The problem
Finance teams in academies and educational trusts rely on timely, clear and accessible data and guidance to make informed decisions.
Our latest research identified several challenges with the current system:
- users struggle to navigate between multiple platforms to access grant allocation information for their academies
- users are not confident that they are accessing the most up-to-date information
- users expect a payment schedule that includes all funding streams, not just individual payments
- users struggle when remittance emails go to different people or outdated inboxes
- users need an easy way to compare funding information
- users find it hard to locate funding guidance and will download and file documents themselves to ensure future access
How we approached the problem
To quickly generate and evaluate ideas, we used the Crazy 8s method—a fast-paced sketching exercise designed to spark creativity and surface potential solutions.
What is Crazy 8s?
Crazy 8s is a brainstorming technique where participants sketch eight different ideas in eight minutes. The goal is to encourage rapid idea generation, helping teams explore a wide range of possibilities before refining the best ones.
We ran this workshop at the end of our second round of user research, before diving into a detailed analysis of findings. This allowed us to capture the team’s informed insights while their understanding of users' needs was still fresh.
Key ideas from the Crazy 8s session
After reviewing the sketches and discussing the most promising concepts, three strong ideas emerged:
a single platform consolidating all funding information Instead of scattered sources, this platform would bring all grants, allocations, and remittances into one easily accessible place
a dashboard providing an overview of funding streams and payment schedules Users would see a clear, at-a-glance summary of their funding situation, making planning and financial forecasting easier
AI assisted search function Users enter queries in to a AI Chat that has been trained to return a mix of summaries and in-depth responses from authoritative sources
Next steps
With these ideas in hand, we will move into prototyping and further user testing. Our goal is to refine these concepts based on real-world feedback and create a system that truly meets the needs of financial teams in schools and trusts.
We’ll continue iterating and improving, ensuring that funding information is clear, accessible, and always up to date.