Top 4 tech tips for ‘at distance’ implementation
by Mike Dawson, CEO of Ustad Mobile
Ustad Mobile has been honoured to be the technology partner working with Amal Alliance and Friendship NGO for the implementation of the Colors of Kindness curriculum in Bangladesh. The programme required rapid implementation with just weeks from getting a green light to starting classes. Below are our top tips on implementing the tech side of a distance education programme, from a distance, within a short timeframe.
Keep the User Experience (UX) as simple as possible
Teacher training is vital, but keeping the UX as simple as possible is equally vital. The ease of use of the UX is what determines whether your training is pitched at the right level. The UX is like a joke, if you have to explain it, it’s not working. Keeping the UX simple allows teacher training to focus on implementation in the classroom instead of navigating menus.
Minimise changes and avoid scope creep
It’s easy to get carried away by the wave of optimism that’s present at the start of a project about what the possibilities are. Anything is possible, but you can’t do everything. When the timeline is tight it is vital to pick only the most important changes to avoid timeline crunches and potential unforeseen bugs.
Invest in self-service options
A project with a team spread out around the world with different working weeks and different holidays might need data anytime. It can be tempting to leave a few things as manual procedures that are done by technical staff, as needed. This can make it difficult to get the data to the intended users, and the overhead can slow down other development work. It’s always nicer to have a self-service interface of some kind.
Use simulated bad connections for testing
Some of us are lucky enough not to have to contend with a bad Internet connection on a regular basis. It is essential to test an app with a bad connection before it is used in an environment where connectivity is unreliable. Connectivity is not a binary state. An app that works fine offline (where it instantly knows it cannot look up data from the server) may struggle when a connection is present, but weak. Software can be used to simulate a bad Internet connection to ensure an app delivers the best user experience possible under the circumstances.
