The Design Gap: Why “Good Enough” Consumer Tech Isn’t Good Enough for Schools

Recorded live at the 2026 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, this session featured Jamie Reffell, Chief Product Officer at Clever, Inc.; Dan Meyer, VP User Growth at Amplify; Christian Pantel, Chief Product Officer at D2L; Dr. Kimberly Smith, Executive Director at Jackson Public Schools; and Erin Mote, CEO at InnovateEdu.As AI and consumer platforms entered classrooms, the line between technology designed for engagement and technology designed for learning had become increasingly blurred. This session explored the design gap between consumer-grade tools and education-focused technology, examining how learning science, procurement, and policy shape what actually reaches students.Speakers discussed how rapid evidence and outcomes-based contracting can help schools distinguish between tools that simply make answers easier and those that make thinking deeper. Rather than debating whether technology belongs in schools, the conversation focused on defining what quality looks like when learning—not engagement—is the primary goal.By confronting the challenges of design, implementation, and accountability, this session highlighted what it takes to ensure educational technology supports meaningful cognitive development and stronger student outcomes in an AI-enabled era.