I was the lead designer throughout the project, responsible for both the user experience and user interface design. My work included synthesizing insights from affinity mapping, creating user journey maps, and leading ideation sessions. I designed and tested mid-fidelity prototypes, iterated on the mobile experience based on user feedback, and played a key role in defining the visual direction of the platform. While we began mobile-first, I also led the design of the web version, focusing on the instructor experience and adapting flows for a larger interface
What we learned:
RWP (Read · Watch · Play) supports flexible, student-driven learning focused on experimentation, community, and personal learning paths.
How we learned it:
Literature review + project proposal docs from the client.
What we learned:
Most LMS platforms lack support for creative, iterative "Play" tasks and flexible planning flows needed for RWP-style teaching.
How we learned it:
Competitor study (Canvas, Moodle, etc.) + contextual inquiry with instructors using ELMS Canvas.
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What we made:
Sketches, wireframes, ideas explaining features.Mobile screens, layouts and user flows.
How we made it:
Brainstorming Quick, non-constrained ideation sessions using the crazy-8s method to generate ideas in and out of the screens.
Co-designing with PIs
2 co-PIs of the RWP project pitched in their ideas to help guide the instructor’s side of the platform.
What we learned:
Students appreciated interactive features like live classes and chat, but struggled with unclear labels and dense layouts.
Instructors found the task flows intuitive for RWP, but needed better navigation, structure, and UX copy clarity.
How we learnt it:
Usability Testing
Our mobile prototype opens on a calendar-first dashboard, designed to ease “what’s next?” anxiety. In usability testing, students strongly preferred this layout over digging into each course for deadlines.A playful, color-coded design system makes it easy to toggle between Calendar and List modes, while the Read / Watch / Play cards scale based on point value helping students instantly spot high-impact tasks in their week.
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The platform allows instructors to build intentional assignment sequences, like Watch → Read → Play or Read →Watch → Play, so tasks feel like steps in a cohesive learning journey rather than isolated checkboxes. Each assignment card shows where it fits in the sequence, helping students understand the purpose behind each activity. This structure improves motivation and context retention, as earlier tasks (like a reading or image review) lead naturally into reflections, projects, or interactive submissions.
Instructors can leave highlighted annotations directly on student submissions, whether it's a written response or an image-based task. Students can reply in-line, turning feedback into a two-way conversation.This approach keeps feedback clear and contextual across all assignment types Read, Watch, and Play, promoting deeper understanding and engagement.
Early user research revealed a disconnect between instructor and student views—what instructors built often looked different to students. To solve this, we designed for transparency: instructors see exactly what students will. While creating a module, they also get a live overview of existing content to maintain consistency without breaking flow.
During user testing, instructors told us they often reused the same assignment setups. That insight led to course presets custom templates designed to speed up creation and ensure consistency.This feature proved especially useful for teachers, saving time while keeping their content structured. Here’s how presets are created we’ll show how they’re used in the next section.
When building a new assignment, instructors can select the module it belongs to, choose the assignment type Read, Watch, or Play and then apply a preset to streamline the setup.This makes the process faster and more consistent, especially for instructors managing multiple modules with similar structures. Once finalized, the assignment is ready to publish with just a few clicks.
What we learned:
A unified design system supporting both the student mobile experience and the instructor web interface, along with high-fidelity prototypes for each.
How we made it
How we made it:
We developed the design system by auditing existing UI components, establishing a consistent visual language, and creating reusable components in Figma. To support consistent usage, we also documented clear guidelines for the team.
We pulled colors, type, and tone from our moodboard to shape Playwise’s brand identity. These visual and emotional cues helped inform not just the design system but also the platform’s name, voice, and overall feel.
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