MIND is a unique organization, in that we are a nonprofit in the edtech and SaaS space. We also have a math program that uses a neuroscience-driven, game-based approach to teaching math. We often talk about "teaching math the way the brain learns," but the uniqueness of our program is something that requires some unpacking. In the past we had a presentation tool for salespeople that was built on a proprietary platform. As we approached the launch of the latest version of our ST Math program, we wanted to update the presentation tool, which we call a "conversation tool." The old tool was built on Flash, and was designed to run on iPads.
Our goal was to create a tool that could be used for a variety of conversations, was easy to use, and could be used on any device. I worked with our Visual Design Manager Nick Merritt on this project. Nick used the Slides platform as the foundation for our tool. Among other things, the Slides platform allows you to create decks that can have multiple conversation strands that are easy to navigate.
My job was to work on the content for the tool, and that involved working with a cross-departmental team of stakeholders. From a narrative standpoint, we needed to have a "critical path" through the presentation that could be delivered in a short meeting. But we also wanted to create conversation strands that allowed for deeper discussion, and leveraged more content. The diagram to the right is the original content map I created to illustrate the different types of conversations we wanted to include.
We did not get to build everything I had envisioned into the first iteration of the tool, which included conversation strands for other teams to leverage the tool as well (social impact, thought leaders, etc.). But we did get the critical path and initial conversations built in, as well as all the games we wanted to share.
This video provides a quick look at a couple aspects of the tool. As you can see, the main menu allows you to jump to any section in the tool. We also have actual games from our ST Math program that can be played inside of the tool, and even played by those in the audience via QR code. You can also see the interactive slider on one of the slides that allows us to show the progression from visual to symbolic math.
There are conversation strands that highlight elements of the curriculum and how they align to standards, highlights of the latest additions to the program, and a deeper dive into the neuroscience behind our approach to math.
I'm really happy with how the tool turned out, and the feedback we received on it was great.