Workload Automation For Teacher in Scotland
Understanding teacher workload in the Scottish education context
Product Design
Project Duration
8 months
Who for
Zimplex, a platform simplifying school systems and reducing teacher workload
My Role
Led end-to-end product design, covering UX, visual design and brand direction
Collaboration
Worked closely with teachers, school leaders, and support staff through workshops and in-school sessions to understand real workflows. Collaborated with CivTech stakeholders and developers to shape solutions aligned to both user needs and government priorities.
The Problem
CivTech released a challenge to address the growing barriers teachers face when accessing and managing key information across digital systems. Fragmented tools, low confidence, and inconsistent processes were increasing workload and limiting effective use of technology.
Process & Approach
User Research
We ran insight gathering workshops, mapping sessions and in depth interviews with teachers, heads and support staff.
The focus was understanding how information flows, where tools break down and what manual workarounds staff rely on.
Research insights
Post workshop, we mapped user journeys and uncovered that juggling multiple disconnected systems was a major driver of increased teacher workload and pressure.
Fragmented systems
Data is spread across disconnected systems with no single source of truth
Repetitive workflows
Tasks are repeated manually across systems, increasing workload and inefficiency
Communication being lost
Information is scattered across channels, leading to missed updates and confusion
Workshops in School
We conducted bespoke workshops across schools in Scotland, speaking with teachers and wider school stakeholders to understand the workflows driving increased workloads and identify the key pain points within them.
Design synthesis
We focused on two key areas that we felt would tackle majority of the issues faced by teachers and admin staff in the Scottish context, the first one being Data and Information and the second being Automating the workflows
Data and Information
A centralised view that brings together key student data such as attendance, behaviour, and attainment, allowing teachers to quickly access everything in one place when preparing for lessons or reviews
Automating workflows
Automates everyday tasks such as logging behaviour, tracking attendance, and assigning follow-ups, reducing manual effort and freeing up time for teaching and student support
Design opportunity
The work translated complex research into a clear, compelling direction for government stakeholders, helping validate the problem space and unlock funding to move the solution forward.
Secured funding
After presenting the findings to the Scottish government, the company secured funding to explore their solution further
Presenting core UR findings back to Government
The extensive research approach allowed government to understand core issues faced by teachers
UR Approach sessions within the government
One of the positive effects of the UR approach we had taken, gave us the opportunity to run sessions within the UR department in the Scottish government talking about it all
