User Interviews
Persona Creation
Journey Mapping
User Interface Design
Usability Testing
Three months;
Fall 2019
Illustrator
Invision
After Effects
Daren Klett
Abby Carr
During my 2019 studio, we focused on data driven design. Our studio project was sponsored by SAS, a company dedicated to data analytics. We were given an introduction to the relationship between data analytics and design. Our project brief focused on creating an application that helps students learn data concepts. My group was assigned with the data concept: Cluster analysis. This project was awarded “Best Project in 2019: SAS Data Literacy Project.”
Data plays an important part of our lives. The use of technology has changed the way data analytics is used. However, a majority of kids in the United States aren't data literate. Our challenge was to create an application for middle schoolers that introduces them to data concepts and improves their data literacy over time. We would also need to enable our users to upload their own data and apply the data concepts they have learned.
How can we create an application for middle school students that improves their data literacy?
Scooptopia is a narrative based learning application that teaches students about scatter plots, clusters and cluster analysis. It presents the real-world scenario of cluster analysis in marketing and sales as a fun, interactive game. The app focuses on building a foundation of data literacy in middle schoolers and illustrating its application in running a business (an ice-cream shop).
my team started my conducting general research on how technology can be used as a tool in the classroom. We found many existing applications that students use to supplement their classroom education. We picked the four most successful games and ran a competitive analysis.
In order to get into the perspective of a middle schooler we visited schools to conduct interviews. We interviewed both teachers and students. Our interviews focused on what methods help students learn better and how technology is used in the classroom to supplement learning.
During our interviews, teachers recommended that we consider features that are inclusive of students with learning barriers. This included: language barriers, learning disabilities, and remote learning. My team decided to focus on the learning barrier: ADHD.
Based on our research, we created a persona to better understand our user. We also created a user journey to understand our user's needs and painpoints.
During the ideation phase, my team started out with three initial ideas. However, our ideas were underdeveloped and did not satisfy the project brief. We then went back to the drawing board and mapped out want we wanted to accomplish: educating students about data concepts and illustrating its application in the real world.
After our ideation, we came up with: Scooptopia, a narrative based learning game where the user is the owner of an up and coming ice cream franchise. The goal of the game is to maximize the restaurant's profit by examining market data and determining which ice cream flavors customers want and why. Each level is a different city, where the market data is different. As the user advances, the data gets more complex. After completing ten levels, the user unlocks the ‘data tool’ which they can use to upload their own data on their own business and analyze it.
We first sketched out our ideas on paper and mapped out a task analysis. Then we built low-fi wireframes and uploaded them to Invision. We visited another school to test our prototype with students. Based on our feedback, we established a better developed visual style and UX.
The map: the Scooptopia map page is the 'home' page of the game. Students can access all other pages using the menu.
Level page: each level in Scooptopia corresponds to a particular 'city.' The user plays a tutorial to understand the concepts they will have to use in this level. Once they unlock the level, their goal is to reach the target profit by selling ice cream.
Inventory page: the user has the option to select certain number of ice cream flavors. As the levels progress, they unlock more flavors
Sales page: the user sells the ice cream flavors in their store. Each sales day is thirty seconds. During the sales day, users collect coins, and refill the ice cream. Once the sales day ends, the user views their profit and references the graph page.
Graph page: the user references the graph in order to gain a better understanding of the market segment within that 'city.' They make deductions based on the data after each sales day. The user receives prompts that guides their deduction process.
Once the user passes ten levels within Scooptopia, they unlock the Tool feature. The user can start their own business, name it and select variables to measure. Then, they can keep track of their data using a data table, and view the data on a graph.
Users can connect with friends who may have similar businesses. They can view their friend's data, graphs and use the 'compare' tool to view their friend's data alongside their own.
They can also compare the data on a map. This feature allows them to make deductions on a geographic level in addition to the chosen variables.
I enjoyed designing for a youth centered focus: The SAS data literacy project was an eye opening project about the importance of empathy. I found it challenging and rewarding to create a product for middle schoolers that was fun. engaging, and age-appropriate.
I gained the most insight when I conducted usability tests:
There were many moments of inspiration during this project. Nearly all of them were sparked by honest conversations with students and teachers. students, who helped us with user testing, gave us a lot of new ideas. They also helped us tweak our task analysis, and edit our visual style.
Future consideration: In the future, I would consider creating UX that is more inclusive of other learning disabilities, and expand the project scope to include other data literacy concepts.
Interested in learning more?
Contact me at: lavanyagunturi@gmail.com ✉️
if you want to talk further about my work!