Design Projects

Learning a second language is important because it can significantly enhance career opportunities, improve cognitive abilities like problem-solving and memory, foster cultural understanding, enrich travel experiences, and provide a deeper connection to a diverse global community; essentially, it opens doors to wider communication and personal growth in an increasingly interconnected world. At City of Bridges High School, students have an option to either learn ASL or Spanish. As part of the Learning Media Design course at CMU, it was brought to our attention that students in the Spanish class struggle to stay organized and do not value their handouts or learning materials they create. This leads to their lack confidence in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening skills.

After conducting a rigorous Contextual Inquiry involving classroom observations, teacher interview, and a focus group with students, we realized that the only practice opportunity student get out of class is a 20 mins duolingo expercise per week which is also not aligned with class material. With limited opportunities to practice different language skills, students do not feel the need to reference their learning materials regularly during or out of class. In order to support sustained learning efficacy, engagement, and motivation, there could be a better alignment between the learning objectives, in-class activities, and out-of-class practices. 

Therefore, we designed a curriculum-aligned extension for Duolingo (students’ current tool for Spanish practice) with new language practice opportunities including weekly “Real-World Challenges” and daily interactive practice notifications, because we believe language learning is most effective when practice and in-class learning material are aligned to make students feel that their learning is supported & contextualized to real-life.  

We promise our design fosters real-world immersions for RLSW (reading, listening, speaking, and writing) language skills and provide customizable features that cater to individual interests while respecting students’ notification and device preferences.

Learning American Sign Language (ASL) is vital for bridging communication gaps with the Deaf community, yet adult beginners face challenges such as mastering handshapes, recognizing non-manual markers, and understanding Deaf culture. Our evidence-based course design, Signing Made Simple, focuses on active and interactive learning, blending asynchronous video instruction, self-practice quizzes, and role-playing activities. The self-practice quizzes are created used Cognitive Tutor Authoring Tools (CTAT) and is show in the video of project 2. We address cognitive, procedural, and dispositional learning goals, helping learners build confidence in signing while fostering cultural empathy. Our research explores how removing passive elements can enhance engagement and satisfaction, driving innovation in ASL education.

In a workshop on well-being and human flourishing, we explored the multiple components of human flourishing (the PERMA model), the importance of social connection, and how well-being can be improved through small, science-based activities (such as the Flourishing Activities in the Flourish app). With an increasing awareness of mental health and well-being in our society, the challenge now lies in motivating individuals to integrate these small, science-backed practices into their daily lives and develop positive habits.

Unfortunately, when it comes to building well-being habits, people tend to grapple with maintaining motivation and consistency. As a result, digital health platforms, such as well-being and mindfulness apps, often fall short in long-term user retention.

One potential solution is the strategic use of metaphors as mental models, coupled with gamification, to provide instant rewards to enhance motivation and encourage consistent action.

In this project we design a “prototype” that employs metaphors and gamification to motivate users to undertake small actions towards improved personal and social well-being. We applied design thinking to our development process, backed by both the science of well-being and feedback from our potential peers.