Building culturally responsive technology requires authentic community input. Here’s what we learned from our comprehensive UX testing with Caribbean-American educators.
In a project designed to create culturally responsive evidence-based sexual health education for Caribbean youth in the U.S., dfusion has reimagined how to bridge the successful FOY-C program implemented in Caribbean schools and the unique needs of Caribbean immigrant communities in the United States. User experience (UX) testing has been a critical component of this innovative technology platform development process.
The Challenge: Bridging Culture and Technology
When adapting the evidence-based FOCUS on Youth Caribbean (FOY-C) HIV prevention curriculum for U.S. Caribbean communities, we faced a critical question: How do we create a digital platform that provides an accessible and rigorous educational technology that honors and meets needs of the diverse cultures and communities from Caribbean islands that are living in multiple regions of the US?
Our answer was comprehensive, community-centered user experience testing.
Our Testing Approach
We conducted in-depth usability testing with Caribbean and Caribbean-American educators who work directly with youth in their communities across the US and in the Caribbean. Each hour-long session included:
- Think-aloud protocols where educators verbalized their thought processes while navigating the platform
- Task completion assessments measuring both success rates and completion speed
- 7-point Likert scale ratings for task difficulty and feature satisfaction
Key Platform Features Tested
Teacher Dashboard . The core digital hub to support educator implementation of the educational content including the curriculum-builder features and customization options, is designed to accommodate educators with varying levels of technical expertise and different community characteristics.
Content Delivery Interface . A student-facing website that delivers customized course content, built for lightweight performance—crucial for settings with limited internet bandwidth (a potential challenge in areas of the US and Caribbean nations).
Progress Monitoring System. The teachers have access to a convenient student progress tracking solution, addressing the reality that many community educators lack access to integrated educational technologies such as a Learning Management Systems (LMS).
Implementation Fidelity Dashboard. Automated weekly monitoring with prompts and training to improve program implementation—a direct response to research showing that educator fidelity correlates strongly with positive youth outcomes.
Educator Voices: Easing our Burden
“It is a good start. I do believe it has good potential and focus for youth. The areas are very easy to work with in terms of an educator. Educators who are not even tech savvy could play with this and move through pretty easily.”
Intuitive Usability Features
- Intuitive navigation: Most found the platform easy to understand once they started using it
- Cultural relevance: The customization options for different Caribbean communities resonated strongly
- Visual elements: Participants appreciated the video content and customization features like color changes and avatar options
- Professional appearance: The platform was rated highly for its professional look and feel
Cultural Authenticity in Design
- One of our most valuable insights came from the customization features. When testing the family story component, participants immediately connected with the diverse representation of skin tones and family composition options.
- Educators also appreciated practical cultural considerations, like clothing choices in images. One participant observed that characters wearing heavy winter clothes immediately signaled “they’re in New York” rather than the Caribbean, showing how visual details communicate cultural context.
Opportunities for the next Phase of Development
Clear Instructions Needed: Multiple educators emphasized the need for an easy-to-use checklist style guide to facilitate implementation with fidelity.
Enhanced Visual Design: While the overall design was well-received, some elements can be further refined. As one participant noted about the avatar icons: “They’re cute little placeholders, but students will need more choices.”
Better Contextual Help: Educators wanted more detailed descriptions of features and clearer hyperlinks or teacher tutorial materials to reduce potential confusion.
The Technical Foundation
Our platform was built on Google Cloud Platform using React for the frontend and Google Firebase for the backend. This architecture choice proved wise during testing—the lightweight design reduced bandwidth requirements, and educators noticed the responsive performance even during detailed customization tasks.
Moving Forward: Iterative Improvement
The testing revealed that while our core concept was strong, refinements in user guidance and visual polish would significantly enhance the user experience. Based on these findings, the next phase of FOYCUS will include:
- Clearer step-by-step instructions job aides for teachers
- Enhanced visual elements with higher resolution graphics
- Additional navigation cues throughout the platform
Lessons for Cultural Technology Design
Representation Matters: Authentic visual representation isn’t just nice to have—it’s essential for cultural relevance and user engagement.
Community Expertise is Irreplaceable: Formative research is essential, with direct input from community members who understand both the cultural context and practical implementation challenges.
Technology Must Serve Culture, Not Override It: Our platform succeeded because it amplified existing community strengths rather than imposing external solutions.
Iterative Testing Works: The think-aloud protocol revealed insights we never would have discovered through surveys alone.
Looking Ahead
Our UX testing with Caribbean and Caribbean-American educators didn’t just improve our platform—it validated our approach to culturally responsive technology design. By centering community voices from the beginning, we created a tool that truly serves the educators and youth it’s designed to support.
As we continue developing the FOCUS on Youth Caribbean educator platform, these insights guide every design decision, ensuring that technology serves culture, community, and most importantly, the young people whose healthy futures depend on culturally relevant, effective education. When young people see themselves reflected in their lessons, they are more likely absorb the information, integrate knowledge and apply skills.
The FOCUS on Youth Caribbean educator platform is being developed through SBIR Phase I funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, in partnership with dfusion Inc., West Virginia University, and community organizations serving Caribbean populations in Boston, New York, and Miami.