Educational app for applying learned knowledge

Overview

'Scopin' is an Educational platform with a virtual map. It aimed at helping students to connect newly acquired knowledge to real-world scenarios beyond textbooks and lectures.

My Role

Led the end-to-end design process, contributing Background research, In-depth interview, Online survey, Research analysis, Wireframe, UX strategy, UI/GUI design, Brand design, and Prototyping.

Project Type

Thesis project at
Seoul Women's University

Duration

5 Months
Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct 2022

Team

Research: With 3 designers
Design: Individual work

Design Challenge

How might we help students, aged 8 to 15, practically apply what they learn to their daily lives?

Background

Learning from textbooks and lectures doesn't
truly last.

Students learn knowledge from various fields at school, attending lessons from teachers and solving problems.

User Research Insights

What's the problem with education?

I conducted in-depth interviews with 3 Influential users, a teacher and three parents, and 5 children to get insights.

Teachers

Teaching knowledge in various fields is to foster diverse thinking skills.

At school, teachers teach a variety of knowledge. The reason is to use this knowledge to cultivate interdisciplinary thinking in students. This leads to problem-solving and originality.

Parents

It’s hard for parents to understand how their children are learning.

Parents often don’t clearly understand what or how their children are learning, or which methods are most effective, so they send them to multiple private academies to provide as much education as possible.

Students

Students quickly forget theory-based content and struggle to apply it.

Students acquire a wide range of knowledge, but it often fades quickly and does not lead to an improvement in their diverse and integrated thinking skills.

Design Problem

Theory-focused education relies on memorization,
not real understading through practice.

Solution

A virtual map to apply learned knowledge to daily life

If a student learns about the concept of oxidation, they can apply this knowledge to everyday situations. This will enable them not only to apply what they’ve learned, but also to see the world through a new lens.

01 Explore what knowledge to learn

On the home screen, students can first see their progress in knowledge they are currently learning. If the learning is finished, the service suggests the next learning. By scrolling down, they can also explore various knowledge.

03-1

Enter the playroom,
a virtual map of reality

The everyday spaces used as the background can be created using virtual map, such as Google Maps.

03-2

See everyday life anew
through applied knowledge

Users can view everyday objects from a new perspective using newly acquired knowledge. If they struggle to find new ideas, hints can guide them. It will ultimately help
students not only internalize knowledge but also expand their understanding of the world.

04 Review missed knowledge and internalize it again

After achieving the goal of gathering ideas, students can review the ideas they have collected along with new perspectives they might have missed. This provides users with an opportunity to incorporate new perspectives to expand their thinking.

User research analysis

1. Single-case analysis

2. Cross-case analysis

3. Correlatioships between insights

4. Empathy map

Ideation

I brainstormed various concepts and ideas to address the needs of students. Using diverse methods such as post-it notes, affinity diagrams, and fishbone diagrams, we sketched a wide range of possibilities, prioritizing both enjoyment and practicality.

Solution: A virtual map to apply newly acquired knowledge

I decided to create Playrooms, a virtual map of reality, inspired by Google Street View. In Playrooms, users can apply newly acquired knowledge across various fields to everyday encounters. This assures that the online platform can help users broaden their understanding on the world.

Design principles

01 Enjoyable

To encourage users to engage more actively in the learning process, the design should make the process of observing everyday encounters through fresh perspectives enjoyable.

02 Accessible

The design should be accessible to encourage users to engage in the learning process frequently. Ensuring the service is compatible with multiple devices could be effective.

03 Immersive

The design should create an immersive atmosphere that allows users to focus entirely on the learning process without distractions.

04 Focused on myself, but sharable

The design should create an environment that helps users concentrate on enhancing their own critical thinking while also broadening their perspectives by exploring others' ideas.

Service Blueprint

Usability Testing & Iteration

Through UT, I revised the app to make it less rigid like a typical learning app and more enjoyably and accessibly, like a streaming app.

1. Home

Before

People didn’t find the title about choosing what knowledge to gain particularly interesting.

After

I designed contents with a more polished feel, similar to streaming apps, and added attractive photos of locations to the images.

2. Playroom

Before

Sometimes, students found it challenging to apply the knowledge they learned in the playroom and wanted hints.

After

I made the UI more colorful to boost students' motivation and replaced the collected inspirations on the left with helpful hints.

3. Results Page

Before

Students completed their learning sessions, but they found it difficult to truly assess their progress just by the dashboard.

After

I added a feature that highlights the points users may have missed and displays them at the end.

What I've learned

1. Iteratively refining a problem statement

This project began with the theme of creativity. Through user interviews, I realized that schools teach various fields of knowledge to foster creativity. As I iteratively refined the design problem, I discovered that while knowledge is taught, it’s often challenging to apply. By narrowing the focus step by step, I was able to identify a clear, specific problem.

2. Setting a specific user group

I initially chose Generation Z as a broad user group and conducted interviews with individuals aged 10 to 25. However, I realized that study methods vary greatly by age. Focusing on upper elementary to middle school students as the main target allowed the service to become more focused and effective.

Educational app for applying learned knowledge

Design Challenge

How might we help students, aged 8 to 15, practically apply what they learn to their daily lives?

Background

Learning from textbooks and lectures doesn'ttruly last.

Students learn knowledge from various fields at school, attending lessons from teachers and solving problems.

User Research Insights

What's the problem with education?

I conducted in-depth interviews with 3 Influential users, a teacher and three parents, and 5 children to get insights.

Teachers

Teaching knowledge in various fields is to foster diverse thinking skills.

At school, teachers teach a variety of knowledge. The reason is to use this knowledge to cultivate interdisciplinary thinking in students. This leads to problem-solving and originality.

Parents

It’s hard for parents to understand how their children are learning.

Parents often don’t clearly understand what or how their children are learning, or which methods are most effective, so they send them to multiple private academies to provide as much education as possible.

Students

Students quickly forget theory-based content and struggle to apply it.

Students acquire a wide range of knowledge, but it often fades quickly and does not lead to an improvement in their diverse and integrated thinking skills.

Design Problem

Theory-focused education relies on memorization,not real understading through practice.

Solution

A virtual map to apply learned knowledge to daily life

If a student learns about the concept of oxidation, they can apply this knowledge to everyday situations. This will enable them not only to apply what they’ve learned, but also to see the world through a new lens.

Final Design Output

01

Explore what knowledge to learn

On the home screen, students can first see their progress in knowledge they are currently learning. If the learning is finished, the service suggests the next learning. By scrolling down, they can also explore various knowledge.

02

Acquire new knowledge

Before entering the playroom, students can gain knowledge. Additionally, students can adjust the difficulty level of the knowledge they acquire.

03-1

Enter the playroom, a virtual map of reality

The everyday spaces used as the background can be created using virtual map, such as Google Maps.

03-2

See everyday life anew through applied knowledge

Users can view everyday objects from a new perspective using newly acquired knowledge. If they struggle to find new ideas, hints can guide them. It will ultimately help students not only internalize knowledge but also expand their understanding of the world.

Hint

Users can get hints if they're stuck and record ideas in different ways.

Recorded

After recording, ideas are displayed on the screen for users to revisit anytime.

04

Review missed knowledge and internalize it again

After achieving the goal of gathering ideas, students can review the ideas they have collected along with new perspectives they might have missed. This provides users with an opportunity to incorporate new perspectives to expand their thinking.

Research Process

User research analysis

Ideation

I brainstormed various concepts and ideas to address the needs of students. Using diverse methods such as post-it notes, affinity diagrams, and fishbone diagrams, we sketched a wide range of possibilities, prioritizing both enjoyment and practicality.

Solution: A virtual map to apply newly acquired knowledge

I decided to create Playrooms, a virtual map of reality, inspired by Google Street View. In Playrooms, users can apply newly acquired knowledge across various fields to everyday encounters. This assures that the online platform can help users broaden their understanding on the world.

Design principles

01

Enjoyable

To encourage users to engage more actively in the learning process, the design should make the process of observing everyday encounters through fresh perspectives enjoyable.

02

Accessible

The design should be accessible to encourage users to engage in the learning process frequently. Ensuring the service is compatible with multiple devices could be effective.

03

Immersive

The design should create an immersive atmosphere that allows users to focus entirely on the learning process without distractions.

04

Focused on myself, but sharable

The design should create an environment that helps users concentrate on enhancing their own critical thinking while also broadening their perspectives by exploring others' ideas.

Service Blueprint

Usability Testing & Iteration

Through UT, I revised the app to make it less rigid like a typical learning app and more enjoyably and accessibly, like a streaming app.

1. Home

Before

People didn’t find the title about choosing what knowledge to gain particularly interesting.

After

I designed contents with a more polished feel, similar to streaming apps, and added attractive photos of locations to the images.

2. Playroom

Before

Sometimes, students found it challenging to apply the knowledge they learned in the playroom and wanted hints.

After

I made the UI more colorful to boost students' motivation and replaced the collected inspirations on the left with helpful hints.

3. Results Page

Before

Students completed their learning sessions, but they found it difficult to truly assess their progress just by the dashboard.

After

I added a feature that highlights the points users may have missed and displays them at the end.

Learning from textbooks and lectures doesn't
truly last.

Theory-focused education relies on memorization,
not real understading through practice.

Enter the playroom,
a virtual map of reality

See everyday life anew
through applied knowledge

Users can view everyday objects from a new perspective using newly acquired knowledge. If they struggle to find new ideas, hints can guide them. It will ultimately help
students not only internalize knowledge but also expand their understanding of the world.

I brainstormed various concepts and ideas to address the needs of students. Using diverse methods such as post-it notes, affinity diagrams, and fishbone diagrams, we sketched a wide range of possibilities, prioritizing both enjoyment and practicality.