Explorations of designing spatial classroom analytics with Virtual Prototyping

Despite the potential of spatial displays for supporting teachers' classroom orchestration through real-time classroom analytics, the process to design these displays is a challenging and under-explored topic in the learning analytics (LA) community. This paper proposes a mid-fidelity Virtual Prototyping method (VPM), which involves simulating a classroom environment and candidate designs in virtual space to address these challenges. VPM allows for rapid prototyping of spatial features, requires no specialized hardware, and enables teams to conduct remote evaluation sessions. We report observations and findings from an initial exploration with five potential users through a design process utilizing VPM to validate designs for an AR-based spatial display in the context of middle-school orchestration tools. We found that designs created using virtual prototyping sufficiently conveyed a sense of three-dimensionality to address subtle design issues like occlusion and depth perception. We discuss the opportunities and limitations of applying virtual prototyping, particularly its potential to allow for more robust co-design with stakeholders earlier in the design process.