Skyward collaborates with GUI expert
to maximize SMS user experience
SOLUTION
Skyward redesigns web user
interface for their School
Management System (SMS)
BENEFIT
Redesigned UI provides
customers with greater
ease of use, flexibility, and
efficiency, allowing them
to leverage their existing
Skyward investment to
the fullest
SKYWARD & GOMOLL’S GOAL
Take a highly capable,
industry-leading product
and redesign its UI so
customers can realize
maximum benefits
CASE STUDY
CUSTOMERS DESCRIBE NEW DESIGN AS “ELEGANT,”
“CLEAN,” “MODERN,” “FASTER,” AND “EASIER.”
Skyward is dedicated to delivering an innovative and powerful user
experience. The K-12 administrative technology provider is committed to
continuous improvement. One such advancement was the redesigned
web user interface (UI) Skyward unveiled for its industry-leading School
Management System (SMS). The improved UI offers new functions and
provides users with greater flexibility and efficiency. It empowers them to
leverage their existing Skyward investment in order to achieve even better
buy-in and results.
The development process
In order to develop the best UI, Skyward collaborated with Gomoll Research
+ Design, Inc. The Milwaukee-based firm is a leading expert in user-centered
interface design and usability. Skyward’s focus has always been, first and
foremost, on its customers, so Gomoll’s customer-centered approach to UI
design was a perfect fit. “Our approach is to focus on the people first and
then how we can enable them to use the technology in ways that are
most valuable to their day-to-day lives,” explained Tom Gomoll, the
firm’s principal.
Observation
To ensure the new UI design would benefit all of Skyward’s users, Gomoll’s
UI design experts initiated the project by visiting a number of districts, ranging
in both size and years of experience with Skyward to mitigate familiarity bias.
They observed how customers accomplished their daily tasks within SMS.
“By carefully watching how a number of Skyward’s customers perform their
jobs, we were able to understand, at a very specific level, what we could do
to streamline their tasks and help them to be even more successful,” said
Gomoll. “We designed the new Skyward web UI to meet the unique needs of
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“WITH SKYWARD’S NEW WEB UI, CUSTOMERS
CAN TAKE EVEN GREATER ADVANTAGE OF THEIR
EXISTING SKYWARD SYSTEM BY FINDING WHAT
THEY NEED MORE QUICKLY AND PERFORMING
THEIR TASKS WITH EVEN GREATER EFFICIENCY.”
Tom Gomoll, Gomoll Research + Design

both large and small districts and to ensure a user-friendly experience for both existing users and
new customers.”

Creation
Based on these observations, Gomoll collaborated with Skyward to design a new UI with an intuitive
layout that customers are comfortable with based on their experience with the Internet. The new web UI
enables Skyward’s users to navigate between screens far more quickly, increasing their efficiency,
productivity, and overall user experience. “With Skyward’s new web UI, customers can take even
greater advantage of their existing Skyward system by finding what they need more quickly and performing
their tasks with even greater efficiency,” said Gomoll.

Customer testing
After designing the UI, Gomoll Research + Design experts met with Skyward customers again, this time to
conduct usability tests. Based on their feedback, Skyward and Gomoll identified the design’s strong points
and where they needed to make further improvements.

The SMS 2.0 UI that resulted from Skyward and Gomoll’s partnership is easy to use and provides
customers with an even more efficient and satisfying user experience.

The School District of La Crosse realizes immediate benefits with faster and easier
access to information
The School District of La Crosse, Wisconsin comprises over 850 teachers and staff, serving the needs of
close to 7,000 students across 20 schools. The district has been a satisfied Skyward customer for over
nine years.

“Skyward has always been committed to working with us to ensure SMS meets our needs,” explains Vicki
Lyons, the district’s director of technology. “In fact, there is nothing we have ever asked for, or even
suggested, that they haven’t been able to deliver. One of the enhancements we wanted to see was a
more user-friendly UI. Our users wanted the ability to navigate in a more relational way—to link directly to
the information they sought, reduce the number of clicks it took to navigate, and view all of the information
they wanted quickly and easily. SMS 2.0 has dramatically achieved those goals.”

Preparing for SMS 2.0

La Crosse wanted to adopt the new UI as soon as it became available, meaning the district would have
to make the change during the school year. Skyward worked closely with Lyons and her team to provide
them with the information and resources they would need to master the UI and to educate their own users.
Skyward even provided templates of letters and email notifications that La Crosse could use to notify
parents and staff of the change and alleviate any concerns.

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 “USERS WERE THRILLED WITH THE ABILITY TO SEE
EVERYTHING THEY NEED ON JUST ONE SCREEN,
THE ABILITY TO OPEN MULTIPLE WINDOWS, AND
THE FACT THAT THEY ARE JUST ONE CLICK AWAY
FROM WHERE THEY NEED TO GO.”
Vicki Lyons, Director of Technology

Months before the implementation, Sonja Hoskins, data services manager for La Crosse, worked
with individuals such as teachers, administrators, special education staff, and principals to help them
understand precisely how the new UI would impact their specific roles. “Because each individual group
was able to see and understand the new UI from their own perspective, they weren’t overwhelmed. In fact,
many were excited for the change,” she said.

Results and reactions

The day the new UI went live, Lyons said the district’s day-to-day operations went on without a
single issue. “Users sat down, drank their coffee, and they were off. As soon as they logged in they were
using the system. There were honestly no issues whatsoever. Of course, we were concerned. Any kind of
change has the potential to be difficult. But the event was essentially a “nonevent”– which is great
news for those of us in IT.”

Reactions from users were immediate and positive. “People gave the UI high marks for its clean and
modern ‘Google look’ and the ability to customize the system to suit their preferences and needs,”
said Lyons. “Users were thrilled with the ability to see everything they need on just one screen, the ability
to open multiple windows, and the fact that they are just one click away from where they need to go.”

Hoskins said the UI is so intuitive that employees were able to get up-to-speed quickly and easily.
“Because it is so similar to what they are used to on the Web, it has a much lower learning curve
and they can work with the system right out of the gate. It’s just show, tell, and go.”

One of the most valuable aspects of SMS and the new UI, according to Lyons, is the interoperability.
“Even though SMS 2.0 is connected with a number of other tools and modules, the UI is very
elegant, moving the user quickly and easily from module to module. Users are very confident in
their ability to navigate and access the information they require. In fact, some users are already
sending newsletters and report cards electronically using data within the system.”

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“BECAUSE IT IS SO SIMILAR TO WHAT THEY ARE
USED TO ON THE WEB, IT HAS A MUCH LOWER
LEARNING CURVE; AND THEY CAN WORK WITH
THE SYSTEM RIGHT OUT-OF-THE-GATE.”
Sonja Hoskins, Data Services Manager
Deer Park ISD streamlines operations with flexible, easy-to-use user interface
Deer Park Independent School District, located 25 minutes east of Houston, is comprised of 15 schools,
1,600 employees, and over 12,500 students. Committed to ongoing excellence, the district prides itself
on its ability to continuously move forward in ways that ensure students receive the best education.
In this respect, Deer Park and Skyward are very much alike. While Skyward’s customers report very
high satisfaction levels, the company is never complacent in its success and strives to make further
enhancements to improve the user experience.

Results and reactions

Deer Park took advantage of Skyward’s new UI as soon as it was available. According to Sue Pike, the
district’s director of information services, the users’ reactions were positive from the start.

“Skyward has always been a robust system,” Pike said. “The new intuitive interface has simply
streamlined our ability to use the system. Many of our teachers commented on how modern and
clean it looked. And others said that the new UI made it much faster and easier to move around the
system. With options like the ‘Favorite Button,’ it is easier to find what you are looking for. The same goes
for the navigation. Our users really appreciate that they can use the headers to quickly jump around the
system versus having to rely on the ‘back’ button. And the ability to open multiple windows also empowers
them to quickly toggle between the information they need.”

Pike said one user told her the cleaner look actually made him want to learn where things were located. “It
is now easier for me to tell somebody where something is,” Pike said. “Before, I had to take them through
the process step by step. Now, I can just tell them what section to go to and they can easily figure the rest
out for themselves.”

Pike was initially worried that long-time users wouldn’t be willing to give up the old “button” UI. “But once
they realized how easy the header format was, how easy it was to manipulate, they quickly became
2.0 converts!”

Skyward is an industry leading K-12 school administrative software provider proudly

made and supported in the U.S.A. To learn more, visit www.skyward.com, or contact
your local office.

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