Ash Scribe

NYC Public Schools


NYC Department of Education [DOE]
Public Sector B2B + B2C Qualitative Quantitative
Multilingual




My Role
Scoped, designed, and conducted foundational strategy research to deliver real-time insights to designers and stakeholders, shaping the roadmap for NYC’s first online school application and admissions system.


The Problem
The largest school system in the U.S. (1.1 million students, 1,800+ schools) relied on paper forms and spreadsheets. The process was complex, inaccessible, and inefficient. NYC needed its first online application system, with an interactive back-end, to re-build family trust.


My Approach
Ran qualitative studies with families and admins uncovering pain points and trust barriers

Ran quantitative analysis of existing systems

Conducted mobile-first usability testing, in multiple languages 

Fed strategy and key findings to design team in real time to shape feature roadmap





Impact
Shaped digital strategy for 1.1 million students annually, in 10 languages 

Reduced design cycle time by 70%

Established accessibility benchmarks for WCAG 2.1 AA+

Secured $10M contract  







    What People Said

    “They’ve delivered a family-focused tool in which parents can easily navigate their children’s choices for High School, Middle School, Kindergarten and Pre-K.”

    -  Chief Enrollment Officer / New York City Public School 






    Awards 
    • Anthem Award / Silver / Education – Innovation
    • Communicator Award of Distinction / Education
    • W3 Awards / Gold / Web Applications / Services
    • W3 Awards / Gold / Local Government
    • Summit Creative Awards / Silver / Government Websites
    • Webby Awards / Honoree / Government & Civil Innovation














    ashscribe.insights@gmail.com