Ed5

2024

Automated Curriculum Planner for Schools- SaaS

An AI-powered curriculum and timetable planner designed to automate school scheduling. The system generates a complete yearly timetable in seconds based on constraints like teachers, subjects, classes, and availability.

Role

Product Designer

Timeline

Team

Platform

Tablet & Web-based dashboard

Role

Product Designer

Timeline

Team

Platform

Tablet & Web-based dashboard

Overview

An AI-powered curriculum planner that automates school timetable creation, reduces scheduling conflicts, and enables real-time adjustments through a visual grid interface..

It reduces manual effort, eliminates scheduling conflicts, and enables real-time teacher swaps with instant validation. The interface uses a clean grid-based layout with guided inputs, making complex academic planning fast, flexible, and error-free.

Built with a focus on speed, usability, and system intelligence, this product transforms a multi-day administrative task into a seamless, seconds-long workflow.

Problem

Core Problem

  • Manual timetable creation is complex + error-prone

  • Multiple dependencies:

    • Teachers

    • Subjects

    • Classes

    • Time slots



UX Insight

  • Overloaded spreadsheets

  • Manual conflict resolution

  • No system intelligence

Design Opportunity

πŸ‘‰ Reduce cognitive load + decision fatigue

πŸ‘‰ UX Goal:
Simplify a multi-variable system into a controllable interface

Research

πŸ“Š Quantitative Research (Survey Data)

πŸ“Œ Category

πŸ“ˆ Value

🧠 What It Means

Manual scheduling usage

87%

Schools depend on outdated tools like Excel

Weekly scheduling conflicts

72%

High error rate in planning

Time spent per week

6–10 hrs

Massive inefficiency in admin workflows

Handling teacher absence

74% struggle

No dynamic system in place

Preference for automation

65% (with control)

Users want assistance, not full AI takeover


🧠 Qualitative Research (User Interviews)

User Type

Statement

UX Insight

School Admin

β€œWe recreate the timetable multiple times.”

Iteration fatigue due to lack of system validation

School Admin

β€œOne change breaks everything.”

System lacks flexibility

School Admin

β€œExcel doesn’t think.”

Need for intelligent automation

Teacher

β€œSome days are overloaded.”

Poor workload balancing

Teacher

β€œSchedules change suddenly.”

Lack of predictability & transparency



πŸ” Behavioral Observations

Observation

Impact

Opportunity

Trial-and-error scheduling

Time-consuming

Automate initial structure

No real-time validation

High error rate

Instant conflict detection

Manual constraint tracking

Cognitive overload

System-driven logic

Static timetable systems

Poor adaptability

Dynamic scheduling system


🧩 Problem Synthesis

Problem Area

Description

UX Opportunity

Constraint Overload

Too many variables (teachers, subjects, timing)

Smart rule-based automation

Iteration Fatigue

Rework multiple times

Reduce loops via system generation

Lack of Visibility

No system-level overview

Visual grid-based UI

Trust Gap

Users hesitant to rely on AI

Hybrid control (auto + manual)


🎯 Design Opportunity Mapping

User Need

Solution Direction

Save time

One-click timetable generation

Avoid conflicts

Real-time validation system

Flexibility

Editable grid interface

Control over automation

Manual override + swap feature



User Journey

Admin Scheduling


Journey Map


Current Journey (Before Product)

  1. Collect teacher + subject data

  2. Start building timetable manually

  3. Identify conflicts

  4. Rework entire structure

  5. Repeat multiple times

Pain Points

  • High friction in iteration

  • No system feedback

  • Time-consuming adjustments

πŸ‘‰ Opportunity Identified:

  • Reduce iteration loops

  • Provide real-time validation

  • Automate initial structure


User Scenario

Scenario 1: Quick Timetable Creation

Admin needs to generate full-year timetable in minimal time

βœ” System generates instantly
βœ” No conflicts by default

Scenario 2: Teacher Unavailable

A teacher is absent on a specific day

βœ” Admin swaps teacher
βœ” System validates instantly

Scenario 3: Manual Adjustment

Admin wants to tweak generated schedule

βœ” Editable grid
βœ” Immediate feedback (valid/invalid)

Ideation

An Automated Curriculum Planner that:

  • Generates a full-year curriculum and timetable in seconds

  • Allows real-time teacher substitution (swap system)

  • Balances:

    • Teacher workload

    • Subject distribution

    • School constraints

  • Provides manual override + AI-assisted suggestions

Designs

Lessons