ensuring talented individuals aren’t discouraged from entering the teaching profession.

• Maintaining high standards: Achieving a perfect score in the GDS service standard assessment highlights the strength of our user-centered approach, ensuring the service meets the needs of its users efficiently and effectively.

Next steps

Imagine bringing this level of user-centered transformation to your organisation. Are you ready to:

• Transform your digital services to better serve your users?

• Leverage deep insights from rigorous, empathetic research?

• Achieve GDS service standard success with confidence?

Let’s make it happen. Get in touch today to explore how we can elevate your digital services and set new standards for success.

Find teacher training service

Department for Education (DfE)

Lead user researcher (20+ months)

As the lead user researcher for the Find teacher training service, I built upon a foundational discovery project to transform how aspiring teachers access training opportunities in England.

See live service below. Around 30,000 users per year.