Distributing Vital Research to Diverse Digital Audiences
Overview
Established in 1968, Mathematica is a prominent, independent research organization dedicated to advancing evidence-based solutions to overcome some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Mathematica partners with government agencies, foundations, and nonprofits to tackle complex problems and drive meaningful change. These partnerships ensure that research findings are translated into effective strategies and interventions. Mathematica developed the Education-to-Workforce Indicator Framework (E-W Framework), in collaboration with a range of partners and other experts to assess and address disparities in the pre-K-to-workforce continuum. It engaged Velir to craft a dynamic website to showcase this framework and make its resources easy for key stakeholders to use.
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Challenge
Mathematica sought to leverage grant funding to create a digital platform that would not only communicate the E-W Framework’s vision but facilitate access to valuable resources and engage diverse stakeholders ranging from educators to policymakers interested in collecting and using data to advance educational and economic opportunity.
The primary challenge was to design and develop an accessible website to present the E-W Framework while also serving as a hub for ongoing engagement and collaboration among users. The platform needed to reflect Mathematica’s commitment to evidence-based solutions in addition to being user-friendly and visually engaging.
The client’s challenges included:
- Providing a platform for users to easily access and filter vast resources
- Building awareness for how the E-W Framework can help organizations achieve their education and workforce-related goals
- Delivering a user-friendly and visually engaging web experience
Approach
Velir’s Digital Solutions and Development teams worked with Mathematica designers to reach consensus on the visual look and feel of the E-W website and define a scalable solution. This included using artwork and comps provided by Mathematica’s design team.
Once designs were fully handed off, Velir’s Digital Solutions team identified the global, page-level, and component-level functional requirements needed to build out the website. These requirements were documented as specification tickets, outlining the intended functionality of the website features, providing a prescription for development, and serving as a reference for QA and content entry teams. The Mathematica team reviewed and approved the tickets, solidifying a shared understanding of the functionality of the website features.
Upon Mathematica’s approval of the functional specifications, Velir built a development plan by grouping tickets into two-week development sprints using Agile Scrum methodology. A unique feature we developed enables users to custom build printable packets by applying filters to specify the content most relevant to their needs.
We also ensured that the website could grow. Velir did this by making it simple to add new features and pages to accommodate changes during subsequent releases of the site.
Our approach included:
- Mapping page designs to global and page-level componentry
- Writing functional specification tickets and reviewing them with Mathematica
- Building the website in two-week development sprints using Agile Scrum methodology
- Positioning the website for continued evolution by making it straightforward for the client’s team to add new pages and features
Solution
Velir and Mathematica selected Drupal as the content management system best suited for the E-W website for several reasons. Chief among them is that Drupal is open source, scalable and secure. Together we launched a website that provides users access to the E-W Framework in a way that’s intuitive to use and helps accomplish the framework’s goal: promoting the use of common metrics and principles to 1) understand how students are progressing from pre-K to the workforce, 2) assess and address inequities, and 3) better support their success.
The site has had great traction and a strong engagement rate since its launch. From May 2023 through December 2024, there were 1,200+ downloads of the full report and 40+ organizations committed to implementing the framework. One education leader said, “Over the years, countless organizations and reports have promulgated metrics that matter — I have yet to see one as comprehensive as the E-W Framework.”
While the initial results are gratifying, Velir is proud to continue working with Mathematica on feature enhancements and ongoing Drupal development support of this important website and framework.
Results
- A website that disseminates the information and products related to the E-W Framework
- A robust Drupal platform positioned for ongoing feature enhancements
- Website statistics from the launch in May 2023 through December 2024 include:
- 1,200+ downloads of the full E-W Framework report
- A website engagement rate* of around 50%
- Direct support to 40+ organizations
*Engagement is defined as spending more than 10 seconds on the site, having at least 2 pageviews, and/or clicking on resources.