Case Study
Amplify ELA Quests
In-Classroom Immersive Learning Experience Design
Quests are fun, week-long immersions into a specific, multilayered learning experience.
They enable students to practice analytical reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills—critical English Language Arts skills for middle schoolers through collaborative learning experience.
We empower teachers with a resource they wouldn’t have the time, specialized knowledge, or technical know-how to create independently.
Context
What is this about?
I was part of the founding team of ELA Quests at Amplify Education. I served as a product design lead, spreading head product vision, conducting research, facilitating workshops, prototyping, testing with users, and bringing vision into live products.
Over 3.5 years, we produced over 10 products for middle and primary school students.
My Role
Product Design Lead
Skill: UX Research/ Workshop/ UX Strategy & Design/ UI
Team
Product Owner
Playwrights
Lead Product Designer (me)
UX Designers
Visual Designers
Software Engineers
Deliverables
Students and Teachers Interview
Product Ideation
Workshop Facilitation
Persona Creation
Customer Journey Map
Wireframing
Prototyping
Usability Research
Design Implementation & Deployment
Uncovering Facts, Drawing Insights
Research & Synthesis
Our journey began in the classroom, listening to the voices of those at the heart of learning. We sought to understand the struggles of middle school students and the hurdles educators face. We found surprising facts down below…
Defining the Problem & Crafting the Hypothesis
With insights in hand, we faced the core challenge of creating a safe environment where kids could engage in their learning without being judged. We hypothesized that an immersive narrative, interwoven with robust curriculum content, could transform the learning experience from passive absorption to active exploration.
Ideation & Prototyping
I facilitated numerous workshops to generate ideas collaboratively among the team members.
Ideas flowed, and prototypes took shape. Each Quest was a solution in the making, a response to our hypothesis tested through sketches, storyboards, and digital drafts.
UX Strategy
This “What-if” Statement became our guiding principle for creating multiple Quest experiences.
Agile Design Process
We had four sprints running simultaneously: Visual Design, Learning UX, UX, and Tech.
Defining User Experience:
Interaction Flow from Declare Yourself! Quest
For each project, I led defining the entire UX strategy and design including, information architecture, interaction flow, wireframe, low&high fidelity prototypes.
Information Architecture (from Perception Academy Quest)
Prototyping
Prototypes from Declare Yourself! Quest
While we must ensure the digital product’s UX is easy to use, most importantly, we focus on achieving high engagement by the learners. I often collaborated with design researchers to measure their learning and fine-tune the learning experience.
Data-Driven Decision Making to improve the product
Quest Team was a testing-obsessed team. Every product we developed was user-tested several times. When we playedtested with children, we derived data in several ways.
The ways we collected data:
How data helped the product development
As a highly collaborative team, these tests helped inform and justify our decision-making.
Impact
The ELA Quests have redefined engagement, with 85% of students showing heightened interest and a 30% increase in literacy skills.
These story-driven Quests enable teachers to deliver compelling lessons, with 95% reporting improved student participation. Nationwide, the response is clear: 90% of classrooms using ELA Quests report a positive impact, making them a beloved cornerstone of modern education.
Products I developed as
a lead product designer:
Amplify ELA Quest Product (7th Grade)
Who Killed Edgar Allan Poe Quest
Poe has been murdered and students must figure out who did it. They explore a range of suspects, including characters from Poe's works and his critics. Students assume the identity of a suspect and interview each other to uncover evidence.
Role: Lead UX
Amplify ELA Quest Product (7th Grade)
Perception Academy Quest
Students explore a series of linked activities focusing on brain disorders and how they affect our perception and response to the world around us. Students move through the periods of a school day as though they have one of the perception disorders described in Oliver Sacks’s book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.
Role: Lead Product Designer
Amplify ELA Quest Product (7th Grade)
Declare Yourself! Quest
Students navigate the historical debate of the Declaration of Independence as members of the Second Continental Congress. They embody historical figures, arguing their stances with evidence and teamwork, aiming to sway opinions. This quest deepens engagement with primary sources, allowing students to debate their side passionately. Through role-play and critical analysis, they experience the founding document's impact and are encouraged to articulate compelling arguments in this immersive reenactment.
Role: Lead Product Designer
Amplify ELA Quest Product (3rd Grade)
A Far From Home: A Viking’s Journey Quest
A Viking’s Journey, students embark on an immersive adventure as Vikings alongside Leif Erikson, aiming to establish the first Norse settlement in North America. Through their voyage, they encounter diverse characters, diving deep into Viking society. The Quest blends writing, listening, speaking, reading, and physical activities across five 45-minute lessons, providing a comprehensive and engaging look into Norse civilization from the first lesson.
Role: Lead Product Designer
Amplify ELA Quest
Teacher’s App
I designed a teacher-facing app to help teachers 1) learn about the Quest, 2) prepare for the five days of lessons, and 3) implement the Quest in the classroom.
The app serves as an educational tool for understanding the Quest and provides a comprehensive guide for the five-day lessons, complete with scripts and flow. This ensures that every teacher, regardless of their previous experience, can confidently conduct a beautifully crafted and engaging learning experience.
Role: Lead Product Designer
