Building edtech without talking to schools is like designing a game without players – it won’t work.

Too many edtech products fail because they don’t start with the right conversations. Schools have unique challenges, constraints, and needs that can’t be guessed. If you want adoption, engagement, and long-term success, start by asking the right questions.

Here are 5 questions to ask schools before building an edtech solution.

1. What’s your biggest challenge right now?

Don’t assume. Ask. The best edtech solutions aren’t built around what you think schools need, they’re built around what they tell you they need.

2. How does this fit into your daily workflow?

If your solution requires extra admin, complex onboarding, or disrupts lesson flow, adoption will be a struggle. A great edtech product should integrate seamlessly into existing systems.

3. Where does the budget for this come from?

Even the best solutions fail if there’s no clear funding stream. Is your product competing with curriculum resources, staff training, or infrastructure costs? Understand where schools allocate budgets and how your solution fits into their spending priorities.

4. How does this improve student outcomes?

Schools don’t buy software, they buy impact. If your product doesn’t directly contribute to learning, wellbeing, or operational efficiency, it won’t make the cut. Be clear on how your solution drives measurable improvement.

5. How will you measure success?

Schools need to see evidence that your product works. What data can you provide? Can you prove engagement, time savings, or academic progress? If you don’t have a way to demonstrate impact, expect scepticism.

The best edtech companies don’t just build great products – they build solutions that schools actually want. Asking the right questions at the start saves years of frustration later.

What’s one question you wish more edtech companies asked before building a product?