Project Brief
What are the Challenges?
How might we create an engaging and interactive reading experience for students that maintains their interest and encourages continuous learning?
So here’s the problem…
Students needed elements within the FUN HUB Platform to keep them engaged in learning to read through the FUN HUB Platform, while aiming to increase user retention.
My Role
Within the digital product team, I have executed a full redesign of the FUN HUB Practice platform as a UX/UI Designer. Using lean UX principles, I have conducted research, created wireframes and prototypes, and led both Visual and Interface Design.
Understanding the Problem
Empathize
Wilson Language Training has been one of the leading literacy programs since 1985, way before their digital platforms have been released. Through the years, the company had received numerous industry awards for its effective reading programs, and before the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic, did not have a digital platform and were dependent on in-class material. Because FUN HUB Practice web activities proved successful in improving literacy to grades 1-3, there had been a demand for more tools they can integrate both in class, and remote learning. I wanted to take the initiative to bring to life a way for students to build more interest in learning the contents of the digital platform.
What we learned
Define
My research began with interviewing 6 different educators from different school districts, and with parental and guardian consent, 12 students ranging from grades. As a result, discovered the following problems their students have been face when engaging with FUN HUB Practice.
Many of the students found the current platform to lack entertaining elements .
Teachers struggled to pinpoint exactly how the students pronounce certain words they learned to read.
There isn’t a feature to keep record of student progress.
Too much white space on the screen.
Students do NOT feel rewarded or accomplished when completing the assignments.
Putting everything together
Ideation
The pain points were consistent across the board. It was clear that the FUN HUB Practice platform needed a complete UI makeover to create a more inviting learning environment for these students to learn on the web. These improvements will also affect how teachers keep track of student progress, and opens up opportunity to impove tools used by teachers as well. Within this new wave of iterations, I strived to redesign the web base platform that would not only keep students engaged, but fill in the gap of progress tracking between their teachers.
Prototype + Testing
The Original, The Before
Word Find Fun is an activity where students are asked to find words with similar sounds when read out loud.
Flashcards are essential to the beginning of some of the activities. Students are required to read each word out loud as the flash cards appear on
Word Chains, which would later be renamed Build Words With Echo, where students can learn to construct words using letters instructed by the audio.
Creating a new world
Prior to the iterations, the main objective was for students to complete different tasks amongst the different activities. No matter what grade level, each were user interface were almost completely identical and barely any visual features to help distinguish.
In collaboration with the curriculum and accessibility teams, I was tasked to make each level stand out, in which we brought to life three character mascots that were designed to create unique atmospheres within these educational activities for Levels/Grades 1-3, and each housed in their own natural environments.
Giving INcentives
In parallel with the character mascot narratives, each level and their sets of activities have their own unique treasure item they can collect as they answer each question correctly. Level 1 treasures are related to the safari theme to match Zippy the Zebra, ocean items pertain to Ollie the Octopus’ underwater theme, and icy objects to match Domino the Bear.
During natural observations, switching from a star-counter during gameplay to the gauge system eliminated anxiety within students.
Give students a voice
Reading each flashcard out is very essential for each student to do before each activity. As they users vocally sound out words, they now have the ability to record as they read with the click of the mouse.
As students reach the 3rd grade level, they will have access to the World of Words activity. Through this activity, users can put their literacy skills they’ve learned from levels 1-2 and read and record different passages.
In comparison to the flashcard recordings, these sound files can go up to a maximum duration of 5 minutes in case the student struggles with pronouncing words or different phases. Once the 5 minute mark hits, users can no longer go back and make any vocal edits.
Grading and referencing
Now that students can record their words, phrases, and passages, this grants teachers a space to not only reference their progress, but even score and grade them if they choose to assess.
Visual Design
Although Wilson Language Training already had its set of trademark blue colors, Each grade level had been given a new set of unique colors, which had been selected in collaboration between digital product, accessibility, and curriculum teams. While honoring the original colors, the colors were selected to compliment and contrast with the Wilson Blue shades.
Final Thoughts On All That Has Been Done
Seeking to bring character and life to these activities were exactly the platform had needed. One of the most rewarded feelings I ever had as a designer was previewing the designs in front of our target users at the Wilson Language Training conference the summer of 2024.
Seeing teachers reactions to these lessons really made me realize how impactful even the slightest designs could have in the world of education, and realize it is important to design for teachers as much as we do for students.
