The Intel Education PC
Design research & UX expertise to move an industry towards the goal of enabling digital literacy with the next billion users
Research Objectives & Role
How can we best design a computer that is used by children, is low-cost and able to be easily adopted in developing nation education systems at scale to bridge the digital divide and accelerate learning outcomes?
Role: Lead UX Researcher & Human-Factors Specialist
Products: Six generations of hardware reference designs and software interfaces for cloud, SaaS and desktop usage.
Research Scope: Ethnographic observations, contextual interviews, concept testing, usability studies.
Design Scope: Product opportunity proposals, design requirements, wireframes, prototypes.
Products: Six generations of hardware reference designs and software interfaces for cloud, SaaS and desktop usage.
Research Scope: Ethnographic observations, contextual interviews, concept testing, usability studies.
Design Scope: Product opportunity proposals, design requirements, wireframes, prototypes.
Context & Challenge
Traditional uses of computers in modern education systems is dependent on heavy investments, robust connectivity and infrastructure, skilled IT management and motivated educators. However, in emerging markets the context of use and affordances needed are much different. My research began with deep-dive contextual research to compare what it looks like to use computers in developed market versus emerging market schools.
Pain Points
- Lack of power and connectivity
- Limited IT resources to manage
- Cramped spaces with mobility needs
- Ambilvalent educators
High-Level Design Objectives
- Locally Relevant
- Sustainable
- Highly portable
- Linked to Education Outcomes
- Tailored for Country-Specific Needs
I conducted dozens of contextual interviews with education stakeholders across 4 continents. Core aspirational needs from that research can be summarized as follows:
Exploring Design & Differentiator Opportunities
Armed with rich generative research insights, I held ideation sessions and workshops with our team of designers to prototype hundreds of concepts for software and hardware.
Once designs were flushed out, I created concept cards to take in the field to research feature priorities and preferences with ministries of education and local OEMS. The resulting card sort data helped us make design tradeoffs balanced against the constraints of cost and technical debt to enable
