Innovation with the user at heart

To achieve this, our product development approach is based on three intertwined pillars:

• Conditions of acceptability: We rigorously ensure compliance with ethical and legal criteria to ensure a safe environment for all users.
• Criteria for adoptability: A tool is only useful if it is used. We test both usability and perceived usefulness so that its adoption by users is natural and intuitive.
• Educational benefits: This is our final compass. Each innovation is measured by its actual impact on student learning and success.
   

To ensure our tools meet actual needs, Alloprof goes into the field and meets with students, parents and teachers. Examples of this commitment to in-depth research include two recent major studies – one on personalized learning paths and the other on a homework help tool. Our research engaged more than 1,000 students in 51 classrooms and collected critical first-hand data. We also interviewed some 70 teachers to enrich our analysis with their practical perspective. This methodological rigour ensures that our products are always based on documented realities and actual needs.

Listening continues throughout the life-cycle of our projects. For example:

• Surveys are offered on our platforms at strategic locations and times to gather continuous feedback from students, parents, and teachers.
• Our team makes use of large public events such as the Salon du livre de Montréal and the Salon de l'apprentissage de Québec to test our products and gather feedback. This is where our prototypes, such as the new conjugation game Verbivore, pass their ultimate test: their spontaneous use by young people.
   

Our commitment to cutting-edge excellence leads us to collaborate with research teams from several fields. Our partnership with HEC Montréal's Tech3Lab, the largest UX research laboratory in North America, is an excellent example. 
 

This collaboration gives us access to state-of-the-art methodologies and tools, such as pupil measurement by eye tracking to determine the learner's cognitive load in different contexts. This allows us to gain a scientific and objective understanding of how users interact with and respond to our platforms. We use this information to fine-tune every detail to ensure as fluid and intuitive an experience as possible.
 

Alloprof’s team of UX designers is dedicated to incorporating the voice of users at every stage of a project. Alexandra Nicolaïeff, UX designer at Alloprof and former high school French teacher, sums it up nicely:

“What excites me about our work is to see the positive impact we have on the lives of young people. Though I’m no longer in the classroom, I remain connected to the reality of students and teachers. Working in UX means ensuring our work is never based on simple assumptions – our job is to serve as spokespeople for our users, giving weight to their needs so that the learning experience is as fluid and pleasant as possible.”

All Alloprof initiatives, as technical as they are, have a single objective: to help people find pleasure in learning and confidence in their abilities. By focusing innovation on the learner and on advancing knowledge at the intersection of educational sciences and product development, we ensure that the impact of every advancement is felt throughout the educational ecosystem.