AI-powered app that learns alongside the student.
The Study Buddy app aims to enhance the educational journey for students by providing them with a comprehensive platform to support their learning needs.
Enhance the accessibility, enjoyment, and efficiency of studying, empowering students to reach their academic goals and excel in their educational pursuits.
Role
UX/UI Designer
Team
Solo
Timeline
3 months (March - June 2023)
Project Links
Problem
Why is learning so stressful?
The current educational system often struggles to accommodate diverse learning styles, resulting in a disconnect between classroom material and student comprehension.
Research
With the goal of enhancing my understanding, I wanted to examine :
The current methodology in education and teaching.
Analyze current resources offered by competitor apps.
Identify student frustrations when studying.
Secondary
Edgar Dale's Cone of Experience highlights that students remember only about 50% of what they hear, read, or see in class. Enhanced engagement with course materials is crucial for improving retention, but meeting every student's learning style and needs remains a challenge.
Competitive Analysis
Many educational apps catered to specific learning styles, neglecting accommodation for other styles. Students had to download multiple apps to fulfill all their needs.
Chatgpt
Quizlet
Flora
Primary
“What are the current needs of students?” To understand this question, I’ve gathered 15+ survey responses and interviewed 5 current students from various educational backgrounds about their learning experiences.
With this data, I organized their responses into affinity maps focusing on 3 main categories -
Key Takeaway
Students encounter difficulties in accessing and engaging with educational content that caters to their specific learning preferences.
User Personas
How might we enhance the learning experience for students?
Based on patterns from my user insights I developed three personas with relatable learning styles that exist today.
Design
With a better understanding of the users’ needs and goals, I began ideating concepts for the app’s function and flow.
Concept
An app that offers a personalized and adaptable learning experience through AI technology.
This chatbot can engage in friendly conversations with the student to keep them motivated and provide useful advice and tips.
The AI also can learn from the student's interactions and adapt to their needs.
This concept became the foundation of my idea, utilizing AI's adaptability for personalized learning that aligns with individual styles, fostering an effective educational journey.
Key Features
Based on user interviews, I discovered that this app should effectively provide two key functions to cater to diverse learning styles.
Chat Feature:
Users can communicate with their AI by asking and answering questions.
Library Feature:
Users can upload their class materials, enabling AI customization based on their study preferences.
Site Map
The app's site map prioritized clear navigation and integrated numerous student-requested features, including dark mode, a music player, and progress meters. This approach allowed me to streamline my design, and cater to both key features and student needs.
Sketches & Lofi
Using the site map, I sketched out the screen layouts with low-fidelity wireframes. I prioritized placing the AI at the center of most screens to emulate a study partner working alongside users.
Design System
To ensure a visually appealing design that resonates with the student audiences, I strategically incorporated popular design trends like primary colors, glass morphism, and 3D illustrations. This approach not only maintained a youthful aesthetic but also directed user attention to the key elements within the screens.
Testing
After multiple iterations, I made 3 significant improvements based on feedback gathered from over 10 student users and 3 designers in the field.
Onboarding Experience
In the initial guerrilla usability testing, users faced confusion during onboarding due to complex questions and restricted responses. I streamlined the process with user-centered questions and expanded user choices by incorporating a search bar.
Color Palettes
Remote usability testing highlighted that users found the library screens overwhelming due to excessive colors and images, impacting clarity and user experience. To address this, I simplified the layout by removing images, repurposing colors, and improving sorting options.
Navigation
Following UX best practices, I redesigned the navigation bar to include icon names and introduce a new home icon for improved navigation.
Additionally, drawing from feedback provided by fellow designers, I relocated the settings button to the profile screen.
Bonus Improvement
To enhance the visual appeal, I decided to implement personalized 3D elements using Blender.
Solution
Study Buddy, the solution to solve the disconnect between classroom and student.
Personalized AI Study Buddy
A supportive companion offering personalized suggestions and encouragement during early mornings or late nights.
Open chat
Get help anytime, ensuring you're never alone in your learning journey.
Customized class material
Upload class material, get personalized content to match your learning style, saving time and effort.
Student Features
Night-time mode
Music player linked to Spotify
Progress and achievement tracking
Reflection
Designing with a user-centered approach that values and incorporates user feedback and opinions is crucial.
My Study Buddy case study emphasized the vital role of user-centered design. Integrating user feedback is essential for a meaningful app that truly meets students' needs. It's not just features; it's about understanding and serving each student. This journey reinforced that a user-centered approach is key, making Study Buddy a valuable companion for all.
Next Steps
In the future, my focus would be on expanding the capabilities of the Study Buddy app to meet a wider range of student needs.
Focus timer function - helps students effectively manage their study sessions and breaks.
Browser extension - allows users to access Study Buddy's key features on the laptop or desktop.
Additional character and environment customizations - allows students to better personalize their AI.
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