CONSUMER PROBLEM

Caretakers of students find themselves losing touch with the schools they are meant to trust, feeling ignored and helpless in a system meant to better support their underserved community.

BUSINESS CONTEXT

At the same time, KIPP had seen student recruitment and retention to be a challenge. As it grew, it found itself falling victim using cookie-cutter models as it opened new schools. KIPP not only needed to regain a meaningful connection with their current communities, they needed to develop a repeatable approach to building engagement within them as it continued to scale.

APPROACH

To ensure longevity and “stickiness” to the user-centered process we wanted to instill, we first turned to key stakeholders to level-set hopes and fears, and hypotheses and challenges. With a better idea of what success looked like, we focused on developing a research capability for the Advocacy & Community Engagement team. From moderating tips to discussion guide flows, we equipped them with tools and training that would allow them to conduct frequent, agile research with its users.

After putting their new skillset into practice in the East Oakland community, we guided them through an insights workshop to distill key learnings around the families that KIPP serves and their school selection process. Together, we discovered the key to creating schools of the community was to consider the whole student—beyond the 8-hour school day. It meant having a greater impact in the community beyond its four walls and opening its ears to the voice and needs of the caretakers behind each of its students.

OUTCOMES

With a better grasp of its users and how to reach them, KIPP has embedded empathy learning within its launch process, and has kicked off development on a new messaging campaign that highlights the caretaker behind every student.

RESPONSIBILITIES & KEY ACTIVITIES

Internal Assessment
Stakeholder Interviews
Capability Building
Training & Facilitation
1:1 Interviews
Consumer Profiles
Consumer Journey Mapping
Insight Workshop
Touchpoint Communication