The Opportunity Trust

Digital product strategy for a mission-driven nonprofit.

Role: Product Manager, Project Manager, UX Oversight

The Client

The Opportunity Trust is a non-profit organization created to ensure that everyone who calls St. Louis home is prepared to thrive. One of their major areas of focus is the troubled local education system.

The Challenge

St. Louis families are confronted by an overwhelming landscape of education options and information. The St. Louis School Finder website is being created to help parents steer through it all to find and access the best schools for their children to help them thrive. The design goal has been to identify a solution that meets the unique needs of St Louis families, and most importantly, those from disadvantaged populations.

The Approach

1. Community Consultation
   Our mission was to lead strategic planning for this new initiative. We started with in-depth research and discovery work to explore the real needs of St. Louis families. During this process, we spoke with over 180 families and dozens of school leaders. We also reviewed relevant academic research and consulted with experts and stakeholders in St. Louis and beyond.

2. Prototyping
   Next, we audited the landscape of similar tools across the country to get a sense of what best practices were emerging. Armed with clear user needs, we conducted a series of product design sprints to develop a prototype. This included an information taxonomy to present school performance and demographic data, a user interface design and a unique filter and rating system families can use to narrow their options and make the right choice. The mobile-first prototype was user-tested by families and informed a set of functional and nonfunctional requirements to bring the full solution to life.

3. Vendor Selection
   Next, my consultancy oversaw the evaluation and identification of a development and design vendor, facilitated onboarding and

4. Development & Product Management
   With the development partner chosen and the requirements in place, I assumed the role of “Product Manager”. The “the client before the client” to ensure the final site design, content, and platform reflects the user needs and goals identified in the strategy. We traveled down to St. Louis several times to collaborate with the development team.

5. Usability Testing

   Once the site was functioning, we traveled to St. Louis to test the site with over 30 parents. Upon return to Vancouver, I created a report with recommendations on changes to our first designs. The executive summary is below

6. Roadmap Creation & Prioritization

In preparation for the end of our contract, I created a product backlog and recommended roadmap for the client to carry forward and use as they continued to iterate and improve upon Navigate STL Schools. I held a remote ideation and prioritization session with the client to add to and refine the backlog.

The Results

Navigate STL Schools launched in late April and I look forward to seeing the impact it has on families.