DESIGN THINKING

PROCESS: MARLIE’S
TEACHER TALKS
By: Marlayna Wheeler
The problem that I chose to be important is the
lack of parent-teacher communication in the
classroom. I came across this problem by
talking to my mother and thinking back to
when I was in elementary school. My mother
always wanted to know more about what was
going on in my classroom, and when I have kids
in the future, I want the same thing.
Not having a clear line of communication can
Empathize
be problematic for the teacher as well. The
teacher aspect of it is important because it
helps keep the parents involved and updated
on what is happening in the classroom and
what is required of their child.
The outcome of the teacher would be an easy
form of communication with the parents. The

Define
teacher wants the ability to show the parents
how the child is doing in the classroom as well
as keep the parents updated on upcoming
events and tests.
The solution to my problem would be to create
an easy to use app for elementary students'
parents. The app will require the parents to
create an account to see how their child is
doing in the classroom and give them an
Ideate
option to talk to the teacher.
The app that I have created a prototype of starts like most
apps, with a sign in page. The next page is the main menu
that shows four different options: “How did my child do

Prototype
today?” “Announcements” “Upcoming Quizzes/Tests” and
then the contact me section. Each option then has its own
separate page that shows different information. The “How
did my child do today?” page shows a star on how the
student did and then there is a teacher note at the bottom
for any special occasions. The “Upcoming Quizzes/Tests”
shows a calendar with stars on important dates and then
the dates are explained at the bottom of the page.
Some things that changed from my idea to prototype is to
add the announcements and upcoming assignment pages.
I originally knew that I wanted the contact me and how the
child did today pages, but then I wanted to add a little
more to the prototype.
The app most definitely solves my original
problem. It creates a way for parents to see
how their child is doing in the classroom and
contact the teacher if needed.

Test
One thing I would like to improve or add on this
app is the ability to see grades. Some students
may not take their work home for their parents
or may even want to hide it. Having grades on
the app allows the parent to see how their child
is doing academically.
https://marvelapp.com/8017g8j
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