Designing a solution that helps teachers reclaim 20% of their time

THE OPPORTUNITY

Did you know? Teachers lose up to 20% of their instructional time due to off task behavior.

That can amount to 1 month over the school year.

Teachers lose valuable instructional time during lesson transitions. According to our user research:

Disruptions like switching tabs or hunting for files often led to off-task behavior, breaking classroom flow. We saw a clear opportunity: create a tool to help teachers guide mood, energy, and focus between lessons, without losing student attention.

"That extra 30 seconds, you've lost the class, and it takes you five minutes to bring them back."

— Mrs. Castillo, 3rd Grade Teacher

MY ROLE

I was the sole designer on this project, responsible for defining the experience from scratch.

I collaborated with internal education consultants, led workshops, and partnered with product and engineering to shape the vision.

WHAT IS MOODSETTER?

Moodsetter was envisioned as a fullscreen app for Promethean's ActivPanels.

It would deliver scientifically supported audio-visual content to help students calm down, refocus, or energize.

Over time, teachers would be able to customize content or generate their own using AI. But in the MVP, the goal was simple: help teachers reclaim lost minutes with one tap.

GETTING GROUNDED IN THE CLASSROOM

With no formal scope or early requirements, I started by talking to the people closest to the problem.

I planned and led a collaborative workshop with six Promethean Educational Consultants, former teachers who now train educators on our tools. We discussed:

• Common classroom distractions

• Transition rituals and pain points

• Content types that could help with calming, focusing, or energizing

This gave me insight into both the context of use and the content that would actually support teachers.

SOLVING THREE UX CHALLENGES

What I Didn't Know and How I Figured It Out.

1. Defining the right content

   The workshop gave me clarity on what kinds of content teachers actually needed and what would be a distraction.

2. Figuring out how to make that content

   I researched generative AI options alongside other approaches like using stock media, contracting creators, or internal production.

3. Getting buy-in across teams

   After creating high-fidelity mockups, I presented Moodsetter to the broader product and engineering org. This demo generated excitement, sparked integration ideas, and helped me secure a PM for the project.

DESIGNING FOR FLOW, NOT JUST FUNCTION

The interface featured four main areas, each strategically ordered to match a teacher’s mental state and available time:

1. Hero Carousel: Showcases fresh or suggested Moodsetters for fast, effortless use.

2. Favorites: Quick access to teacher-saved Moodsetters, minimizing setup time.

3. Explore Library: A searchable, filterable library organized by mood and moment.

4. Create: A customizable tool to let teachers upload or remix content.

I intentionally ordered these sections by effort level, from immediate action to deep customization, to respect a teacher’s classroom context.

THE OUTCOME

Though it wasn’t prioritized for development due to company restructuring, the project unlocked several wins:

• A new team offered a solution for how Moodsetter content could be displayed on the panels

• A PM volunteered to join the initiative

• The product sparked internal excitement and planted a seed for future work

Even without launch, Moodsetter demonstrated a real classroom need and helped define what seamless, emotionally intelligent lesson transitions could look like.

WHAT I LEARNED

What This Project Taught Me About Impact Without a Release.

• Teachers don’t have time for friction, the best design is invisible.

• A well-timed workshop can be more powerful than weeks of assumptions.

• Getting people excited early on is how momentum starts and how product ideas survive uncertainty.