Evidence-based EdTech evaluation platform

Executive Summary

EdTech Evidence Exchange partnered with Onetree to design and deliver a digital evidence-collection platform aimed at helping educators and institutions make more informed, data-driven decisions when evaluating and adopting educational technology.

As a grant-funded nonprofit, EdTech Evidence Exchange needed a solution that was rigorous yet accessible, capable of capturing complex, high-quality data on real-world EdTech usage while remaining intuitive for educators with diverse backgrounds and roles. The platform had to balance data integrity, usability, and trust, ensuring anonymity and encouraging honest participation at scale.

Onetree led the end-to-end product design process, working closely with stakeholders to translate this vision into a scalable, user-centered MVP. Through iterative design, early user validation, and close collaboration across teams, we shaped a platform that simplifies data collection, structures insights effectively, and supports evidence-based decision-making across the EdTech ecosystem.

The result was a robust and flexible foundation that enables EdTech Evidence Exchange to support institutions in reducing risk, improving evaluation processes, and making smarter technology investments, all delivered under tight timelines and with a strong focus on long-term scalability.

The Challenge: Building a trusted and scalable foundation for evidence-based EdTech evaluation

EdTech Evidence Exchange set out to create a digital platform capable of collecting reliable, real-world evidence on educational technology usage to support institutions in making high-stakes investment decisions.

One of the primary challenges was capturing complex and sensitive data from educators while ensuring anonymity, transparency, and compliance. Users needed to feel confident that their information would be handled responsibly, encouraging honest participation without fear of exposure or bias.

At the same time, the platform had to accommodate a highly diverse user base, including educators with different roles, certifications, and institutional contexts. Designing an experience that could adapt dynamically to multiple user profiles, without overwhelming users or compromising data quality, was critical.

Additionally, the solution needed to be delivered as a scalable MVP under tight timelines, balancing immediate validation with a long-term vision. The platform had to be flexible enough to evolve, support future iterations, and integrate seamlessly into EdTech Evidence Exchange’s broader mission of enabling evidence-based decision-making across the education ecosystem.

The Solution: Designing a scalable, user-centered platform for evidence-based decision-making

Onetree partnered closely with EdTech Evidence Exchange to translate a complex vision into a clear, intuitive, and scalable digital experience. Our approach focused on reducing friction for educators while ensuring the quality, structure, and reliability of the data collected.

We designed a progressive, multi-step survey experience that adapts to user inputs, allowing educators to provide detailed information without feeling overwhelmed. By breaking down complexity into manageable steps, the platform balances depth of insight with ease of use, encouraging completion while maintaining data integrity.

Throughout the process, we followed an iterative, validation-driven design approach. Low-fidelity concepts were quickly prototyped and refined through continuous feedback loops with stakeholders and early users. This allowed us to validate assumptions early, surface usability risks, and evolve the experience based on real usage scenarios.

Close collaboration between design and development teams ensured that decisions made during discovery and prototyping translated seamlessly into a robust MVP. The resulting solution provides a flexible foundation, ready to scale, evolve, and support future enhancements, while already delivering meaningful value by enabling evidence-based evaluation of educational technologies.

The multi-step survey experience: educators add their associations and certifications, with a note explaining how their data stays anonymous

Results & Impact: Enabling confident, evidence-based EdTech decisions

The delivery of the MVP provided EdTech Evidence Exchange with a reliable, scalable platform to support the evaluation of educational technologies using real-world evidence.

By combining a clear, user-centered experience with a solid data foundation, the platform enabled educators to share high-quality insights efficiently, while preserving anonymity and trust throughout the process. This resulted in strong user engagement and validated the platform’s ability to collect meaningful data without introducing friction or fatigue.

From an organizational perspective, the solution established a long-term foundation for growth. The MVP was designed to evolve, supporting future iterations, expanded data models, and deeper analytical capabilities, while already fulfilling its core mission of reducing risk in EdTech investment decisions.

Most importantly, the platform strengthened EdTech Evidence Exchange’s capacity to empower institutions with credible, evidence-based insights, reinforcing its role as a trusted partner in the education ecosystem and enabling more informed, confident technology adoption decisions.

The Exchange Platform dashboard, with the context inventory to complete and a district-level Teacher Agency report

Key Questions: Designing an evidence-based EdTech evaluation platform

Strategic insights into collaborative design, early validation, and building trust in data-driven decision-making

Why were design sprints and co-creation workshops essential to the project?

Design sprints and co-creation workshops enabled fast alignment around goals, constraints, and priorities under tight timelines. These sessions were key to validating information architecture, clarifying complex data logic, and ensuring decisions were made through shared understanding across stakeholders.

How did weekly feedback sessions influence the final outcome?

Weekly feedback sessions with the client and potential users supported continuous validation throughout the design process. This iterative cadence helped surface usability issues early, refine flows incrementally, and ensure the platform evolved based on real needs rather than assumptions.

Why was early user involvement critical to the design process?

Engaging users from the earliest stages reduced risk and strengthened decision-making. Early validation ensured the experience remained clear, intuitive, and trustworthy, while increasing confidence in the quality and reliability of the data collected.

How did a collaborative approach support delivery under tight deadlines?

A highly collaborative workflow, bringing together stakeholders, designers, and developers, accelerated alignment and decision-making. This minimized rework, improved efficiency, and enabled the successful delivery of a high-quality MVP.

How does this design approach reduce risk in high-stakes decision-making?

By validating the platform continuously with real users and stakeholders, the process reduced uncertainty and avoided costly assumptions. The combination of design sprints, co-creation workshops, and ongoing feedback resulted in a solution that decision-makers can trust to support accurate, defensible EdTech investment decisions.

Ready to make confident decisions through collaborative design?

At Onetree, we help organizations design and build scalable, user-centered platforms grounded in collaborative design processes and early validation. By involving stakeholders and users from the start, we reduce risk and support well-founded, data-informed decisions.