// Design thinking process function designThinking() { const phases = [ 'empathize', 'define', 'ideate', 'prototype', 'test' ]; let insights = []; let solutions = []; phases.forEach(phase => { const result = executePhase(phase); if (result.success) { insights.push(result.insights); solutions.push(result.solutions); } }); return { insights, solutions, impact: calculateImpact(solutions) }; }

Design Portfolio

UWorld Redesign: Question of the Day Feature

Design Portfolio Directory

UWorld Feature Redesign
Music Theory Learning App

Objective

This design portfolio documents the evolution of the Question of the Day feature, part of a comprehensive redesign of UWorld's educational platform. The primary focus was on applying Learning Science Principles and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) methodologies to create more engaging and effective test preparation tools for students.

This portfolio showcases the iterative design process, from initial concept to final implementation, highlighting user research, and feedback integration. The project demonstrates how learning science research can inform feature development to create educational experiences that enhance user motivation, engagement, and knowledge retention.

/* Design Principles Applied */ const designPrinciples = {
autonomy: "Give users control over their learning experience",
cognitiveBurden: "Break complex tasks into manageable chunks",
intrinsicMotivation: "Foster genuine interest rather than external rewards",
accessibility: "Create inclusive designs for all learners",
iterativeDesign: "Continuously improve through testing and feedback"
};

Project Description & Context

The UWorld Redesign project aimed to address limitations in the existing platform, which offers practice tests and preparation materials for high-stakes exams like the SAT, ACT, AP, and MCAT. Our research identified several key limitations in the current platform:

Platform Limitations:

const platformLimitations = [
"General, bland design for both high school and grad students",
"No way to get recommended study plans based on previous test performance",
"Lacking engaging content to keep students motivated",
"Complex review guides that are hard to follow",
"Requires students to block off large amounts of time for daily practice"
];

After extensive user research and affinity diagramming, our team identified five key features to address these limitations. This portfolio focuses specifically on the Question of the Day feature, which evolved from an initial competition concept to become a flexible microlearning tool.

User Persona

User persona

Jake Myers, 16-year-old high school junior

Jake Myers | High School Junior

"I wish there were more interactive tools that could make SAT prep feel more like a game with short, goal-based challenges."

Demographics:

  • 16 years old, high school junior
  • Preparing for the SAT
  • Dreams of studying computer science and game development

Goals:

  • Achieve a strong SAT score to open doors for university admission
  • Find ways to stay focused during test preparation
  • Improve reading comprehension and grammar sections

Pain Points:

  • Struggles with staying focused during long prep sessions
  • Gets easily distracted, especially when studying alone
  • Feels overwhelmed by the amount of content to study
  • Finds it difficult to know where to start when preparing
  • Finds reading comprehension and grammar sections frustrating

Preferences:

  • Strong in math but needs more help with verbal sections
  • Enjoys interactive, game-like learning experiences
  • Would benefit from daily reminders and short challenges
  • Enjoys playing video games and coding in free time

Initial Concept: Competition & Leaderboard

Low Fidelity

Our initial feature concept focused on creating a competition and leaderboard system to motivate students through social comparison and gamification. The goal was to increase engagement by allowing users to compete with friends and track their relative progress.

Storyboard mockup of the competition wireframe

Initial low-fidelity prototype

Key Features:

User Feedback:

Initial user testing with high school students revealed mixed reactions to the competition concept:

Expert Feedback & Learning Science Concerns:

Feedback from instructors and learning science experts raised important concerns about the competition feature:

// Instructor & TA Feedback const expertFeedback = [ "With motivation and collaboration, consider how you can set up a system that doesn't have adverse effects such as the impact of doing worse than friends.", "Extrinsic motivation fades away quickly, so be careful with that approach. One of the strongest ways to motivate people is to show them that they can actually do it." ];

These insights led us to reconsider our approach, as the competition concept relied heavily on extrinsic motivation and could potentially discourage students who consistently ranked lower than their peers.

Feature Pivot: Question of the Day Concept

Medium Fidelity

Based on user testing feedback and learning science principles, we pivoted from the competition concept to a more intrinsically motivating feature: the Question of the Day. This approach focuses on making test preparation more accessible and bite-sized.

Medium-fidelity mockup showing the Question of the Day interface

Learning Science Principles Applied:

const learningPrinciples = { autonomy: "People are more intrinsically motivated when they have control over their learning experience", cognitiveLoad: "Learning process is better when complex tasks are broken into smaller steps", distributedPractice: "Multiple opportunities for practice lead to more effective learning than a single assignment of great length", accumulatingPractice: "The benefits of practice accrue gradually over time" };

Key Features:

User Testing Insights:

Medium-fidelity testing with students revealed generally positive responses, with some usability issues to address:

Final Design: Question of the Day

High Fidelity

The final design of the Question of the Day feature incorporates all user feedback and learning science principles to create a streamlined, effective microlearning tool that transforms test preparation from a stationary, time-bound activity into a flexible, self-directed learning opportunity.

High-fidelity mockup of the daily question with answer options

Final Feature Highlights:

Key Learning Outcomes:

The evolution of this feature demonstrates several important design principles:

  1. Learning science principles should guide feature design decisions
  2. Pivoting based on user feedback can lead to stronger solutions
  3. Intrinsic motivation creates more sustainable engagement than competition
  4. Microlearning approaches can make test preparation more accessible
  5. Consistency in interface design improves overall user experience