Timeline: 10 days
Team: Laura Piñana Blanco, Julika Brockhaus and Andreja Milosevic
Target Device: eLearning Platform available on mobile, tablet and desktop
The Goal
Cresory is an eLearning platform with gamification where children between 8 and 12 years old learn to value money, save, invest, and manage budgets. The primary goal of this project was to improve the UX/UI aspects of the platform, making it more engaging and user-friendly for children. The second goal was to create a section on the Cresory website to promote their eBooks and webinars.
Research
Our journey with Cresory began with a kick-off meeting with Carla, the stakeholder, who shared with us the challenges faced by the startup. We were excited to work with them to create an immersive experience for their young audience that would drive higher engagement.
To begin the design process, we performed an extensive market analysis that helped us identify market trends and competitor strategies. We found that although Cresory offers a great range of video lessons, games, eBooks, and webinars for parents, it lacked certain features that its competitors already offered, such as the ability to compete with friends or have a debit card for children.
We also performed a heuristics analysis which helped us dive into the platform insights and identify potential problems and areas for improvement. The first image lacks clarity in terms of evaluating progress, leaving users wondering which activities are required to improve their understanding of a particular topic, such as 'Invertir'.
The 'thunder' icon located in the top right corner of the next image is not clearly defined, leaving users unsure of its function. The user is required to drag the image of a product to one of two fields representing goods or services. However, the proximity of the two fields makes it easy to accidentally drop the image in the wrong field, resulting in user frustration and confusion.
In the next step, we conducted user interviews. Since Cresory is solely focused on the Spanish-speaking market, the platform is currently only available in Spanish. We gained valuable insights from nine children aged between 8 and 12 years old. Some of the answers we received were:
We noticed that some trends developed in children's responses. Almost all of them said that they would like to play a game and compete with their friends, they would like to customize their avatars and buy additional accessories for Nico (an anagram for coin), Cresory's lovable, main character.
All these insights led us to our Proto-Persona: Learning Leticia.
Leticia began her user journey when her parents suggested she play Cresory to learn how to save money after she spent all her allowance on unnecessary things. She felt curious and excited to learn about finance and eagerly started playing the game. At first, she enjoyed the gameplay, but after a while, she began to feel disappointed with the limited number of personalization choices available in the game. Additionally, she missed the competitive element that she was used to in other games.
Here we identified some pain points where we asked ourselves the following:
How might we help parents teach their children how to save money?
How might we make learning about finance engaging?
How might we motivate parents to pay for Cresory's monthly subscription?
How might we include the competitive element to the game (platform)?
Crazy 8s & MoSCoW
Now, this is where things really got exciting! During the Ideation part of the Design Thinking process, we used the Crazy 8s method to come up with as many different ideas as possible. We needed to refine our ideas and figure out what really mattered most. The MoSCoW method helped us to sift through our long list of features, focus on the most critical elements first, and to make informed decisions about what to prioritize and what to leave out.
The Ideation phase is the heart of the Design Thinking process, where we generate as many ideas as possible. For this project, we used the Crazy 8s method to brainstorm and explore different concepts and possibilities. Later, we used the MoSCoW method to prioritize them. This technique helps us to identify the most critical features and functionalities that must be included in the design.
After conducting extensive research and ideation, we identified the most crucial features of our Minimum Viable Product. Our MVP includes improved information architecture and usability of the existing platform as well as additional features and activities such as choosing a personalized character and playing with your friends to include a competitive aspect and fuel motivation.
User Flow
Wireframes
To improve the user experience of the platform, we began by creating wireframes that would establish the overall structure and layout. One of the key insights we gained from user research was that there was a need for a Homescreen that would provide a clear entry point to the platform. In the original version, users were immediately taken to different game levels upon entering the platform, which was confusing and overwhelming for many users.
Our solution was to create a Homescreen that would serve as a hub for users to access different sections of the platform. These sections included Activities, where users could engage in different games and challenges, Progress, where users could track their progress and view their achievements, Friends, where users could connect with and add friends to play with, Store, where users could purchase different accessories for their character, and Nico's profile, which would provide additional information and personalization options for the user.
To make the platform more engaging for children, we implemented a feature that allowed them to track their progress and compete with friends. This would encourage them to continue playing and improving their skills. Additionally, the Store feature would allow users to spend coins they had earned by successfully completing levels on various accessories for their character, creating a sense of ownership and customization.
Overall, these design decisions were made with the goal of creating a more intuitive and engaging user experience for our target audience. By providing a clear entry point, easy navigation, and personalized features, we were able to improve the platform and better meet the needs of our users.
Testing
During the user testing phase, we had the opportunity to observe the reactions of children as they interacted with the improved version of Cresory. We received positive feedback regarding the ability to choose their own avatars, challenge their friends, and purchase accessories for their character Nico. These features added a sense of personalization and ownership that resonated with the users.
However, the testing process also revealed some areas that needed improvement. One of these was the Activities screen, which some children found confusing. Specifically, they were unclear about the percentage shown on the screen and what it represented as well as the green and blue colors.
To address this issue, we made changes to the Activities screen and completely moved the percentages to the Progress screen. We also removed the green color and improved the visual design to avoid further confusion among users.
Final Result
With the feedback from user testing in mind, we moved on to creating a high-fidelity prototype of the platform. We wanted to keep Cresory's fonts and colors because we think that it fits well with the brand. However, using more detailed visuals and illustrations, we wanted to give Cresory a bit more polished and modern look.
Below you can see the prototype video of the Cresory eLearning platform.
Next Steps
Looking to the future, there are several features that we believe would enhance the overall user experience and engagement of the platform.
• A Debit card children could use to manage their allowance
This would not only provide a practical tool for children and parents but also create a sense of real-life application that would reinforce the learning objectives of the game. We observed this feature among some of the platform's big competitors and believe it would be a valuable addition to the platform.
• Avatar personalization
While users appreciated the ability to choose from a limited list of avatars, we believe that providing greater freedom to customize characteristic features such as skin color, hair or eye color, etc. This would create a stronger emotional connection with the character and the game overall.
Takeaways
This was a wonderful and a really valuable experience for me. Not only did we have the opportunity to work on a product intended for children, but we were also able to receive direct feedback from our target audience. We were fortunate to interview and test our product with children who were intelligent, funny, and kind enough to meet with us over Zoom, even though English was not their primary language. We are grateful to them and their parents for their time and willingness to participate in our testing.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Carla, the founder of Cresory, for providing her help and support and collaborating with us on this project.
Finally, I would like to thank my team members, Laura and Julika, for their passion and dedication to this project. It was an absolute pleasure working with such a devoted and talented team. You are amazing!
My other projects
Amazon App Redesign
3-day UI challenge
BreakTaker
iOS app that helps you find a work-life balance
Copyright© 2023.