App for preparing students for exams

App for preparing students for exams

An experimental idea for a startup where NPS exceeded 8.2. End-to-end process was conducted

Published at:

Oct 12, 2022

Read:

5 minutes

My role:

Product Designer

Introduction

Introduction

Context

Context

Many students want to prepare for their final exams but face challenges. Prosto Sdam is an app designed to solve these problems, acting as a complete alternative to tutoring classes for students who can't afford market-priced tutors.

Challenge

Challenge

Tutoring services are very expensive for many students, yet they want:

  • Well-structured information

  • Homework checking

  • Progress tracking

  • Motivation maintenance

  • Psychological support

My goal was to create a solution that would be popular among students preparing for exams and accessible to a wide audience.

Note: The design was developed for a Russian-language interface and translated automatically for demonstration purposes, so it may not fully convey the intended meaning.

Research

Research

User research

User research

We decided to conduct user-focused research. First, qualitative research (user interviews) to identify the main problems students face, followed by quantitative research (surveys) to validate the popularity of these problems. We also aimed to learn more about the users and what is important to them when preparing for exams, to develop a value proposition base.

Research Insights

Research Insights

School students want 1-on-1 lessons with a teacher for 560 rubles ($7) per month. Exam stress increases over time, with anxiety rates at 24% in grade 9, 50% in grade 10, and 63% in grade 11. The most important subjects for the Minimal Lovable Product (MLP) are the Russian language, profile mathematics, and social science. Higher preparation correlates with higher stress levels: 11% for minimal exercise, rising to 78% for daily preparation.

Humanities vs. Techies Humanities and techies show different anxiety patterns. Techies' anxiety ranges from 44% in grade 9 to 56% in grade 11, while humanities students' anxiety ranges from 20% in grade 9 to 86% in grade 11.

Top-5 Problems in Exam Prep:

  • 60% lack motivation and struggle with laziness

  • 33% procrastinate

  • 36% face non-systematic and false information

  • 30% find prep classes boring

  • 29% fear the exam process

Meet the users

Meet the users

Four personas were made

Competitive Analysis

Competitive Analysis

I analyzed competitors in Russia's online education market for school students and concluded that, except for Foxford, none offer a similar quality of functionality at our planned price. Competitors’ solutions are much costlier due to our unique value proposition and logistics. Price, brand recognition, and marketing strategy are crucial factors.

Design iterations

Design iterations

Creating the way

Creating the way

I developed a User Flow to understand the authorization and registration process in the app. Since the product use model is non-linear, I designed the Information Architecture (IA).

Digital wireframe

Digital wireframe

After creating a low-level paper wireframe and reworking the IA, I revised the wireframe to improve elements. This led to a digital wireframe and prototype for initial usability testing with users.

Usability testing & insights

Usability testing & insights

Usability testing with 6 target audience representatives validated solutions, identified problems, and led to changes in the user flow. The app was found to be overloaded with non-critical functions that require significant resources. AI use increases competitive advantage and is new to the market. UX issues were identified on the homepage, homework, and psychological support screens. Some functions were unclear to users but received positive feedback. Implementation of some functionality is postponed to later versions.

Usability testing with 6 target audience representatives validated solutions, identified problems, and led to changes in the user flow. The app was found to be overloaded with non-critical functions that require significant resources. AI use increases competitive advantage and is new to the market. UX issues were identified on the homepage, homework, and psychological support screens. Some functions were unclear to users but received positive feedback. Implementation of some functionality is postponed to later versions.

Usability testing with 6 target audience representatives validated solutions, identified problems, and led to changes in the user flow. The app was found to be overloaded with non-critical functions that require significant resources. AI use increases competitive advantage and is new to the market. UX issues were identified on the homepage, homework, and psychological support screens. Some functions were unclear to users but received positive feedback. Implementation of some functionality is postponed to later versions.

Screen evolution

Screen evolution

Before the usability study, the average task completion time was 1 minute 53 seconds, with a 63% task completion rate. After error corrections, task completion time decreased to 43 seconds, with a 94% task completion rate.


Results

Results

About style

About style

I aimed to show school students and teenagers that they are not alone and that there are people who genuinely want to help graduates through this important stage. I used a style called NEOBRUTALISM, which suits brands or products targeting creatives, youth, and Zoomers. The app and its style are unconventional, matching the temperament and character of the target audience, who often challenge norms.

Metrics

Metrics

I measured two key metrics: the System Usability Scale (SUS) and the Net Promoter Score (NPS). The SUS provided a quantitative assessment of the overall usability, while the NPS evaluated user loyalty and likelihood to recommend the app. The results from both metrics were encouraging. The SUS scores indicated that users found the app easy to navigate and effective in meeting their needs, while the NPS revealed a high level of user satisfaction and willingness to recommend the app to others. These positive outcomes confirmed that the app is ready for further testing with a broader group of real users.

Explore the Prototype in Figma

Explore the Prototype in Figma

Click here to interact with the project and experience it first hand

Click here to interact with the project and experience it

My insights

My insights

The project was challenging as it required me to truly understand and empathize with the user. Regular meetings for user and usability research gave me deep insights into how today's students think. They use various applications in their free time and have distinct UX patterns. From a product perspective, the original idea evolved significantly into the final product. This process reinforced my belief in the product's viability in today's market.

The project was challenging as it required me to truly understand and empathize with the user. Regular meetings for user and usability research gave me deep insights into how today's students think. They use various applications in their free time and have distinct UX patterns. From a product perspective, the original idea evolved significantly into the final product. This process reinforced my belief in the product's viability in today's market.

The project was challenging as it required me to truly understand and empathize with the user. Regular meetings for user and usability research gave me deep insights into how today's students think. They use various applications in their free time and have distinct UX patterns. From a product perspective, the original idea evolved significantly into the final product. This process reinforced my belief in the product's viability in today's market.

What’s next?

What’s next?

Having worked with school-age children, creating this online platform is personally meaningful to me. Developing the Minimal Lovable Product (MLP) involved many design iterations and three usability testing sessions to ensure a user-centered product that balances user interests and business needs. A key finding was that a product designed solely for business purposes is likely to fail, especially for vulnerable populations. The next steps include attracting investment, conducting customer development sessions, developing content, advancing the application, refining the marketing strategy, and working on the web version of the service.

Thank you for the attention

Thank you for the attention

I will be glad to any cooperation

Check out other works

Check out other works

Skills

Sketching

Mobile app interface

User centred aproach

User Research

Usability testing

Prototyping

Informational Architecture