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COGS 127 Class Project
Turning daily Learning into Practice worth returning to
Redesigning IXL's K-12 student dashboard so learners see their growth, learn from mistakes, and actually want to come back.
Role
Product Designer
Team
Karen li
junaya flordeliza
amy vo
Timeline
may-june
Tools
Figma
Figjam
The Problem
17 million students, but a disengaging learning platform.
IXL is one of the most widely used K–12 learning platforms, but students often describe it as “text-heavy,” “scary,” and “boring.” SmartScore makes mistakes feel punishing, lessons are buried under complex menus, and students lack a clear place to see what they’ve finished or what to do next.
We redesigned the student experience around clearer navigation, more supportive feedback, and progress students can actually see.
Problem STatement
K-12 students need to see their own growth to stay motivated. When practice platforms hide progress and punish mistakes, students don't just lose interest in the platform — they lose confidence in themselves as learners.
WHAT WE HEARD
Three patterns kept surfacing across our research
We conducted 8 interviews with a mix of K-12 students, a parent, an educator, and a former IXL user. Sessions covered learning platform habits, assignment navigation, feedback expectations, and perceptions of IXL.
DESIGN PRINCIPLES
What guided our redesign for better learning
Iterations
Refining our design based on feedback
Our first round of designs (M4 or Milestone 4) kept too much of IXL's original visual language, students still felt the platform's pressure. Round two (M5 or Milestone 5) stripped it back to what mattered, with two changes that defined the redesign.
01 · Practice page: reduce pressure and increase workspace.
Iteration 1
Iteration 2
02 · Lesson page: combine instruction before practice.
Iteration 1
Iteration 2
Final design 01
A dashboard built around the student.
The redesigned landing page brings assignments, recent work, progress, and rewards into one view so students can quickly decide what to work on next.
Final design 02
Lessons that lead with video, not walls of text.
Instead of splitting videos, lessons, and practice across separate pages, the redesigned lesson page creates a single vertical flow: tutorial video, written recap, worked examples, then a practice CTA.
Final design 03
Feedback that teaches, not punishes.
Incorrect answers lead to an explanation with visual support and related resources. Correct answers show progress and give students control over when to continue.
When students get it wrong
When students get it right
Final design 04
Motivation and gamification tied to learning progress.
The dashboard introduces a streak counter, unlockable awards, and a learning journey path to show completion, level progress, and momentum across practice sessions.
VALIDATING
We tested our system with the same students
we interviewed
We brought back two students from our original round — a 12th grader and a 7th grader. Both preferred the redesign over current IXL, immediately and unanimously.
after user testing
Three refinements they pushed us to make.
Even with strong reception, both testers flagged real friction. Each piece of feedback became a direct change.
REFLECTION
Project Takeaways
