ABCmouse
Student Assessment Center
THE PROJECT
Create a student assessment product for parents of students from preschool to 2nd grade, as a new component of the #1 SaaS early-education app, ABCmouse.
THe problem
How does a parent find out if their child has the grade-appropriate skills to be successful in the upcoming school year? How do we engage children to participate in math and reading skills-testing when traditionally this would be less interesting activity than other play.
“How might we help a parent identify a child’s unique learning strengths and weaknesses while ensuring engagement and ongoing participation from kids?
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A first grader performing a skill assessment on the basics of measuring length.
MY ROLE
I had been working on the ABCmouse core design team when the Creative Director recruited me to be the Lead Product Designer of a brand new product for parents, the “Assessment Center.”
I started by conducting parent interviews and weekly prototype play-testing with kids. Designing the UI/UX for all aspects of the product, I regularly worked with SMEs (subject matter experts) including elementary school educators to develop math and reading skill test modules. I also visited elementary schools to observe the product’s use in the classroom.
Ultimately, I led a team of 8 software developers through UX flow and UI design enhancements.
The ‘heat-seeking missile’ core UX decision-flow, identifying and addressing a child’s areas for improvement.
THE DESIGN
If a child scored less than 80% on a skill assessment, he/she would be directed to complete related learning activities to improve their ability and test again. If a child scored higher than 80% on a skill module, then he/she would simply proceed to the next skill assessment. At the end of a session, parents receive a full report of their child’s performance via the parent dashboard.
To create ongoing engagement for the child, an animated personalized avatar would walk along the top of the progress bar as they completed each question. A visual of their achievements kept them inspired to ensure their avatar ‘walked’ all the way to the end, visualizing their achievements.
At the end of an assessment, the child’s avatar would receive a star, do a dance and be followed by an animated score presented by ABCmouse, the product’s mascot.
RESULTS
The Assessment Center product doubled estimated revenue projections in it’s first year.
Over the first six months, assessment completions rose from 41% to 90%.
The assessment center led to increased overall time on site.
Positive feedback from parents that they felt their child was more ready for the upcoming school year.