McGraw Hill

Modeled human-centered design alongside five specialized design teams over four months, then ran five design sprints across three months to shape a next-generation ELA program.

I made the teams test with real students before the sprint ended, not after, because a prototype that felt finished in the room kept failing the moment a ninth grader touched it.

McGraw Hill wanted to stay relevant and effective for K-12 classrooms and to reimagine grades 6-12 English Language Arts for a digital age, while equipping its in-house design teams with human-centered methods.

• Worked side-by-side each week for four months with five specialized design teams, offering design methods training and coaching.
• Spoke with K-5 teachers to understand their needs, then ran five design sprints with teacher and student interviews, concept testing, and workshops.
• Built prototypes based on the interviews, tested their effectiveness with teachers, and delivered templates, personas, journey maps, and a final presentation deck.

A reimagined vision for ELA learning with a clear path forward, and prototypes for easy-to-use platforms that supported teachers and improved classroom outcomes.