unacademy
may 2022
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As features proliferate, user experience can suffer – this is true for many high-growth products. Research showed that Unacademy users were finding it challenging to discover new content and educators. The structure of the app had become complex over the years. Instead of making modifications to the existing app, we decided to develop a completely new one.
Reimagined the experience for 600,000+ paying subscribers, who typically spend 2-3 hours a day on the Unacademy learner app, resulting in its top-ranking position among education apps on the Google Play Store.
Defined UI framework and design guidelines. Created a design system with over 400+ components which was used by a team of 20+ designers and 100+ engineers.
The New Information Architecture
The new app aims at equipping the independent learner with the right tools and smart defaults and then ‘getting out of her way’. It focuses on the needs of the more dependent learners and sets them up for success by eliminating complex decision-making from their day-to-day tasks.
Instead of starting with a feature-based view, I began brainstorming around a fresh Information Architecture that was based on our users' needs. I found that these needs could be categorized into three major buckets:
Planner
First, there was a certain set of activities that the users needed to do everyday – from checking their daily schedule, to attending live classes and tests. The app needed to help them accomplish these journeys as fast as possible, with the least amount of friction.
Earlier a user’s schedule was shown in a list form. In the new Planner, this has moved to a calendar view, showing not just scheduled activity but the learner’s free time as well.
This seemingly simple tweak has reframed the user’s view of their learning activities. It has nudged them to increase their learning productivity by undertaking practice tests and other self-study activity in the open gaps during their day.
This in turn created interconnected and customised learning loops across different types of features.
Self Study
The second set of activities involved learning on one’s own time. Here, users needed access to features that allowed them to go the extra mile in their preparation.
Profile
The third set of user requirements involved tracking progress and monitoring analytics – a personal dashboard that would let them evaluate their performance more deeply.
A clear information architecture is the foundation that all the user journeys are built upon.
I prioritized simplicity and focus for our learners by taking the time to rethink, test, and iterate on specific features such as Planner, Self-study, and Groups. Our revamped foundation now enables us to develop more personalized features, enhancing the learning experience for our users.
Learning Together — Groups
Managing motivation is perhaps one of the biggest challenges for online education. The new app introduces learning with Groups, where currently learners can view the activity and learning progress of other members in the Group.
Impact
200k groups created
100k comments were posted
460k reactions added
Blendiarmus — Unacademy Design System
Starting from scratch also let me create a strong design system to keep the look and feel the same for everyone working on it, no matter how many updates we had.
We made an Android app just for keeping track of all our design components. It made sure the design and the actual code matched perfectly, which saved us a lot of time.
We also set up a way for the team to ask for new or updated design components depending on what they needed. This made it easier for us to change things as the system grew.
It's time for a Recap 😉
In the fast-evolving landscape of online education, our journey has been defined by innovation and a commitment to revolutionizing the learning experience. Through a series of groundbreaking launches, we've redefined the very essence of online learning, making it not just interactive and comprehensive but also inherently social.
We took this opportunity to do some storytelling (or "scrollytelling" as our design community called it) about our journey over the years.
Shoutout to the magicians —Anukriti, Kailash, and Rishi —who helped with the concept and turned it into reality! 🎩✨
