Increasing engagement of students on ed-tech tablets and apps through nudges
Timeline: 3 months
My role: UX Researcher
I was hired as a consultant by the Central Square Foundation in New Delhi, India. My client distributed tablets and ed-tech apps among 800+ students in the northern region of India in the Himalayas where students face socio-economic marginalization. |
I worked with a team of lead investigator, the project manager, researchers, and field coordinators.
Despite distributing tablets and apps to students, engagement remained low. My client wanted to understand the challenges students faced and identify facilitators to improve their engagement
I
Increasing Device Usage and Student Engagement
WHERE TO START?
I developed a UX plan that involved analyzing quantitative user data from and training field coordinators to conduct qualitative user research with students and their parents.
After gathering and analyzing the data, I provided insights to different teams - including the product, design, and program teams to implement different solutions for increasing student engagement on the distributed tablets and apps.
Stakeholders
Product Team
Design Team
Implementation Team
USER DATA (Quantitative) and User Surveys (Qualitative)
Using weekly data shared by the product team I started to analyze data and gather insights about the tablet and app usage patterns of students. I also led surveys with 800+ students to validated findings from user data. I was able to get the following data points:
Duration and time of the day spent on the device
Geographical differences in device usage
Subjects studied by students
Parental involvement in students' education
USER INTERVIEWS (Qualitative)
After forming insights from user data and surveys about studying habits and patterns of students and understanding parental knowledge of digital tools, our client wanted to design the product and enhance app features to support the more in-depth findings from qualitative interviews. ​
Are there any gender differences in device usage?
How does peer relationship affect student engagement?
How can parent involvement influence student engagement?
What are some behavioral factors that affect student device usage?
Insight 1
Students use tablets and apps during the evening after school and private coaching classes
Action 1
My project lead and I collaborated with the product team to send reminders (nudges) to complete lessons on the tablet and apps. The nudge reminders were timed during the evenings once students were back home from school and playing with their friends.
Nudge reminders in the evening to students
Insight 2
Students feel happy when they receive stars after the completion of a lesson or a quiz
Introduction of stars after the completion of each lesson
Action 2
Collaboration with app development teams to incorporate incentives of stars and encouraging remarks at the end of each lesson to foster a sense of achievement among students after every lesson.
Insight 3
Peer competition on scores can facilitate increased effort toward learning
Action 3
Collaboration with the design and technical team managing the tablets to incorporate weekly leaderboards of high scorers from every school.
Insight 4
Parental support and engagement in studies influence students' usage of tablets and apps for learning
Sending daily reminders and engaging parents on WhatsApp groups
Action 4
Collaboration with the design and implementation team to design nudges for parents reminding them of daily lessons. The implementation team was tasked with sending these nudges through common WhatsApp groups of all parents.
The design and implementation teams came up with the following deliverables based on my prototype suggestions
Nudges sent to parents on WhatsApp groups in the local language Hindi
Leaderboards for every class to incentivize studying through peer competition
