Helping secondary English teachers track and visualize individual student learning journeys through an interactive "constellation" interface
Secondary English teachers manage 25+ students across multiple complex skill areas:
- Reading comprehension at different levels
- Writing development (mechanics → analysis)
- Literary analysis and critical thinking
- Discussion and participation skills
Current tools fail because they:
- Show grades, not learning progression
- Don't capture the interconnected nature of English skills
- Require data teachers don't actually have access to
- Don't help with day-to-day instructional decisions
A visual "constellation" interface where each student's skills are represented as interconnected stars that brighten and connect as they develop. Teachers can:
- See learning patterns across multiple skill areas at a glance
- Plan differentiated instruction based on visual progress maps
- Input data flexibly using whatever assessment tools they actually have
- Show students their own growth in an engaging, non-hierarchical way
- Interview 5+ secondary English teachers about current workflows
- Document pain points with existing gradebooks/LMS systems
- Validate constellation metaphor and visual approach
- Define MVP feature priorities based on real teacher needs
- ✅ API Integration: Google Classroom API blocked by school networks
- ✅ Strategic Decision: Focus on manual data entry + CSV import for reliability
- ✅ Architecture: Build offline-first to work in all school environments
- School firewalls make external API integration unreliable
- Teachers need tools that work with existing workflows, not replace them
- Visual progress representation more valuable than numerical grades
Built by a teacher, for teachers
- Understanding of classroom realities and constraints
- Focuses on actionable insights over impressive data
- Designed for quick daily use, not administrative burden
Student agency and growth mindset
- Shows learning as connected growth, not isolated failures
- Celebrates progress regardless of starting point
- Helps students see their unique learning path
- Frontend: React + TypeScript (component reusability)
- Visualization: D3.js for interactive constellation interface
- Data Management: Local storage + CSV import (no external dependencies)
- Authentication: Simple local profiles (no complex oauth requirements)
- Deployment: Netlify/Vercel for easy access
- Offline-first: Works without internet connectivity
- Progressive enhancement: Starts simple, grows with teacher comfort
- Mobile responsive: Usable on tablets during class
- Accessibility compliant: WCAG AA standards for diverse learners
| Phase | Timeline | Focus | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research | Weeks 1-2 | User interviews & technical validation | Research summary + feature priorities |
| Design | Weeks 3-5 | Wireframes, prototypes, usability testing | Interactive Figma prototype |
| Development | Weeks 6-10 | MVP build with core constellation features | Functional demo application |
| Portfolio | Weeks 11-12 | Documentation, case study, video demo | Complete portfolio piece |
- 15+ educator interviews across 5 subject areas with positive feedback
- 90%+ task completion rate in cross-curricular usability testing
- Teachers report the tool would improve their ability to support diverse learners
- Students feel empowered (not stigmatized) by their learning profile visualization
- Parents report improved home-school communication about learning strategies
- Cross-curricular constellation visualization working with real multi-subject data
- Sub-3-second load times on typical school devices
- Full accessibility compliance (WCAG AA) across all user interfaces
- Seamless mobile-to-desktop experience for teachers
- Featured in EdTech job applications (Khan Academy, Coursera, ClassDojo, etc.)
- Demonstrates deep understanding of education challenges beyond single subjects
- Shows ability to research, validate, and build solutions for complex user needs
- Evidence of inclusive design and accessibility-first development approach
- Proves unique value of teacher + parent + designer perspective in EdTech
This project combines:
- Masters in Art of Teaching + secondary English classroom experience
- 8 years freelance graphic/web design experience
- Career transition goal: Moving into EdTech product design
- Unique value: Understanding both education and design deeply
Building in public to share insights and connect with others in EdTech!
├── docs/ # Research findings and documentation
├── design/ # Wireframes, mockups, design system
├── src/ # Application source code
│ ├── components/ # React components
│ ├── services/ # Data management
│ └── utils/ # Helper functions
├── public/ # Static assets
└── README.md # This file
- Project Updates: [Watch this repo for progress]
- Professional Profile: [Your LinkedIn]
- Design Portfolio: [Your website]
- Questions/Feedback: Open an issue or reach out directly
Version 1.0: Individual teacher dashboard with constellation views
Version 2.0: Parent communication integration
Version 3.0: Cross-teacher collaboration and data sharing
Long-term: District-wide learning analytics while preserving student privacy
"Every student has a unique learning constellation - we just need better tools to see it."
License: MIT | Status: Active Development | Last Updated: [12 SEPT 2025]
License: MIT | Status: Active Development | Last Updated: Sept 11 2025