Elements of Superior School Mobile App Design
Mobile apps are almost mandatory for all organizations these days, especially if you want to communicate important information to your members or customers. This is no different for schools, whose students are their members and, to some extent, their customers. Mobile apps for schools should be designed to make communication easier, so if you’re looking to create one for your school, be sure to incorporate these elements of superior school mobile app design.
Integration
Arguably, the way in which your mobile app is integrated with your other digital channels is the most important design element of your app. This is because you don’t have time to put information in several places. You need an app that will display the information you put on your website and vice versa. This ensures that you don’t provide different information on different channels, which can lead to all sorts of hassles and even liability issues.
Useful Calendar
Most students and their families schedule their lives around their school activities. If you don’t have a useful calendar on your app, its effectiveness is already less than it could be. Make sure the calendar in your app is user-friendly in that students and parents can add activities to it while still accessing the events and activities the school puts on it. Users should be able to filter the calendar by school or district to ensure they know when everything is happening, whether it’s at the school or not.
User-Friendly Directory
Part of the usefulness of having a school mobile app is the ability to find someone you need to talk to and contact them quickly and easily. A directory that is simple to access with links to automatically call or email each listing is an important feature that all school apps should have. A parent doesn’t want to have to sift through a bunch of pages to find the person they need to call. Additionally, your directory should update contact information automatically when it changes on the website. There’s nothing worse than out-of-date information when you’re trying to contact someone.
Access to Grades
Parent involvement is critical to student success, and having instant access to their kids’ grades on a mobile app lowers the barrier to that involvement. Make sure your app includes integration with your grade portal so that it is as up-to-date as possible. This feature also helps teach children how to manage their own educational experience by notifying them when their grades are updated or when they have received a low grade.
Customized Push Notifications
Most people will forget about an app if it doesn’t remind them that it’s on their phone and providing valuable information. But, users also don’t want a bunch of notifications that aren’t relevant to them. Strike a balance by setting up a mobile app that allows you to customize information based on grade level, teacher, or activity. This way, users will be less likely to disable their notifications and ensure they’re getting the information they need in a timely manner.
Conclusion
Providing students and parents with a mobile app for their school is one of the best things you can do to increase their engagement levels. Just make sure your app includes these important design elements to give users the best experience possible.
