Personalising Exam preparation using AI and Habit forming UX Technique

Personalising Exam preparation using AI and Habit forming UX Technique

Personalising Exam preparation using AI and Habit forming UX Technique

Ed-tech | B2C | mobile app

Ed-tech | B2C | mobile app

Ed-tech | B2C | mobile app

project context

project context

project context

Every student learns differently—unique strengths, varying speeds, and distinct grasping abilities. So why should exam preparation be one-size-fits-all?

At Netpractice, we’re transforming competitive exam prep by tailoring each student’s journey to their individual level, ensuring a truly personalized path to success.

My Role

My Role

My Role

  • Aligning Business Goals with User Needs by putting them together in one map.

  • Breaking down complex problems into manageable chunks, defining what to solve—and what not to.

  • Developing low-cost, high-impact solutions in early stages

  • Taking full ownership from concept to execution.

  • Collaborating with cross functional teams, ensuring quick delivery with highest precision.

Team

Team

Team

Harshit (founder)

Frontend Developer - 2

Backend Developer - 2

Myself (Product Designer)

tools

tools

tools

Figma

Firefly (Generative AI)

ChatGPT (Research and Ideation)

FigJam

problem

problem

problem

Competitive exam prep often fails students by using a one-size-fits-all approach. Students struggle to find personalized, adaptive support that addresses both their strong and weak areas, leaving them overwhelmed, unsure of their progress, and anxious about readiness.

Hypothesis

Hypothesis

Hypothesis

If Netpractice provides a personalized, AI-driven exam preparation experience that adapts to each student’s unique strengths and weaknesses, along with varied, strategically-timed revision, then students will show higher engagement, improved retention of topics, and greater confidence in their readiness, leading to increased user satisfaction and sustained usage over time.

understanding business…

To truly understand the heartbeat of the business, I need to step into the founder's shoes—seeing through their eyes, feeling their vision, and immersing myself in every challenge and ambition. Only then can I design with purpose, precision, and the insight needed to bring their vision to life.

Product vision

Product vision

Product vision

To revolutionize Ed-tech with quiz-based learning, starting by transforming competitive exam preparation through personalized, intelligent, and adaptive experiences that empower every student to reach their full potential—cultivating habits, confidence, and mastery, one question at a time.

defining Business challenges

defining Business challenges

defining Business challenges

1

Resource Allocation and Scalability

With limited resources, scaling effectively is a major challenge. Prioritizing high-impact features while keeping costs low is essential to maintain competitive advantage without overextending.

2

Market Differentiation in a Saturated Ed-tech Space

Standing out in a crowded Ed-tech market requires a clear, unique value proposition that speaks directly to users' needs, while balancing limited marketing resources.

3

User Retention and Engagement

Retaining users in a high-churn market demands continuous content updates and exceptional user experience—challenging to achieve with the lean, iterative approach of a startup.

Empathizing with users…

Understanding the business landscape allows us to pinpoint our ideal target users. To truly grasp their lifestyle, behaviors, needs, and pain points, we conducted in-depth research across diverse user groups—uncovering insights that shape every aspect of our design.

Target user persona

Target user persona

Target user persona

By conducting in-depth interviews with students preparing for competitive exams, as well as their faculties and course creators, we uncovered key insights that led us to define two distinct personas—perfectly aligned with the needs of our target users.

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Busy Bees

Dedikates

Aayush Pandey, 27

Working Professional

Raipur, Chhattisgarh

important details

  • Target: CGPSC, UPSC and similar exams

  • Preparing since: 3 years

  • Avg. prep time/week: 15hrs

  • Income: 25,000/m

  • Tech Savvy Level: High

  • Mode of preparation: Online

  • Avg. phone screen time: 4-6 hrs

  • Solves online sample/previous test papers

“I need a study app that maximizes my limited time—focusing on my weak areas, tracking progress, and ensuring efficient revision. Every hour matters in my path to civil service.”

goals

☺︎

Aims to secure a high rank and transition to a prestigious position in civil services.

☺︎

Needs a focused, productive study approach that maximizes output in minimal time.

☺︎

Wants to identify and strengthen weaker areas, especially in high-weightage subjects.

☺︎

Retaining information over time with revision, without taking excessive time.

key Frustrations

☹︎

Balancing job and prep leaves with limited study time each week, which often feels inadequate to cover the vast syllabus.

☹︎

Finds it challenging to track his true progress across subjects and gauge if he’s exam-ready, leading to anxiety as exam dates approach.

☹︎

Struggles to find efficient ways to reinforce his learning without simply re-reading notes.

Busy Bees

Dedikates

Aayush Pandey, 27

Working Professional

Raipur, Chhattisgarh

important details

  • Target: CGPSC, UPSC and similar exams

  • Preparing since: 3 years

  • Avg. prep time/week: 15hrs

  • Income: 25,000/m

  • Tech Savvy Level: High

  • Mode of preparation: Online

  • Avg. phone screen time: 4-6 hrs

  • Solves online sample/previous test papers

“I need a study app that maximizes my limited time—focusing on my weak areas, tracking progress, and ensuring efficient revision. Every hour matters in my path to civil service.”

goals

☺︎

Aims to secure a high rank and transition to a prestigious position in civil services.

☺︎

Needs a focused, productive study approach that maximizes output in minimal time.

☺︎

Wants to identify and strengthen weaker areas, especially in high-weightage subjects.

☺︎

Retaining information over time with revision, without taking excessive time.

key Frustrations

☹︎

Balancing job and prep leaves with limited study time each week, which often feels inadequate to cover the vast syllabus.

☹︎

Finds it challenging to track his true progress across subjects and gauge if he’s exam-ready, leading to anxiety as exam dates approach.

☹︎

Struggles to find efficient ways to reinforce his learning without simply re-reading notes.

defining User pain points

defining User pain points

defining User pain points

After uncovering the frustrations and challenges faced by multiple users, we've identified these key pain points that students encounter during their exam preparation journey.

brainstorming solutions…

Leveraging AI, Because why not?

Leveraging AI, Because why not?

Leveraging AI, Because why not?

As an AI enthusiast, I consistently integrate it into my workflow to uncover new perspectives and drive innovation. I utilized ChatGPT to brainstorm and explore multiple solutions based on the data at hand. This approach not only expanded my range of possible solutions but also saved countless hours.

Ideating and chill

Ideating and chill

Ideating and chill

Deconstructing challenges and pain points into manageable segments, I strategically expand the scope of solutions for each, ensuring no detail is overlooked.

curated solutions…

Business Optimization Strategies

Business Optimization Strategies

Business Optimization Strategies

Key business approaches developed through ideation sessions, targeting sustainable growth and differentiation. These strategies leverage insights to optimize resource use and enhance competitive positioning.

User-Centric Solutions

User-Centric Solutions

User-Centric Solutions

Solutions tailored to user needs, crafted through in-depth brainstorming to address pain points and elevate the user experience. Each idea is refined to enhance engagement and improve learning outcomes.

letting the pen flow…

Optimizing flows and architecture

Optimizing flows and architecture

Optimizing flows and architecture

Streamlined workflows and robust architecture designed to create a seamless, efficient user journey. This section highlights improvements for smoother navigation and faster response times.

Figuring out Revision curve

Figuring out Revision curve

Figuring out Revision curve

A custom revision algorithm focused on adaptive, periodic reviews to aid knowledge retention. This solution, achieved through data analysis and iteration, ensures targeted and effective learning for each user.

wireframes & Mockups…

Lo-Fi sketches

Lo-Fi sketches

Lo-Fi sketches

Initial low-fidelity sketches were created to explore layout options and core features quickly. This phase enabled rapid ideation and flexibility in refining design ideas before finalizing structure.

Hi-Fi Wireframes

Hi-Fi Wireframes

Hi-Fi Wireframes

High-fidelity wireframes were crafted to bring key elements into clearer focus and test functionality. These wireframes provided a realistic view of the design, allowing for faster feedback and adjustments.

Quick Wireframes

Mockup for Usability testing

Mockup for Usability testing

Mockup for Usability testing

Detailed mockups were produced to simulate the final product for user testing. These mockups enabled hands-on evaluation to gather insights and refine the design based on real user interactions.

one-one Usability testing

Approach

Approach

Approach

I conducted 5 usability tests, each involving 2 tasks and a simplified questionnaire that assessed app’s functionality based on four criteria: helpfulness, engagement, ease of use, and likelihood to use.

testing result

testing result

testing result

The overall interest rating reached 3/5, with the highest score (4.5/5) in app helpfullness and the lowest score (1.7/5) in ease of use.

Users found the app to be helpful and engaging, but provided feedback on Design complexness, missing crucial information, motivation and syllabus tracking. On the other-hand, User praised the concept of revision and Quiz based learning.

  1. How helpful did you find the quiz and revision features in improving your understanding

Somewhat helpful (1)

Very helpful (4)

  1. Did the app keep you engaged throughout your session?

A Little (3)

Engaging (2)

  1. How easy was it to navigate through Syllabus?

Very Difficult (3)

Somewhat Difficult (2)

  1. How likely are you to continue using this app for your exam preparation?

Unlikely (1)

Somewhat likely (3)

Likely (1)

Feedbacks

Feedbacks

Our initial hypothesis of incorporating game-like elements and buzzer-style design didn't resonate with users as we hoped. This setback led us to completely rethink and redesign the app, shifting towards a more subtle, sleek, and user-friendly interface. While it was a challenge, the experience motivated us to create a more intuitive and seamless user journey.

  1. Streaks are tricky, Daily goal might help better.

  1. The horizontal scroll creates friction on sub topics, and what if count increases?

  1. Whats the importance of coins?

  1. The red-buzzer buttons draws lot of attention and hence, difficult in navigating topics

  1. The small icon is unclear

  1. Buzzer buttons are confusing, and creating distraction.

  1. What if there are same topics on different units?

  1. Quiz flows and screens are good.

  1. '5 min' seems like time constraint to solve the quiz! Which is irrelevant as everyone has different pace.

Iterative Visuals 1.1

Our new, sleek design focuses on simplicity and ease of navigation, ensuring users can move seamlessly through the app. We refined the interface by removing distracting elements, enhancing readability, and simplifying interactions. This version delivers a clean, intuitive experience that makes studying straightforward and engaging.

Onboarding

Onboarding

Onboarding

Home

Home

Home

Multiple revision cards, based on progress of students.

Full Syllabus at home for easy accessibility

Colour coded to each section for easier identification of sections

Progress bar based on mastery of respective units

growth tracking | Edge cases

growth tracking | Edge cases

growth tracking | Edge cases

Growth tracking, with timeline and events to help user track their history back

No, Internet connection toast, to include edge case within design for better communication

On Scroll -> List of user's history based on dates, with quick CTA to start incompleted quiz

Included motivation, when user is absent even for whole week to cheer up and keep going

Screen Designs

Screen Designs

Screen Designs

Outcomes & Reflections...

Key Achievements v1.1

Key Achievements v1.1

Key Achievements v1.1

  1. Increased Daily Active Users (DAU) by 30%.

  2. Achieved Revision Completion Rate (RCR) of 58%.

  3. User Retention Rate of 77%.

  4. Average session length increased by 20%.

  5. Adoption rate of nearly 58%.

  6. 100k+ downloads on play store under 6 months of production.

my learnings

my learnings

my learnings

Letting research drive design was key.

Letting research drive design was key. Speaking directly with current students revealed their true needs and experiences, providing invaluable insights to shape an app that’s both relevant and highly usable for today’s learners. User research and testing showed clear enthusiasm—students understood the app’s value for themselves and their peers, reinforcing its impact.

It’s easy to get caught up in creating an app only for the user

I’ve learned that while designing an app centered on user needs is essential, understanding its impact on businesses and institutions is equally crucial. Success from a business perspective fuels development, attracting more resources and support to drive the app forward.

Essential Role of AI in Streamlining Product Design

Incorporating AI into the product design process has proven essential for saving time, reducing effort, and maximizing resources. By automating data analysis, AI rapidly identifies patterns in user behavior, uncovers insights at scale—tasks that would otherwise consume significant time and manpower.

UI

UI

UI

BOTH

BOTH

BOTH

CAN

CAN

CAN

TOGETHER

TOGETHER

TOGETHER

BECOME

BECOME

BECOME

A

A

A

GREAT

GREAT

GREAT

TEAM

TEAM

TEAM

LET'S

LET'S

LET'S

CONNECT?

CONNECT?

CONNECT?

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Crafted with _____ Designed in _______

Crafted with L ve, Designed in Framer

© Narendra Gupta 2024

© Narendra Gupta 2024