Curious Minds
Science education app for adult learners
Overview
Over the pandemic, many people were scrambling to find public health and biology information to better understand how to protect themselves from the virus. Quickly, it became evident that a lot of misinformation was being spread and it led to widespread confusion. This problem isn’t just isolated to the pandemic, but the spread of misinformation regarding science has been going on for years.
This is largely due to the fact that traditional science education targeted towards adult learners is often boring, overly complicated, or not credible. Thus creating an environment where science education is less accessible and has a higher barrier to entry.
Role
UX Designer
UX Researcher
Interaction Designer
Timeline
January 2022 - May 2022
The Challenge
How might we create a platform where science education is engaging, accessible, and credible?
Discovery
A research survey was sent out to:
29
People who identified as interested in science
6
People who identified as uninterested in science
12
People who are science content creators
Affinity Map
To better determine key pain points, motivations, and needs I used an affinity map to organize the data.
A core quote that sums up the pain points for the survey participants:
“A lot of more formal education in STEM topics is rigid and fact-based. You sit in a classroom and essentially memorize facts for a test.”
Building Empathy
To better understand my potential users, I created empathy maps and mindsets for the learners to better understand how I could provide a great experience for them.
Key Insights
Based on the key insights, I was able to create corresponding features that would meet the pain points of my potential users.
Wireframes
I then created wireframes to start developing key user flows.
Mid-Fidelity Prototype
Once the flows were developed, I raised the fidelity in order to test with potential users.
Usability Testing
I was able to conduct 3 usability interviews to gather insights into the overall navigability, efficiency, and usability.
Updates
UI Design
Solution
If users get stuck while learning, they can reach out to tutors who have a background in science.
With Curious Minds, users are able to learn about science from credible content creators (who have undergone an education background check) in a fun way through the multi-media content feed.
Next Steps & Lessons Learned
The next steps are to continue developing the app by adding a science education center where users can learn about the scientific process. I would also like to add a live stream feature since it was one of the preferred methods for content creators to create content.
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During this project, I learned how to use mindsets to strip away a lot of the biases that can come with personas. I think mindsets offer a great way to focus on the motivations and actual behaviors of the people we design for.
I also learned how important it is to provide user feedback after actions are completed by the user. It helps them understand how to use the application and confirms that their decisions have made an impact on their app experience.