National Consultant for Accessible Digital Textbook User Interface/User Experience (UI/UX) Prototype Design (only Iranian national)

Contract

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, JOY

National Consultant for Accessible Digital Textbook User Interface/User Experience (UI/UX) Prototype Design

BACKGROUND

Children with Disabilities (CWD) are among the most vulnerable population in the country whose access to social and health services is regularly hindered by their disabilities. A UNICEF-supported study conducted by the Ministry of Labour, Cooperative and Social Welfare[1] shows that disability is one of the main causes for children being out of school in Iran (20% of Primary level Out of School Children (OOSC), are CWD). Although the overall rate of OOSC at Primary level is 2%, this rate for CWD is 15%. This shows significant barriers in accessing education for CWD in the country.

In Iran, while official data suggest the prevalence of disability to be around 2% of the population[2], but it is widely believed that this is an undercounting due to limitations in the screening and identification processes, as well as narrowed definition of disability being adopted. The number of CWD under the State Welfare Organization (SWO)’s protection is 300,000, while the estimated number of CWD based on global standards (5-15%) would be between 700,000 – 2,100,000. While MOHME and SWO offer several screening programmes at different stages of a person’s life, none of them has the reach of MOE’s yearly “Health and School Readiness Screening” programme, which is mandatory for all children as a pre-requisite for school registration. MOE’s screening programme is a critical stage in accessing inclusive education for CWD, since it is used to determine whether the child diagnosed with disabilities or special needs, could register in inclusive mainstream schools, or should attend segregated special schools for CWD (run by the Special Education Organization (SEO) in MOE). Despite recent progress in increasing the coverage of MOE’s Screening programme, gaps and challenges still exist in its reach and quality.

A total of 142,000 students with disabilities are accessing formal schooling in Iran’s education system, among which 65,000 CWD are attending mainstream Inclusive Schools, because of MOE’s achievements in implementing the National Inclusive Education Initiative, since 2017. Despite the significant increase in the number of inclusive schools in recent years (20% of total number of schools), there is evidence of insufficient support available for CWD, leaving the burden of adapting to the mainstream system on the shoulders of CWD and their families.

In collaboration with MOE, UNICEF has been supporting access of CWD to quality inclusive education, adopting a twin-track and systematic approach in the past years. Through this approach, UNICEF both focuses on improving disability-inclusion in mainstream services through designing inclusive interventions (such as promoting inclusive education services by improving physical accessibility or educational support provided in mainstream schools), and plans for disability-specific targeted interventions to remove the specific barriers CWD face (such as provision of Assistive Technologies for CWD and training special education teachers).

Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADT) for All Initiative ensures the development of the standards and guidelines needed to produce textbooks and learning materials in accessible digital formats and languages by bringing together writers, publishers, teachers, organizations of persons with disabilities (OPD), technology developers, MOE representatives and other stakeholders. To make the materials accessible to a wide range of students, including those with disabilities, textbooks and learning materials must combine, at a minimum, accessible features like narration, sign language, interactivity and the audio description of images. An accessible digital textbook is a digital tool that gives all learners, including those with disabilities, access to information in alternative accessible formats. ADT applies the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in the production of accessible materials.

UNICEF is engaging with the Special Education Organization to develop a local version of the ADT initiative for children in Iran. As a first step, textbooks used in SEO schools for CWD would be targeted, and mainstream textbooks would be added to the platform at a later stage. To be able to draft a joint workplan with SEO on the implementation of the ADT initiative in Iran, this consultancy is being defined and advertised.

[1] Study of out of school children at the primary level (2017-18), Ministry of Labour, Cooperatives and Social Welfare

[2] State Welfare Organization annual statistical yearbook for 2020 (134192.pdf (behzisti.ir))

How can you make a difference?

OBJECTIVE / SCOPE OF WORK

UNICEF Iran Office is seeking an individual consultant to provide UI/UX and prototype design and development support to UNICEF, the Special Education Organization and the Ministry of Education (i.e., the partners) to assist with the design and implementation of the Accessible Digital Textbook Initiative in Iran. Key responsibilities include:

• Develop prototype of the "Learn My Way" application engaging and intuitive user interface; up to 5 pages; and experience in Persian-language and in line with the specific requirements and specifications attuned to the needs of at least five groups of children and adolescents with disabilities and special needs as per the required specification of the users (based on user personas) and asks of the partners. Ensure compliance with the original Accessible Digital Textbook, propose improvements for the current UI/UX design and proceed as agreed with the partners.
• Ensure that all UI/UX designs adhere to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and the international accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) to guarantee that the digital textbook application is fully inclusive and usable by individuals with disabilities.
• Embrace an iterative design process, continually refining and improving UI/UX prototypes (UI revisions) based on partners feedback and usability testing results.
• Implement responsive design principles to ensure that the digital textbook application functions seamlessly across various devices and screen sizes.
• Create visually appealing and engaging designs that resonate with the target audience while maintaining clarity and accessibility.
• Provide a summary report detailing technical guidance to developers to ensure the accurate implementation of UI/UX designs during the development phase.

METHODOLOGY

The selected consultant is expected to use the state of art tools and software to develop a quality output and reflect the approach in a technical proposal alongside the financial proposal.

ACTIVITIES, DELIVERABLES AND TIMELINES, PLUS BUDGET PER DELIVERABLE

ACTIVITY

DELIVERABLES

ESTIMATED DURATION TO COMPLETE (upon signing of contract)

PAYMENT

1. On boarding, Design & Development

3 calendar days

10%

1.1 Induction meetings with UNICEF (Resources)

Finalized method of implementation (software, approach, protocols, and design standards) before starting the UI/UX design.

2. Phase One: UI/UX design

12 calendar days

45%

2.1 UI/UX designs

Review of the English version of the application and delivering the first iteration(s) of the UI/UX design of the Persian version.

3. Phase Two: UI/UX design revisions and finalization

15 calendar days

45%

3.1 UI/UX Revisions

UI/UX Revisions to be done, as many as needed, to improve the UI/UX design

3.2 Developers Summary Report

Provide a summary report detailing technical guidance to developers to ensure the accurate implementation of UI/UX designs during the development phase.

30 days

Should TOTAL 100%

CONDITIONS OF WORK

The work will be done inside of Iran. The consultant should have office space and equipment independent of UNICEF. The nature of the work requires desk research, focus group discussions, stakeholder engagement, interviews, surveys, and other forms of engagement with the stakeholders, all of which will be accommodated by the consultant.

The consultant shall take out and shall maintain for the entire term of the Contract, for any extension thereof, and for a period following any termination of the Contract reasonably adequate to deal with losses: (i) insurance against all risks in respect of its property and the equipment used for the performance of the Contract; (ii) workers' compensation insurance, or its equivalent, or employer's liability insurance, or its equivalent, with respect to the consultant personnel sufficient to cover all claims for injury, death and disability, or other benefits required to be paid by law, in connection with the performance of the Contract; and, (iii) liability insurance in an adequate amount to cover all claims, including claims for death and bodily injury, products and completed operations liability, loss of or damage to property, and personal injury, arising from or in connection with the consultant’s performance under the Contract, including liability arising out of or in connection with the acts or omissions of the consultant’s personnel, agents, invitees, subcontractors, or the use, during the performance of the Contract, of transportation vehicles.

The consultant must ensure the physical and psychological safety of the children and adolescents as well as other stakeholders’ when interacting by applying the safeguarding guidelines. The consultant shall be responsible for any costs or claims associated with any illness, injury, death or disability of the consultant Personnel, if any. The consultant shall ensure that all of his/her Personnel used to perform obligations in connection with this Contract are adequately covered by insurance for any service-related illness, injury, death or disability. UNICEF accepts no responsibility for providing any corresponding insurance coverage.

Interested candidates should submit their applications, including a detailed CV, a cover letter, a portfolio of relevant work. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide a technical and financial proposal.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

The selected consultant should possess the following qualifications and expertise:

• A bachelor's degree or higher level in fields/subfields related to information technology, computer science, Human-Computer Interaction, Usability Engineering, graphics, Visual Communication Design (digital/web), Experience Design (XD), etc.
• Demonstrated experience in UI/UX design and prototype development, with a minimum of three years of professional experience in UI/UX design a strong portfolio showcasing past projects that highlight user-centred design principles especially in the context of accessible applications for individuals with disabilities.
• Proficiency in creating interactive prototypes using industry-standard tools such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, or similar software as well as familiarity with the technical aspects of UI/UX design, including responsive design principles and front-end development considerations.
• Knowledge of web accessibility standards (such as WCAG) and experience in designing for users with disabilities, ensuring the application is inclusive and accessible.
• A deep understanding of Persian language and culture to ensure that the design is culturally relevant and suitable for the Iranian context. Fluency in English (oral and written) is also a plus.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.