Overview
IXL has been used by more than 17 million students and over a million teachers worldwide. As one of the most popular EdTech platforms, IXL is facing increased competition from up and coming EdTech platforms. We believe that IXL slowly phasing out is due to its outdated, complex interface.
Problem
K-12 students practicing academic skills on IXL struggle to stay motivated and engaged because they lack meaningful feedback and visibility in their learning progress.
Without an effective way to track their own growth or understand what to do next, skill-building becomes a repetitive chore, rather than a rewarding achievement, causing students to lose interest in what should be an empowering learning experience.
Its outdated and traditional interface makes it intimidating to approach, and its harsh penalty system discourages students from learning.
User Research Findings
Using the insights we have gathered from our user interviews, Prodigy and Khan Academy were commonly mentioned EdTech platforms that prioritize student motivation through a gamified way of learning and clear progress tracking. Additionally, our interviews with K-12 students uncovered three main points that create a disengaging learning environment.
1. Poor visual hierarchy forces students to scroll through "text-heavy" websites
“...a lot of classes have their own unique names, and it might not necessarily be the same way they would name them.”
We even paid close attention to workarounds/shortcuts that were used (CTRL + F). One particular interviewee found themselves in a loop, searching for "shapes," then immediately searching for "triangles" to align with the lesson they are currently learning in school. As soon as the interviewee started the lesson, they realized that this is not what they are learning and exited the page.
2. Students want to learn from their mistakes and understand why they got a question wrong
Although IXL shows an explanation for why the answer is incorrect, it is brief and does not provide any diagrams or visuals, along with any follow-up examples or practice problems that allow students to retry the problem and depthen their understanding.
Especially for math, students learn best through continuous practice. Not being able to go through trial and error without a harsh penalty discourages students from learning.
3. No designated "student home page/dashboard" makes students feel anxious, not knowing what needs to be completed or if anything has been completed at all
The current student home page/dashboard is lackluster with little to no information regarding progress or completion of assignments. Students feel organized, focused, held accountable, and motivated to learn when these vital pieces of information are made clear upon initial login.
Introducing our Redesign
A central dashboard that prioritizes progress tracking through gamified features that make skill-building engaging and motivating.
Topic preview and selection made easier!
Forget the text-heavy interface. All lessons have been categorized into their respective math topics through drop-down menus.
Lessons pages combine visuals and examples to guide student understanding in preparation for practice problems.
The practice page utilizes the entire space to provide clear visuals with an increased text size that makes comprehension of the problem easy to digest. Progress bar alleviates stress and the "Need help?" button allows students to refer to lesson materials for additional help at any time.
Did I also mention no penalization for incorrect answers?
Students learn best from repeated practice and understanding their mistakes. The incorrect answer page explains to students how to solve the answer, while directing the student to the lesson material.
The correct answer page shows visible progress towards completion of the practice page with an encouraging messages that motivates the student.