CareerCourse — Interactive LMS for Remote Students
The Problem
Students in remote and rural areas often lack access to the same quality of STEM educational resources as their urban counterparts. This educational gap is compounded by a lack of engaging, interactive digital tools that can function in low-connectivity environments.
My Role & The Team
Collaborating in a team of 4, I was responsible for the following key areas:
- User Research & Data Synthesis
- User Journey Mapping
- Wireframing & Storyboarding
- UI & Interaction Design
- Usability Testing
Market Analysis
Competitor A
(O-lab)
Highly engaging but lacks a pre-built curriculum. Users face high complexity.
Competitor B
(DART Learning)
Strong live courses but on-demand content is unorganized and hard hard of find.
Feature Comparison
| O-lab | DART Learning | |
|---|---|---|
| Customizable Curriculum | ||
| Live Courses | ||
| Interactive Content | ||
| National Curriculum Alignment |
Research & Discovery
Through direct engagement with stakeholders—including students, teachers, and organizational leaders—we found that a core issue in the rural education gap is the disconnect between academic subjects and real-world careers. This is driven by several interconnected factors:
Limited Aspirations:
Lack of exposure to diverse career paths in rural areas reduces student motivation.
Lack of Practicality:
Students struggle to see the real-world application of academic subjects, forming disengagement.
Inadequate Infrastructure:
Small populations in rural areas with limited internet access and funding, impacting learning resources.
Time & Energy Constraints:
Many students are employed, leaving them with little time or energy for their studies.
Communal Value:
The outlook of community/family can significantly shape a student's educational and career aspirations.
The Journey: From Ideation to Solution
lightbulbIdeation & Wireframing
From our 4 initial ideations, the Career RPG concept proved most effective at communicating the practical application of school subjects and gamifying engagement. Recognizing its high processing demands were a critical flaw for rural contexts, we synthesized its strengths into a more feasible concept to undergo user testing.
Career RPG Wireframes
task_altPaper Prototype Testing
Our paper prototyping phase focused on testing core features from Career RPG including:
- Avatar customization
- Course progression
- Unlocking virtual excursions
Strength
Validated the gamified avatar system was a strong motivational factor.
Limitation
Revealed significant user confusion around navigation and the leveling-up process.
model_trainingMid-Fidelity Iteration
The following iteration focused on adding clearer instructions and better navigation.
Mid-Fidelity Prototype Testing
The Solution: High-Fidelity Designs
Our final design, CareerCourse, is a gamified LMS for students in rural and low-socioeconomic areas that addresses the educational gap by connecting school curriculum to real-world value. Using a motivational avatar system, students complete coursework to level up, unlocking the core feature: virtual excursions hosted by professionals for direct exposure to STEM careers.
