Mixed Method Research for Content Discoverability

Context

Discovering content that meets the learning needs of teachers’ classrooms and the expectations of district administrators is indeed time-consuming and complex. However, it's important to note that this challenge directly impacted user satisfaction and overall engagement, underscoring the significance of our work.

A cross-functional team of content creators, product managers, and designers, among others, wanted to know what content sources were most commonly used and important for teachers and what the main goals, needs, and pain points were when looking for the right content. The learning will inform the search and homepage product and design team and assist the content creation team regarding priorities.

A national representative study among K12 teachers analysis was commissioned, and a series of in-house quantitative and qualitative studies were conducted to uncover opportunities and challenges around content discoverability.

The graphs and data presented are either part of the original UXR reports or created to present the project and key information is blocked to protect the confidentiality of the research.

The primary objective of this research was to identify the pain points in the content discoverability process and provide actionable insights to improve the user experience. We aimed to understand the users' behaviors, preferences, and challenges when searching for and interacting with content on the platform.

Objectives

My Role

Key Learnings

Impact

  • Research Design: Lead, plan, and design a comprehensive research plan that incorporates qualitative and quantitative methods to gather a holistic view of the user experience:

    • In-house in-depth interviews (~15 teachers)

    • National representative survey  (~568)

    • In-house survey with Newsela teachers (~150 teachers)

  • Data Collection: Lead and support the team and external consulting firm during user interviews, usability testing, and surveys to collect in-depth insights and behavioral data.

  • Analysis: Lead and advise the team during the data analysis thematic analysis to identify key patterns and pain points.

  • Reporting: Presenting the findings to stakeholders through detailed reports and visual presentations, ensuring the insights were clear and actionable.

  • Collaboration: Working closely with the product, design, and content teams to integrate the research findings into the content strategy and product development process.

Through this research, we uncovered several critical insights:

  • Content Strategy: We gained valuable insights into how teachers search for content and what types of content are most relevant to them. This informed Newsela’s overall content strategy, ensuring that the platform meets its users' specific needs and preferences.

  • Homepage Redesign: The research provided clear directions for redesigning the homepage, making it more intuitive and user-friendly. Highlighting key content types, such as activities, which were identified as particularly important to teachers, ensured these were prominently featured.

  • Content Creation: The study's insights emphasized the importance of activities as a crucial type of content to offer. This led to a focused effort on creating and highlighting engaging activities that resonate with users.

The research led to several impactful changes:

  • Activities as important product offer: Initiatives around increasing the activities portfolios were implemented.

  • Improved Navigation: Initiatives about navigation were implemented. Personalized Recommendations: Initiatives around personalized content recommendations based on user behavior and preferences were implemented as an important part of product discovery. 

  • Content creation: Provided the content team with a clear roadmap of priorities in terms of content creation.

*For additional findings and learning, please contact svarchmalena@gmail.com