Online Testing for Financial Analysts (con't)

The Challenge:

The online system would be used by the course administrators to set up student accounts and run reports on student scores by company, class, and exam. Students would use the system to log in and take the exams which were delivered in various formats ranging from multiple choice to free-form numeric answers. Student exams were automatically scored and linked to study materials depending on their answers. The exam reports used graphical bar-charts that indicated what topics students needed had difficulty with, as well as their individual performance. Corporations whose employees were participating in the seminars could log onto the system to track the performance of their trainees. The entire system, including the student exams and the instructor administration, would be accessible on the Web.

The Solution:

Flat design mockups and storyboards were not sufficient to define the requirements of an interactive learning system. The system was being built in a Microsoft Windows 2000 environment on a SQL Server 2000 database. Consequently, the budget did not allow for the creation of working prototypes, which would have required an up-front investment in the exam database which was the most expensive deliverable.

The solution required a demo format that was a cut above Wireframe mockups, and a step below a real working prototype. In response, a Project Calibrate information architect converted the page designs for the exam administrator's area into a static simulation. This demo was built entirely in HTML and populated with "dummy" data. By using an HTML skeleton, the clients could quickly walk through the application, playing with the drop-down menus and running fake exam reports. The shell allowed the client to suggest a variety of feature and usability improvements that would have been difficult to make later in the project.

The Result:

Training managers were able to identify gaps in the skill sets of their incoming trainees. Real-time student performance data allowed instructors to tailor live seminars to the particular needs of the class. The online testing system created a lucrative new revenue stream for the client, as leading investment banks signed up for online diagnostic testing as an add-on to live seminars.

Screen Shot of Instructor Performance Review Survey Results: