How UX/UI can impact engagement and learning in EduTech
An alumnus of NID, Saurabh is an established user experience (UX) design and innovation leader with proven passion for UX and strong belief in design’s ability to simplify, amplify and delight.
Today’s kids are growing with smart devices in their hand, even before speaking they started using phones for games and learning, whereas parents too are readily giving them phones so even they can have some breathing space while working from home. The exposure to the smart phone at such a young age makes the kids & parents critical to the product design. The app or website has to be such that makes it interesting and easy to use for both parents & kids.
There are several factors which impact the success of the EduTech platform such as content, stickiness, entertainment factor, value proposition, and target users but the most important thing which is normally overlooked and can impact the success of the platform is product design.
The product design is not only about the beautification but it's about the engagement, ease of use, functionalities, features and much more. User experience (UX) & user interference (UI) are the deciding factors for the impact of the platform.
The EduTech platform focus has shifted from the instructor centric to the learner centric model in the recent time; simply focusing on one target and ignoring the other can have a cascading effect on the platform. The platforms should be designed keeping in mind the needs, habits, and objectives of all the users instead of one. To ensure all the user’s needs and objectives are met, companies should engage with the key user groups such as students, teachers, and parents of young users, to incorporate their perspectives during the development process.
In order for an EduTech platform’s UI to be effective, it must follow these criteria
1: Know Your Users:
Know your user’ is a term which one often comes across in UX, which may sound simple, but it is the key to creating a successful user-centred design approach. A typical target persona for an Indian EduTech would be a student but it can’t be further from truth. The target for any EduTech platform varies from instructor to student which ranges from age 4 to age 30, parents and school as well.
2: ‘Exceptional’ Experience
From a UX viewpoint, all digital experiences in the world play one or a combination of three roles: Concierge, Coach and Court Jester. Uber or Ola are examples of digital experiences that play the concierge role. Their role is to fulfill the user’s need for a cab, at the desired time and place. Netflix is an example of a court jester whose role is essentially to keep you entertained. And which category does EduTech fall into? EduTech’s core purpose is to help students achieve their full potential by enhancing learning experiences and improving education outcomes. EduTech is not just about instructing students in the relevant educational content but also about tracking and analyzing their progress and providing continuous feedback and encouragement. So, an exceptional EduTech platform would play a role similar to the role a sports coach would play for an athlete. The true measure of an exceptional EduTech experience would not just be about student registrations and course completion but also about learning immersion, retention, achievements, and advocacy. For example, White HatJr’ gamification-led online learning interface UX design strategy, delivered an eight-fold increase in WhiteHat Jr’s trial class completion and six-fold increase in overall classes – thereby cracking the student engagement & retention code through UX.
3: Gamification
EduTech caters to one of the most challenging target audiences. To ensure high levels of engagement and class completion is always a big challenge. One of the keys to EduTech success today is integrating gamification strategies with state-of-the-art courseware to deliver a potent blend of highly engaging online learning. Badges, levels & leaderboards all need to come together to form a holistic engagement framework focused on increasing student & parent engagement that ultimately leads to an increase in lifetime value. In a hyper competitive
landscape, it’s also becoming imperative to employ specific persuasion design techniques to drive accelerated learning and provide continuous feedback and encouragement to students. For instance, badges and/or points to reinforce qualities such as curiosity, creativity, and perseverance.
Today’s kids are growing with smart devices in their hand, even before speaking they started using phones for games and learning, whereas parents too are readily giving them phones so even they can have some breathing space while working from home. The exposure to the smart phone at such a young age makes the kids & parents critical to the product design. The app or website has to be such that makes it interesting and easy to use for both parents & kids.
There are several factors which impact the success of the EduTech platform such as content, stickiness, entertainment factor, value proposition, and target users but the most important thing which is normally overlooked and can impact the success of the platform is product design.
The product design is not only about the beautification but it's about the engagement, ease of use, functionalities, features and much more. User experience (UX) & user interference (UI) are the deciding factors for the impact of the platform.
The EduTech platform focus has shifted from the instructor centric to the learner centric model in the recent time; simply focusing on one target and ignoring the other can have a cascading effect on the platform. The platforms should be designed keeping in mind the needs, habits, and objectives of all the users instead of one. To ensure all the user’s needs and objectives are met, companies should engage with the key user groups such as students, teachers, and parents of young users, to incorporate their perspectives during the development process.
In order for an EduTech platform’s UI to be effective, it must follow these criteria
1: Know Your Users:
Know your user’ is a term which one often comes across in UX, which may sound simple, but it is the key to creating a successful user-centred design approach. A typical target persona for an Indian EduTech would be a student but it can’t be further from truth. The target for any EduTech platform varies from instructor to student which ranges from age 4 to age 30, parents and school as well.
2: ‘Exceptional’ Experience
From a UX viewpoint, all digital experiences in the world play one or a combination of three roles: Concierge, Coach and Court Jester. Uber or Ola are examples of digital experiences that play the concierge role. Their role is to fulfill the user’s need for a cab, at the desired time and place. Netflix is an example of a court jester whose role is essentially to keep you entertained. And which category does EduTech fall into? EduTech’s core purpose is to help students achieve their full potential by enhancing learning experiences and improving education outcomes. EduTech is not just about instructing students in the relevant educational content but also about tracking and analyzing their progress and providing continuous feedback and encouragement. So, an exceptional EduTech platform would play a role similar to the role a sports coach would play for an athlete. The true measure of an exceptional EduTech experience would not just be about student registrations and course completion but also about learning immersion, retention, achievements, and advocacy. For example, White HatJr’ gamification-led online learning interface UX design strategy, delivered an eight-fold increase in WhiteHat Jr’s trial class completion and six-fold increase in overall classes – thereby cracking the student engagement & retention code through UX.
The EduTech platform focus has shifted from the instructor centric to the learner centric model in the recent time; simply focusing on one target and ignoring the other can have a cascading effect on the platform
3: Gamification
EduTech caters to one of the most challenging target audiences. To ensure high levels of engagement and class completion is always a big challenge. One of the keys to EduTech success today is integrating gamification strategies with state-of-the-art courseware to deliver a potent blend of highly engaging online learning. Badges, levels & leaderboards all need to come together to form a holistic engagement framework focused on increasing student & parent engagement that ultimately leads to an increase in lifetime value. In a hyper competitive
landscape, it’s also becoming imperative to employ specific persuasion design techniques to drive accelerated learning and provide continuous feedback and encouragement to students. For instance, badges and/or points to reinforce qualities such as curiosity, creativity, and perseverance.
