IXL
Bridging homework management between educators and students through IXL
*This design challenge was completed as part of the 2024 IXL APM application
Role
Product Designer, PM
Timeline & Duration
Nov 2024,
2 Weeks
Tools
Figma, Adobe Illustrator
Skills
UX Research, UX / UI Design, Prototyping
Product background
Let's get you up to speed…
IXL is a comprehensive online learning platform designed to support both teachers and students across various subjects.
For Teachers
IXL allows teachers to track each student's progress, identify strengths and weaknesses, and create personalized lesson plans to meet individual needs.
For Students
IXL offers interactive practice questions and videos across math, science, language arts, and social studies, helping students learn and reinforce subjects at their own pace.
The Design Challenge
+++ the task at hand
IXL 2024 Design Challenge
Build a new “Homework Assignments” feature for teachers on IXL. Your designs should enable teachers to assign any combination of IXL skills, lessons, and/or video tutorials for homework.
In other words, a single homework assignment could be a combination of only a few skills, or a lesson reading plus a few skills, or a lesson plus video tutorial plus a couple skills, and so on.
Sneak Peek
A quick product preview of the solution
TLDR: Effortless & personalized homework management, tailored to fit each lesson.
Provide teachers and students with an intuitive homework assignment experience, customizing each task to align seamlessly with the curriculum!
PROJECT SCOPE
Teachers on IXL cannot create homework assignments.
Currently, teachers can only assign IXL skills, and do so by telling students the specific skill code (ie. B.4), sharing the link to the skill, or by “starring” the skill in IXL :
Above: Shows teacher's process to assign skills
Above: shows "assigned" skills that the teacher has starred. Videos and lessons cannot be starred.
Recently IXL added more learning resources such as video tutorials and lessons, but these cannot be directly assigned or tracked for completion.
THE PROBLEM
The existing starring method doesn't satisfy the user's needs.
Teachers need a flexible and intuitive way to assign personalized homework on IXL that combines skills, lessons, and video tutorials to meet diverse student learning needs.
RESEARCH
I started by asking, "Whats already out there, and how can we do better?"
To understand industry best practices and identify opportunities for differentiation, I conducted a competitive analysis by evaluating key competitors in the market.
Meet The Competitors
Khan Academy
Google Classroom
Quizzizz
Teachers were being forced to choose between structured lessons and flexible assignments.
Key Insights from Competitors:
Teachers love auto-grading & pre made lessons (Khan).
Teachers crave more flexibility (Google Classroom).
Nobody seamlessly blends skills, lessons, and videos into one assignment flow.
Teachers are using multiple different platforms to accommodate.
Design process pt1: bRAINSTORM
It was time to start designing solutions.
To get ideas flowing, I set some time aside to sketch potential screens. Because I was building off of an existing design, I familiarized myself with IXL's design patterns and UI aesthetics to ensure that the Homework Feature would fit in seamlessly
Here's where IXL's opportunity lays:
Smart Homework Assignment:
One-stop homework hub:
Let teachers mix videos, skills, and lessons in one assignment.
Zero extra work:
Auto-grade skills, track video views, and sync to grade books.
Smart defaults:
ie. IXL groups 3 skills on fractions and a tutorial video with one click.
Information Architecture
There was a need to define where the new homework assignment feature would live.
According to the existing Information Architecture:
The "starring method" (used to assign skills) is housed under the Learning tab.
The Quiz feature, which resembles a traditional assignment tool, is located in My IXL (the teacher’s dashboard).
This raised an important UX question: Where should the new homework feature live to feel consistent and intuitive within the existing system?
Based on these findings, the new feature could live in one of two locations: Learning or MyIXL.
I designed two potential Information Architecture (IA) structures to compare user flows side by side. This helped identify the most efficient layout, ensuring seamless integration with IXL while keeping the experience intuitive for teachers.
Option 1: Learning
Option 2: My IXL
Ultimately, I chose Option 2 because it better supports the teacher's task flow.
Organized Assignments
Homework is grouped with Quizzes under “Assignments,” keeping all task-based tools in one place.
Simplified Navigation
Clearer structure reduces cognitive load, making it faster for teachers to create and manage assignments.
Centralized Task Tools
All planning and engagement features are located in a single hub: My IXL.
Iterations
Assigned Homework Cards
One of my main goals was to create a clear and quick way for teachers to view assigned homework. I explored different card and list layouts to present key information effectively without overwhelming the user.
V2 introduced a more structured layout, making it easier to navigate key information efficiently. Additionally, content summaries under the title provide teachers with a quick overview, enhancing efficiency.
Kebab for editing ease:
Quick access to editing options such as adding or removing content, adjusting the due date, and modifying grading settings.
Assignment Overview Cards
To streamline navigation and reduce touchpoints, I consolidated homework and quizzes into a single assignments page, giving teachers an overview of all their created assignments in one place.
However, during testing, I identified potential challenges, such as disorganization and cognitive overload, when managing multiple assignments at once.
I explored different layout options and introduced an overview summary, allowing teachers to quickly assess active assignments. I also structured assignments into distinct categories, homework and quizzes, making it easier to navigate.
A Smarter Way to Assign Homework
A Smarter Way to Assign Homework
Introducing Homework Assignments on IXL: a powerful new feature that gives teachers the flexibility to assign, manage, and track homework like never before.
Teacher Dashboard: Overview
All your teaching tools in one spot
Assignment Dashboard
Take a quick view at what you've assigned
Homework Assignment Creation
Do it all on one page!
Student Dashboard
What the students see:
Takeaways
Iteration is key…
Throughout this design sprint, I encountered numerous challenges in crafting the "perfect" solution. My initial desire to get it right on the first attempt often left me stuck in a creative block. However, when I shifted my mindset and reminded myself that designs are iterative by nature, I felt a newfound freedom to explore more creative solutions. By letting go of the need for perfection and embracing the process of constant improvement, I was able to ideate, test, and refine with greater ease. Iterate, reevaluate, and iterate again—this mindset proved essential in driving innovation and overcoming creative barriers.
Future Considerations
Student Facing
The homework assignment feature serves distinct purposes depending on whether the user is an educator or a learner. I’m curious to explore deeper into the student dashboard to see how I could design interfaces that not only encourage task completion but are also intuitive and easy to use—ensuring a low learning curve.
Usability Testing
Because the challenge was limited to a week, I was unable to conduct thorough usability tests with the new designs. Given more time, I would prioritize gathering user feedback, ideally from teachers, and conduct live usability walkthroughs to uncover pain points and edge cases within the redesign.
Thanks for visiting!
Thanks for visiting!
Thanks for visiting!
IXL
Bridging homework management between educators and students through IXL
*This design challenge was completed as part of the 2024 IXL APM application
Role
Product Designer, PM
Timeline & Duration
Nov 2024,
2 Weeks
Tools
Figma, Adobe Illustrator
Skills
UX Research, UX / UI Design, Prototyping
Product background
Let's get you up to speed…
IXL is a comprehensive online learning platform designed to support both teachers and students across various subjects.
For Teachers
IXL allows teachers to track each student's progress, identify strengths and weaknesses, and create personalized lesson plans to meet individual needs.
For Students
IXL offers interactive practice questions and videos across math, science, language arts, and social studies, helping students learn and reinforce subjects at their own pace.
The Design Challenge
+++ the task at hand
IXL 2024 Design Challenge
Build a new “Homework Assignments” feature for teachers on IXL. Your designs should enable teachers to assign any combination of IXL skills, lessons, and/or video tutorials for homework.
In other words, a single homework assignment could be a combination of only a few skills, or a lesson reading plus a few skills, or a lesson plus video tutorial plus a couple skills, and so on.
Sneak Peek
A quick product preview of the solution
TLDR: Effortless & personalized homework management, tailored to fit each lesson.
Provide teachers and students with an intuitive homework assignment experience, customizing each task to align seamlessly with the curriculum!
PROJECT SCOPE
Teachers on IXL cannot create homework assignments.
Currently, teachers can only assign IXL skills, and do so by telling students the specific skill code (ie. B.4), sharing the link to the skill, or by “starring” the skill in IXL :
Above: Shows teacher's process to assign skills
Above: shows "assigned" skills that the teacher has starred. Videos and lessons cannot be starred.
Recently IXL added more learning resources such as video tutorials and lessons, but these cannot be directly assigned or tracked for completion.
THE PROBLEM
The existing starring method doesn't satisfy the user's needs.
Teachers need a flexible and intuitive way to assign personalized homework on IXL that combines skills, lessons, and video tutorials to meet diverse student learning needs.
RESEARCH
I started by asking, "Whats already out there, and how can we do better?"
To understand industry best practices and identify opportunities for differentiation, I conducted a competitive analysis by evaluating key competitors in the market.
Meet The Competitors
Khan Academy
Google Classroom
Quizzizz
Teachers were being forced to choose between structured lessons and flexible assignments.
Key Insights from Competitors:
Teachers love auto-grading & pre made lessons (Khan).
Teachers crave more flexibility (Google Classroom).
Nobody seamlessly blends skills, lessons, and videos into one assignment flow.
Teachers are using multiple different platforms to accommodate.
Design process pt1: bRAINSTORM
It was time to start designing solutions.
To get ideas flowing, I set some time aside to sketch potential screens. Because I was building off of an existing design, I familiarized myself with IXL's design patterns and UI aesthetics to ensure that the Homework Feature would fit in seamlessly
Here's where IXL's opportunity lays:
Smart Homework Assignment:
One-stop homework hub:
Let teachers mix videos, skills, and lessons in one assignment.
Zero extra work:
Auto-grade skills, track video views, and sync to grade books.
Smart defaults:
ie. IXL groups 3 skills on fractions and a tutorial video with one click.
Information Architecture
There was a need to define where the new homework assignment feature would live.
According to the existing Information Architecture:
The "starring method" (used to assign skills) is housed under the Learning tab.
The Quiz feature, which resembles a traditional assignment tool, is located in My IXL (the teacher’s dashboard).
This raised an important UX question: Where should the new homework feature live to feel consistent and intuitive within the existing system?
Based on these findings, the new feature could live in one of two locations: Learning or MyIXL.
I designed two potential Information Architecture (IA) structures to compare user flows side by side. This helped identify the most efficient layout, ensuring seamless integration with IXL while keeping the experience intuitive for teachers.
Option 1: Learning
Option 2: My IXL
Ultimately, I chose Option 2 because it better supports the teacher's task flow.
Organized Assignments
Homework is grouped with Quizzes under “Assignments,” keeping all task-based tools in one place.
Simplified Navigation
Clearer structure reduces cognitive load, making it faster for teachers to create and manage assignments.
Centralized Task Tools
All planning and engagement features are located in a single hub: My IXL.
Iterations
Assigned Homework Cards
One of my main goals was to create a clear and quick way for teachers to view assigned homework. I explored different card and list layouts to present key information effectively without overwhelming the user.
V2 introduced a more structured layout, making it easier to navigate key information efficiently. Additionally, content summaries under the title provide teachers with a quick overview, enhancing efficiency.
Kebab for editing ease:
Quick access to editing options such as adding or removing content, adjusting the due date, and modifying grading settings.
Assignment Overview Cards
To streamline navigation and reduce touchpoints, I consolidated homework and quizzes into a single assignments page, giving teachers an overview of all their created assignments in one place.
However, during testing, I identified potential challenges, such as disorganization and cognitive overload, when managing multiple assignments at once.
I explored different layout options and introduced an overview summary, allowing teachers to quickly assess active assignments. I also structured assignments into distinct categories, homework and quizzes, making it easier to navigate.
A Smarter Way to Assign Homework
Introducing Homework Assignments on IXL: a powerful new feature that gives teachers the flexibility to assign, manage, and track homework like never before.
Teacher Dashboard: Overview
All your teaching tools in one spot
Assignment Dashboard
Take a quick view at what you've assigned
Homework Assignment Creation
Do it all on one page!
Student Dashboard
What the students see:
Takeaways
Iteration is key…
Throughout this design sprint, I encountered numerous challenges in crafting the "perfect" solution. My initial desire to get it right on the first attempt often left me stuck in a creative block. However, when I shifted my mindset and reminded myself that designs are iterative by nature, I felt a newfound freedom to explore more creative solutions. By letting go of the need for perfection and embracing the process of constant improvement, I was able to ideate, test, and refine with greater ease. Iterate, reevaluate, and iterate again—this mindset proved essential in driving innovation and overcoming creative barriers.
Future Considerations
Student Facing
The homework assignment feature serves distinct purposes depending on whether the user is an educator or a learner. I’m curious to explore deeper into the student dashboard to see how I could design interfaces that not only encourage task completion but are also intuitive and easy to use—ensuring a low learning curve.
Usability Testing
Because the challenge was limited to a week, I was unable to conduct thorough usability tests with the new designs. Given more time, I would prioritize gathering user feedback, ideally from teachers, and conduct live usability walkthroughs to uncover pain points and edge cases within the redesign.