My Role: UX/UI Design Student
Services: UX Research, User Interviews, Information Architecture, Prototyping, Usability Testing, Accessibility Design
Platform: PWA—responsive web app
Employer: Google UX Professional Certificate @ Coursera
Timeline: 6 weeks, December 2019–January 2020
Bite-sized learning beats bootcamp prices – through mobile-first accessibility
Design education is expensive. Bootcamps cost thousands. Degrees take years. I designed EVO – a mobile quiz platform for UX mastery. 85% wanted bite-sized learning. 40% faster comprehension for dyslexic users. 3-5 min post-quiz engagement. Proof without price tags.
Core shift: From credential gatekeeping to on-the-go skill building – through accessible design.
3 Min. Read
How we solved problems
Three challenges, three breakthroughs
Credentials cost thousands. Proof shouldn't.
Designers asked: «How do I prove I know UX principles without expensive bootcamps?» Interviewed 20+ designers via Maze.io. 85% wanted bite-sized learning – commutes, lunch breaks, evening downtime. 70% said expense prevented courses. Built EVO – mobile-first quiz platform. Short quizzes on accessibility, user research, information architecture. Skill matrix visualization – visual proof of knowledge. Shareable certificates linking to LinkedIn. Free or low-cost premium.
Usability testing showed high engagement: «This is what my LinkedIn profile needs.» Proof shouldn't require a degree – just curiosity and consistency.
Standard quizzes failed dyslexic users. Text-heavy formats overwhelmed.
Early prototypes used dense paragraphs. Dyslexic users spent 2-3x longer reading questions – often abandoned mid-quiz. Researched accessibility guidelines (WCAG, dyslexia-specific). Key findings: short sentences, generous spacing, visual hierarchy, text-to-speech. Redesigned quiz UI – short questions (max 2 sentences), WCAG AAA contrast, OpenDyslexic font option, increased line spacing, optional text-to-speech. Added visual aids – icons, progress indicators, color-coded feedback.
Dyslexic users reported 40% faster comprehension. One user: «This is the first quiz platform where I don't feel stupid» Design for edge cases, improve for everyone.
Accessibility Features: Short questions (2 sentences max) WCAG AAA contrast OpenDyslexic font option Text-to-speech Visual aids (icons, progress, color feedback)
Generic feedback felt hollow. Users didn't learn from mistakes.
Contextual Feedback: Which questions missed Why correct answer was right Resource links for deeper learning
Standard quiz platforms give binary feedback – «Correct!» or «Incorrect» Users finish without understanding why they were wrong. Interviewed users post-quiz: "I want to know why I was wrong, not just that I was wrong." Designed contextual feedback – after each quiz, users see which questions they missed, why the correct answer was right, and links to resources for deeper learning. Positioned quizzes as learning tools, not just assessments.
Users spent 3-5 minutes post-quiz engaging with feedback – far longer than typical platforms. One user: "This isn't just a quiz – it's a mini-course." Feedback is the lesson, not the score.
Key Learnings
What this project taught me
Mobile-first wasn't a constraint – it was reality
Designers live busy lives. Commutes, breaks, evening downtime. The pain: designing for small screens felt limiting. What worked: recognizing that's when learning actually happens. Mobile-first matched actual behavior. On-the-go learning wasn't a compromise – it respected users' context.
Accessibility lifts everyone, not just edge cases
Designed for dyslexic users – short questions, high contrast, OpenDyslexic font. The surprise: non-dyslexic users said "It's just easier to read." What saved me: treating accessibility as good design, not accommodation. 40% faster comprehension for dyslexic users. Better experience for all.
Proof matters more than perfection
Six-week student project. Didn't build a full platform. The pain: wanting to ship everything. What helped: validating assumptions fast. Testing with users. Proving the concept. That's the real skill: knowing what to test and learning fast.
Why this still matters
Make learning joyful, and people will choose to learn
Design is no longer just visual craft – it's research, systems thinking, accessibility, continuous learning. The role evolves faster than education systems adapt. EVO was a vision: What if learning UX was as easy as scrolling Instagram? Bite-sized. Mobile. Accessible. Shareable. This 6-week project proved learning platforms can respect users' time, ability, and goals – without requiring expensive bootcamps or degrees. When learning is joyful, it becomes a choice, not a burden.