Logic Models as a Framework for Iterative User Research in Educational Technology: Illustrative Cases

Educational technology development is a design problem. Product developers must optimize between what educational research suggests would be most effective, technological or other software development constraints, and the practical needs of end users and key stakeholders. Creating a logic model and using it to guide a user research program can help product developers tackle this problem. A logic model is a structured description of how a specific product achieves an intended learning outcome. Developing a logic model helps product developers make explicit their assumptions about users, product features, and use cases. Then a user research program can be constructed to test each of these assumptions and provide actionable feedback for further iterations of the product. In this chapter, we present three cases that highlight how the logic model approach can guide a program of research, and how that research has led to tangible product improvements.

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