Summary

As a recent graduate and student now in graduate studies, studying has always been a pain point for me, in terms of finding time to study but also studying that actually benefits me in a substantive way. 

As such, I developed the design for Study Buddy, a lightweight study tool designed to help students review content through quick, low pressure knowledge checks. 

I designed and tested a 3 question prototype to explore how brief, confidence-rated quizzes could support reflective learning.

Project Information

Project Type: Student Project

Timeline: October 2023-December 2023 & March 2025-July 2025

Tools Used: Figma, FigJam, Miro, Google Suite, Zoom, ChatGPT

My Role: (almost) Everything

The Problem

Students often struggle to retain information from asyncrhonous or lecture heavy courses. Based on interviews conducted with students, it was found that many relied on passive strategies such as rereading notes, rewatching lectures, or searching online (i.e YouTube) for support.

The Process

After identifying key user needs through research and persona development, I transitioned into rapid ideation and iterative design, focusing on simplicity, low pressure, and motivating feedback as the foundation of the user experience.

Flow Mapping & Ideation

I started by mapping out the high level flow of a user in a study app. This initial flow diagram helped me define the features and screens needed in order to produce a coherent user experience

After drawing out the ideal user flow, I created initial idea sketeches to explore different ways users could move through content, with included rough visualizations of each screen with callouts for what the users might be thinking or feeling at each point. With these sketches, I also created an end-to-end flow sketches to illustrate how these different screens would fit into the greater flow of the user experience.

Visual Direction & Structure

Next, I developed a series of moodboards to explore different tonal directions I could explore in the wireframes and prototypes.

Out of these moodboards, I chose the style I call the "Friendly Fortress", a style that is warm and supportive, bur also focused and grounded. I then created a style guide roughly inspired from the moodboard that outlined typography, colors, and visual hiearchy, which guided all subsequent components and layouts.

Wireframing & First Prototype

Using Figma, I translated my early flows into medium-fidelity wireframes to define layout, hierachy, and spacing. These initial wireframes were still very simple, but were enough to emphasize layout logic without getting distracted by visual design details.

After wireframing, I built a functionality high-fidelity prototype in Figma, which included click-through interactions for a 3 question quiz session, with hint toggles, transition animations, and basic feedback screens. The goal of this first prototype was to simulate a realistic flow for a user ahead of inital user testing.

Initial User Testing & Feedback

To evalute the effectiveness of the first prototype, I conducted moderated user test sessions with three college students. Each session was structured around a scenario-based task flow, encouraging participants to explore the prototype and "study" through a simple math quiz.

I used a quandrant-style feedback grid to capture responses from each participant, organizing insights into four key areas:

• What worked well?

• What didn't work well and needs to change?

• What questions do I still have?

• What new ideas were sparked?

After qualitative coding and sorting of the data from user testing, I decided on certain changes and alterations to the prototype to be more in line with what users wanted and expected out of the product. 

Of note (but not limited to):

• Support for more types of questions beyond simple multiple choice

• Group Study/Peer-Based Collaborative Learning Implementations

• More realistic questions

• Even more supportive terminology

The Solution

The final design focuses on minimizing cognitive load while encouraging practice and exploration. Below are snapshots of core screens and features. Linked below as well is a link to the full Figma file which contains all screens in the prototype

Final Thoughts & Conclusions

This project helped me realize how easily friction can arise in even the simplest inverfaces, and how important clarity and encouragement are in educational tools. As is commonly found in everyday life, nothing is truly "simple" when you're designing and working for a diverse range of different people.

Throughout designing and iterations of the prototype, I found myself thinking less about users getting to the "right" answer and more about how to keep them for shutting down when they got it wrong. This meant making sure feedback wasn't just technically helpful, but also emotionally supportive. Every design choice in the prototype, from the interface layout to even word choice, had to be intentional.

It also reminded me how different the act of "studying" looks for different people. Some want structure. Others want flexibility. Some may want to work alone, others need social support in order to suceed. Designing to encompass as much of that range as possible is something that I want to keep exploring in future.

If I were to continue development and expand on Study Buddy, I'd want to explore:

• Session tracking to support spaced repetition and build a sense of momentum over time

• More intuitive hints so users know that support is avaliable and feel comfortable in utilizing them

• Flexible quiz length options, giving users control over how much they take on at a time

• Lightweight group study features, such as casual shared sessions or friend-based challenges, to encourage social accountability without added pressure (Gamified learning of sorts)

In conclusion, this project was a good reminder that good design isn't just about usability, it's about trust, tone, and how something makes you, the user, feel while you're using it.