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Chicago Public School System
School Locator Application Research Case Study

Role: UX Researcher

Project background

Families using the CPS school locator need a simple, accessible, and mobile-friendly way to quickly find accurate information about schools, including location, programs, accessibility, and enrollment boundaries. Their goal is to make informed decisions about their child’s education with minimal frustration. For CPS, the business goal is to provide one reliable, data-driven platform that increases engagement, supports equitable access to information, reduces calls to support staff, and builds trust within the community by delivering a seamless, user-centered experience.

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Methodology

  • Review current user feedback and analysis to determine pain points for users of the Chicago Public School’s profile screens.

  • Gain an understanding of the CPS user demographics and create  personas and user journeys.

  • Conduct a competitive analysis of similar applications.

  • Conduct brainstorming sessions and redesign the application​

  • Conduct user testing and revise the designs based on this.

Role of Generative AI

  • Generate Interview & Survey Questions: Quickly create draft questions tailored to your project goals.

    • Example: “Create a set of user interview questions for parents searching for schools online.”

  • Summarize Research Findings: Turn lengthy notes or transcripts into concise, actionable insights.

  • Competitive Analysis: Quickly analyze competitor websites or apps and highlight UX strengths and weaknesses.

  • Create Personas: Draft initial personas based on user data, then refine them through actual research.

  • Secondary Research: Summarize industry trends, accessibility guidelines, or design best practices.

  • Create Test Scripts: Write step-by-step usability test guides for both moderated and unmoderated studies.

  • Draft Scenarios & Tasks: Generate realistic user scenarios for participants to follow.

  • Analyze Usability Feedback: Summarize findings from recordings or survey data into actionable reports.

User Demographics

Chicago public schools did not have any formal personas.  I utilized the existing demographic information, user interviews, and Generative AI to create essential profiles of our users.

  • Young population with numerous single-family households.

  • Diverse ethnically including many households where English may not be the first language.

  • The majority hold a high school degree or less.

  • The data is accessed by parents wanting to find better schools for their children.

  • The data is also used by teachers, administrators, and others in the course of their work and research,

  • many of whom have some type of education beyond high school.

  • I created 2 personas based on demographic data provided and Chat GPT.

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Key Performance Indicators (KPI's)

It was essential that I ground this research in testable KPI's in order to measure any improvements we would make.  I worked with the Product Manager and school administration to create these:

  • Search Success Rate: Percentage of users who successfully find a school by name, address, or filters.

  • Task Completion Time: How long it takes users to locate relevant schools.

  • Mobile Usability Score: Success and ease specifically measured on mobile devices.

  • Filter & Overlay Engagement: Frequency of use for filters (program, grade, etc.) and map overlays (boundaries, tiers).

  • User Satisfaction / Usability Ratings: Post-use ratings or Net Promoter Score (NPS).

  • Accessibility Effectiveness: Percentage of schools with an accessible rating visible; user success for mobility-impaired users.

  • Drop-off Rates: Points where users abandon the search or don’t move forward due to frustration.

Competitive Analysis

In order to understand the existing landscape for similar applications  and their strengths and weaknesses, we conducted a competitive analysis.  This gained us important insights into what worked for other schools:

Key Comparison Dimensions

  1. Search Functionality

  2. Filter & Sorting Options

  3. Map + List Integration

  4. Mobile Responsiveness

  5. Accessibility Support

  6. Clarity of School Information

  7. Performance and Speed

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Common Strengths Across the Best Tools

  • Split-screen design allowing map and list views at the same time.

  • Predictive search with auto-suggestions to reduce typing errors.

  • Location-based smart defaults (e.g., showing schools near the user’s home).

  • Clear, progressive disclosure of information (basic info first, deeper data later).

  • Filters that match parent priorities like program type, accessibility, or performance level.

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Common Weaknesses Across the Tools

  • Mobile usability issues:

    • Map features not optimized for small screens.

    • Forced screen rotation or awkward scrolling.

  • Slow loading times, especially for maps and PDF-based reports.

  • Lack of accessibility focus:

    • Limited info for parents with mobility-impaired children.

    • Missing screen reader optimization.

  • Information overload:

    • Too many metrics displayed without hierarchy, leading to decision fatigue.

  • No onboarding or help features, leaving new users confused about filters and terminology.

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Understanding the user journey of a parent

With the assistance of generative AI, the testing, and survey information gathered from school parent meetings, we created a user journey to help us brainstorm future solutions:

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Identifying User Friction 

We conducted user testing of the existing CPS school finder applications utilizing seven Chicago parents using UserTesting.com. We created a script and decided on an unmoderated approach using the existing applications.  I then conducted a careful analysis of the outcomes recording the data in an Excel spreadsheet.  

Key Testing Outcomes​

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  • Parents valued seeing all schools in one place and liked the map + list view when it worked smoothly.

  • Many were unsure how to start on the homepage; initial purpose was unclear.

  • Search results and map/list integration were confusing at times.

  • Filters were difficult to find and not always intuitive.

  • No side-by-side school comparison—parents struggled to evaluate options.

  • No way to save or favorite schools, making it hard to track choices.

  • Application steps were unclear; parents lacked confidence about what to do next.

“I found a couple schools I liked, but I don’t see any way to save them. Am I supposed to just write them down somewhere? That feels frustrating.”

CPS test participant
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Recommendations

Here is a summary of some of the general recommendations that appeared in the final research report presented to our stakeholders.

Clarify the Homepage Purpose

  • Add a short onboarding message or guided walkthrough to explain what parents can do.

  • Provide a clear “Start your search” call-to-action above the fold.
     

Enhance Search & Map Integration

  • Implement smarter address auto-complete with Google Maps–style suggestions.

  • Synchronize list and map views so selections highlight consistently in both.

  • Improve clustering and zoom controls to reduce map clutter.
     

Redesign Filters for Usability

  • Group filters into clear categories (e.g., Grade Levels, Programs, Services).

  • Use plain-language labels and progressive disclosure for advanced filters.

  • Show active filters at the top so users can easily add/remove criteria.

  • Remove unused filters to cut down on the number of choices.
     

Enable Side-by-Side Comparison

  • Provide a comparison table with key factors (academics, safety, extracurriculars, distance).

  • Highlight differences visually to support decision-making.
     

Introduce Save / Favorite Functionality

  • Allow parents to mark schools as favorites and view them in a “Saved Schools” list.

  • Provide the option to export or share lists (PDF, email, print).
     

 Streamline Next Steps / Application Flow

  • Add clear, consistent calls-to-action (“Apply Now” or “Learn How to Apply”) on every school page.

  • Offer contextual guidance about deadlines and eligibility.

  • Provide a simplified timeline view of the application process.
     

Improve Mobile Experience

  • Ensure filters, maps, and comparison features are optimized for small screens.

  • Use sticky buttons for actions like “Save” and “Apply” so they’re always accessible.

  • Use full-screen map with an overlaying list card on mobile.

  • Implement toggle or swipe to switch views.
     

 Boost Trust and Transparency

  • Show data sources and update dates for academic and safety metrics.

  • Add tooltips and plain-language explanations for jargon-heavy metrics.
     

 Modernize Visual Design

  • Adopt a cleaner layout with more whitespace and hierarchy.

  • Use consistent iconography and typography aligned with CPS branding.

  • Ensure full accessibility (color contrast, screen reader support, keyboard navigation).

Next steps

At this point in the process, my work was completed.  Next steps consisted of a presentation to development and assisting in prioritizing these changes with management.

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