April | 2018 | TechChange | The Institute for Technology and Social Change

TechChange is proud to announce the release of our new platform localization manager! Online learning partners can update navigation, reporting, and student experience language as easily as updating a spreadsheet.

When we ran our first Arabic-language online course in S. Sudan in 2012, it was clear to us that the TechChange platform doesn’t just need to be available in other languages: It needs to be flexible enough for a course facilitator to update on their own without any programming ability. And while the UI for our course content is as easy to update with any UTF-8 characters or language (just click on the “pencil” icon!), the platform itself depends on a wide range of integrations and top-level navigation that wasn’t so easy to change on the fly.

For a while, TechChange solved this on a case-by-case basis for different partners, using existing language templates and then manually updating them as needed for specific requests. This wasn’t just for courses in different languages, but also for different dialects of the same language or even language complexity for age ranges and literacy. But this method of bespoke platform tailoring was closer to “translation” than “localization,” as facilitators needing to change a menu or notification needed to work with us rather than making the changes on the fly.

In response, TechChange built a layer on top of our platform to bring together all the different text entry spaces into a single “localization manager.” In this manager, all the different possible fields are presented in a spreadsheet-style format, where anyone can simply add their translation or make a custom version of an existing one.

We also, by default, make custom translations available to other partners, so if you’re looking for a particular region or dialect, you may already be in luck. And lastly, we understand that you might not always have the right word on hand and don’t want to manually Google everything, so we included a button that makes a call to Google Translate and generates the suggested translation.

Since any TechChange partner can download all any or all of the translations as a JSON file, we’re hoping to continue making our platform localization process flexible, fast, transparent, and collaborative. We’re hoping our online learning partners will not only improve their own student engagement, but also to continue building out a shared vocabulary for effective international capacity building.

In 2014, The World Bank revealed that one-third of their PDF reports had never been downloaded, and another 40 percent had been downloaded fewer than 100 times. Recognizing that government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and ICT4D as a whole are addicted to the PDF format, TechChange sought to create a digital-first, interactive PDF that would be designed for how these reports are actually read, rather than how the authors typically intend. The result was the Organizational Guide to ICT4D, which was released later that year as the cornerstone of the 2014 ICT4D Conference.

As the community prepares to convene once more at the 10th Conference on ICT4D coming up on May 8-10 in Lusaka, Zambia, we wanted to share lessons learned over the last four years, starting with the Sustainable Development Goals Playbook, which was released at the 2015 ICT4D Conference (note: we also created that conference’s launch video).

Lesson 1: Simplify Navigation

The color-coded, right navigation bar in our interactive reports was created to free users from scrolling through pages of nondescript text. Instead, learners could quickly tab through relevant sections to get to their desired information and then jump around as needed. But adding the text to the navigation (image below) created two problems: Cluttered text and redundant headings.

After observing users engaging with the PDF, we realized that users were not reading the tabs (top right red box) at all, but rather quickly navigating back to the Table of Contents (“bottom left red box) and then navigating to the desired section or page from there. Not only was removing the text simplifying navigation and improving readability, but it came at zero expense to user navigation, provided that the color and icons served to identify the current section and topic.

Lesson 2: Design a Series

Although we had iterated on our design between ICT4D Conferences, the reality is that we had designed each as a one-off, even though the style guide was kept relatively unchanged over the two years. In contrast, designing for a conference report series, such as during the Global Off-Grid Solar Forum and Expo, we were able to produce three reports for a major conference in Hong Kong, from 22-24 January 2018.

Working closely with The World Bank, IFC Lighting Global, and DevDesign, we created a consistent, modern identity (hello, gradients) where each report would have a unique identity consistent with event and partner branding, but also look attractive when presented in unison. We also produced a short flyer (below) so that participants were aware of the other reports and could easily decide if they wanted to read more. If you’d like to take a look for yourself, all three reports are available online!.

Lesson 3: Design Once, Use Everywhere

There are finally a few decent PDF readers out there for mobile, but the reality is that the same strengths of a PDF in keeping a consistent experience run directly counter to a positive mobile reading experience. As such, we’ve found that the style guide, text, graphic assets, and themes can quickly be repurposed once they’ve been developed for a PDF. One example is our work with Making Cents International, where we were able to provide all original assets in the PDF to a third-party web designer, who then created a mobile-friendly site for content delivery. That way, information is not only locked in a PDF, but also incorporated into a coherent online identity with additional insights about visitors and users.

Curious to learn more? Go ahead and check out the Demand-Driven Training for Youth Employment Toolkit online and compare it to our original PDF toolkit (pictured below).

Lesson 4: Embrace Constraints

Lastly, we’ve re-learned that reports don’t have to be interactive to be engaging. PDFs can be made beautiful for embracing their constraints as well as expanding the possibilities. For example, we’re very proud of our design for the GSMA Landscape Report: Mobile Money, Humanitarian Cash Transfers, and Displaced Population, (below) which was created in a tightly controlled branding and styling format that precluded any interactive components.

When we were able to remove the navigation bar, we were able to continue applying many of these lessons learned back to our traditional report style. This helped us focus on upgrading infographics, charts, tables, and the core components of a readable and informative report.

Even after seven years of designing partner PDFs, we’re still learning how to make important information more engaging. If you would like to share any of your lessons learned or examples of stellar reports, please do share with us on Twitter @techchange. And if you’d like to learn step-by-step how to make your own interactive PDFs, please do consider enrolling in our next Online Learning for International Development course.

Because when it comes to international development, some information is too important to be boring and unread.

We are excited to announce our first partner highlight featuring the TechSoup Platform! With a current selection of 22 courses and 8 learning tracks, the platform includes 7,973 learners from 88 countries — and still growing fast.

Founded in 1987, TechSoup has over 30 years of experience as a global nonprofit network that equips changemakers with transformative technology solutions and skills to create a more equitable world. This includes discounted software, hardware, services, and training, as well as opportunities to network and build community, including through a global partner network of 70 civil society organizations. TechSoup has reached 993,000 organizations, and delivered $10 billion in technology tools and philanthropic services.

When TechSoup first approached TechChange about expanding their programs to their first-ever online learning platform, we wanted to preserve and support what had already made their model so successful for delivering expert-led tech training and webinars designed for nonprofits, charities, and libraries. Just as each partner need and online learning community is different, the challenge is making our platform work for partner engagement models and not the other way around.

So in order to better understand our partners, TechChange sat down with Susan Hope Bard, Director of Solutions & Services at TechSoup, to learn about why they chose the TechChange online learning platform and how they’ve used it to address their needs.

“What I like about the platform is that learners drive it. So we’re not necessarily forcing learners to complete something in a linear fashion… I think that’s really important in terms of the way adults learn”

Getting Started with TechChange

Using the TechChange platform, TechSoup designed an online learning environment that put their audience – the nonprofit staff member – first. “[Nonprofits] all have different goals, missions, and reasons for taking courses,” Bard states, “so we provide people with the flexibility to take what they want and what they need.”

Knowing that staff members often juggle multiple roles in their organizations, TechSoup offers their learners the opportunity to engage with courses as they see fit. Learners can interact with one another in real-time through live-webinars or explore module materials and forums at their own pace. All live sessions are recorded and can be accessed at any time, making keeping up with content easier for learners.

Unlocking Nonprofit Institutional Knowledge

“What you find with nonprofits is a lot of people who have a good bit of knowledge about a particular topic but they need some scaffolded support in order to adopt technology to help them serve their mission.”

The TechChange platform is built for customization and content integration, which means TechSoup can easily provide the scaffolded support their audience needs. “There’s such a wide variety of uploadable content and the format is so varied that it can address the needs of any learner,” explains Bard. TechSoup integrates a variety of customizable content (videos, checklists, self-assessments, documents, etc) that make for a more engaging and exciting learning experience.

Should users want a structured learning approach, they can even enroll in a TechSoup learning track. TechSoup uses these tracks to curate courses along specific themes or skills. By following a track, a learner can develop a well-rounded foundation on a certain topic or build upon previous coursework in a sequential manner.

Track Performance and Learner Engagement

“Tracking learner engagement is important so we know how people are using the platform and what content is valuable.”

Discovering what content is most valuable for their audience is simple. As learners explore course materials and activities, TechSoup can use activity tracking tools to monitor student activities and interactions and track updates, comments, and replies. With the TechPoints system, where users are rewarded with TechPoints in exchange for completing activities like logging in or attending a webinar, TechSoup can see which learners are most engaged and what content they’re engaging with.

Our platform analytics tools help to capture essential information about event attendance, learner metrics, content engagement, and more. There’s no need to guess what works and what doesn’t – TechChange tracking tools can show you. Using this insight, TechSoup can design and develop even better courses for their learners in the future.

Looking to build your online learning community?

Let TechChange help. Learn more about our platform or request a demo.

As every organization becomes a data-collecting organization, protecting and managing data will soon be everyone’s responsibility. And the rules are about to undergo a major update on May 25, when the European Union will adopt the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

This new regulation will hold businesses accountable for transparency and security of any customer information they possess. Violators will face fines of up to 4% of a company’s global revenue, or 20 million euros (whichever is higher), and the regulations apply to any EU resident served by that organization. This means that simply having an EU citizen visit your organization’s website qualifies that citizen to all protections under these new regulations. And since storing and handling data differently for EU and non-EU citizens is infeasible and inefficient for most organizations, the standard set out by the GDPR will become the de facto standard for organizations that have any EU presence online.

While GDPR enforcement will motivate many organizations to comply, this articulation of comprehensive guidance also provides an opportunity for international development organizations to demonstrate leadership. Donors typically require detailed, data-driven monitoring and evaluation to justify funding, which means that collecting, storing, analyzing, and sharing beneficiary data is no longer solely the concern of global technology companies such as Facebook. And in development, this data is all-too-frequently compromised or misused at the expense of the most vulnerable, who have been damaged through collective inaction and patchwork regulation.

But GDPR is not just a challenge for technical and legal teams, but also an opportunity for organizational learning and donor education. If donor and client preferences are as aligned with the data rights of value beneficiaries as they are with value of that data for programming purposes, we could hope for real change. To reference the PopTech presentation by Nathaniel Raymond on Data Rights, this could be an opportunity for our moral and ethical innovation to catch up to our technical innovation — even if it has to arrive via incremental progress.

For example, the TechChange platform used to permit administrators to create user accounts directly on the TechChange platform. This feature, added to ease the integration of new learners into a seamless course experience is convenient. However, it is also directly counter to the spirit and letter of GDPR.

So in response, our team has removed that ability for administrators to create user accounts on the platform and replaced it with the ability to invite users. This adds an extra step to the process, but also protects user privacy by forcing users to generate their own passwords and opt in to our learning experience.

And while some partners have asked why the feature has been removed, it has also presented a learning opportunity for us to share more about the GDPR and also how we are growing as a partner to serve their needs but also responsibly administer their learner data.

This is just one example, and we are still working to understand the full implications of these regulations. But there are steps we can all take today to create the kinds of organizations that we would trust with our own data, much less those who count on us to keep it safe.

Interested in learning more? Take our two-week facilitated online course on GDPR for International Development! Class starts on May 7th.