User-Centric Design
Demonstrate your company’s alignment with the values of public education by designing solutions that are inclusive, accessible, and meaningfully shaped by the needs and experiences of users.
Why: Technology in education should simplify, not complicate. When tools are designed around the real needs and abilities of learners, educators, and administrators, they become not only more usable — but more impactful. User-Centric Design ensures that digital products are accessible, intuitive, and respectful of the time and energy of those who rely on them.
Designing with users in mind means going beyond aesthetics. It requires meaningful engagement with the people who use the product every day, consideration for diverse backgrounds and capabilities, and a commitment to creating experiences that are clear, efficient, and supportive of teaching and learning. When users feel heard and understood, adoption improves, support needs decrease, and trust grows.
Importantly, user-centricity does not mean implementing every request—it means understanding what matters most and making thoughtful design choices that balance user needs with product sustainability and educational value. This approach strengthens not only the product itself, but also the relationships it supports.
Maturity levels – Commitments to User-Centric Design
Level Zero - Commit to Recognising the Importance of the User: You commit to moving beyond internal assumptions and beginning to understand the people you design for. At this stage, you acknowledge that usability, accessibility, and user experience are essential to the success of your product. We begin documenting who your users are, how they interact with the platform, and what difficulties they encounter. Even with limited resources, you pledge to prioritise ease of use and begin incorporating user feedback into your design discussions.
Junior Level - Commit to Listening and Adapting: You commit to building design processes that involve users directly and lead to practical improvements. You conduct initial user research and usability testing — formally or informally. Feedback is gathered not only from decision-makers but also from day-to-day users. Your interface is reviewed for clarity, navigation, and accessibility. You start designing with empathy and aim to reduce unnecessary complexity. You balance user wishes with the realities of your product roadmap, seeking solutions that work for both sides.
Medior Level - Commit to Inclusive, Iterative Design: You commit to making user experience a central pillar of your product development strategy. User-Centric Design becomes a repeatable process: user testing, feedback cycles, and interface reviews are planned as part of every development sprint or release. You follow recognised accessibility and usability standards (e.g. WCAG 2.x), and consult diverse user groups to avoid design bias. Our team includes specialists in user experience (UX) or interface design. You prioritise usability improvements alongside feature development and communicate clearly about design decisions that affect users.
Senior level - Commit to User-Centricity as a Cultural Value: You commit to embedding user-centric thinking across the organisation, aligning your design with the values and needs of education. You operate with a strong user research capability and share insights across teams. Product decisions are evidence-informed and co-designed with partner institutions. You offer multilingual support, inclusive visual design, and accessibility as standard. All new features are tested with diverse users before release. You document how user feedback has informed product direction, and you help shape sector-wide design standards that promote inclusion, dignity, and educational relevance.
Good examples
A platform that offers accessible navigation, content in multiple languages, and simple onboarding for educators with low digital confidence.
A company that publishes usability improvements based on user testing and explains how feedback was integrated.
A team that co-designs new features with learners with disabilities, ensuring inclusion from the start.
Bad examples
A product with unclear labels, hidden controls, or a confusing layout that requires training to use.
An app designed for mobile-first users that fails to consider institutional desktop environments.
A tool that prioritises feature growth over usability, resulting in overwhelming dashboards or inconsistent workflows.