Education

Chalkboards to Circuit Boards

Navigating the Digital Shift in Public Education

A leading European education technology provider partnered with Jasper Colin to better understand the attitudes, behaviors, and preferences of academic decision-makers in public schools across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The client sought to evaluate the adoption of digital tools-such as learning management systems, communication platforms, and timetable software-and gain insights to inform future product development, positioning, and market expansion.

Study Objectives

Map out the Usage & Attitudes (U&A) of digital tools in public education
Identify key decision-making roles influencing EdTech procurement
Measure brand penetration and satisfaction across key platforms (e.g., Sdui, Untis, IServ, Bitmedia, EduPage)
Understand feature preferences and trade-offs using Conjoint Analysis
Prioritize platform features using MaxDiff
Test alternate platform designs and communication strategies via A/B testing
Segment respondents behaviorally to refine go-to-market strategies

Methodology Overview

Target Audience

The study focused exclusively on academicians and education officials involved in EdTech procurement, including:

All respondents were from public institutions and had direct involvement in selecting or implementing digital tools.

Advanced Research Techniques Deployed

1. Conjoint Analysis

To simulate real-world EdTech procurement scenarios, a Conjoint module was introduced to measure trade-offs between key product features, such as:

2. MaxDiff (Best-Worst Scaling)

To isolate the most and least valued platform attributes, respondents completed a MaxDiff exercise focused on:

Dashboard intuitiveness
Parent-teacher communication efficiency
Offline accessibility
Support & training
Customizable reporting features

3. A/B Testing

Unmoderated A/B testing was conducted on mock interface designs of digital school management platforms:

Metrics Tracked: Time-to-action, hesitation, drop-offs, backtracking

4. Behavioral Segmentation

Using response patterns, product usage behaviors, and tech-savviness, respondents were segmented into four clusters:

Digital Advocates: Tech-forward principals & IT managers
Practical Adopters: Prefer ease & reliability over features
Skeptical Gatekeepers: Security-obsessed, risk-averse

Conclusion

This study served as more than just a temperature check on digital tool adoption-it became a strategic compass for our client. By decoding the preferences, behaviors, and decision-making logic of key education stakeholders, we transformed scattered signals into a clear roadmap for success.

From product tweaks to persona-based outreach strategies, every insight was grounded in real-world academic contexts across the DACH region. With this intelligence in hand, the client wasn’t just better informed-they were better equipped to design smarter, sell sharper, and scale faster in one of Europe’s most competitive educational landscapes.