BRAINPOP
6 interactive learning features launched supporting assignment preparation
Role
Product Designer
Team
1 Product Designer · 2 Product Managers
· 3 QA Engineers · 2 UX Researchers
· +10 Software Engineers
Platform
Web, Tablet, Mobile
I owned design for 6 of 8 new learning features in the BrainPOP Assessments release, as part of our shift toward an assessments-based platform. After its acquisition by LEGO, BrainPOP set out to evolve from a supplemental tool into a leader in differentiated learning and student progress tracking by modernizing activities and expanding its content library.
Business impact
28%
Increase in student task completion
Via Mixpanel, post-launch
6
New learning features shipped
Across web, tablet, and mobile
WCAG 2.2
Accessibility compliant
All six features
problem + opportunity
BrainPOP needed to evolve from a supplemental tool to an assessments platform
After its acquisition by LEGO, BrainPOP set out to lead in differentiated learning and student progress tracking, which meant rebuilding the activity experience from the ground up.
Problem
Existing activities weren't designed to function as formal assessments at scale. No support for differentiated learning or measurable outcomes.
Outdated UX
Activities weren't aligned with modern ed-tech standards in UI or interaction design. The platform needed a full refresh.
Solution
Redesign the student learning experience and introduce new assessment features aligned with modern ed-tech standards.
Strategy
Project goals
Modernize how students engage with learning content, making the experience intuitive, consistent, and engaging across activities.
01
Add new features
Introduce new activity types and integrate new content sources.
02
Consistent experience
Introduce new activity types and integrate new content sources.
03
Learning outcomes
Give teachers better tools to track and prove student progress.
04
Modernize the CMS
Streamline content creation to support higher distribution volume.
Research
User testing
We tested with students and teachers across K-8th grade levels, observing real interactions with the new activity types and choice architecture.
11
Students observed across K-8, interacting with multiple choice, text highlight, and interactive question types
13
Teachers tested on new choice architecture and assignment creation workflows
students
Multiple choice landed quickly
9 out of 11 students grasped the format immediately with no guidance needed.
Fill in the blank was the favorite
Generated the most excitement across all age groups. Students related it to worksheets they know.
Drag and drop needed
clearer affordances
Younger students struggled to identify draggable elements, leading us to redesign the dragger UI.
Practice mode improved accuracy
Students self-corrected more in practice mode and showed measurable accuracy gains over graded mode.
teachers
Choice architecture was
hard to navigate
8 out of 13 teachers, especially K-3, struggled to quickly find the most relevant features.
Setup time was a pain point
9 out of 13 teachers said customizing assessments took longer than expected.
Key features went unnoticed
7 out of 13 teachers were unaware of core differences between quiz and challenge activity types.
Teacher confidence was split
8 out of 13 teachers felt confident after two attempts with the new platform, but wanted more structured onboarding to get there faster.
Final designs
Hi-fidelity design solutions
6 new learning features prioritizing enriched learning, gamification, achievement badges, and student progress reporting. All designs are WCAG 2.2 compliant.
LEARNING ACTIVITY WIDE
Activity Start Screen
Gives students a clear view of available modes: practice for instant feedback, graded for scored assessment, before starting any activity.
LEARNING ACTIVITY WIDE
Assignment Panel
Always-accessible panel surfaces assignment instructions, activity list, and deadlines so students stay focused without losing context.
LEARNING ACTIVITY WIDE
Student Answer Key
Detailed answer keys with visual legends help students understand scoring across text highlight, multi-select, and other feature types.
LEARNING ACTIVITY WIDE
Practice Mode
Gamification elements and achievement badges reward progress. Tooltips nudge students toward correct answers without giving them away.
INTERACTIVE FEATURE
Match List
Interactive draggers now use common iconography, making it immediately clear which elements are interactive.
BEFORE
Draggable elements lacked visual distinction and users unsure what to interact with.
AFTER
Clear dragger iconography and desktop + mobile layouts.
INTERACTIVE FEATURE
Label Image
Designed two pointer styles and four colors to ensure dragger visibility across any image background.
BEFORE
No strong visual hierarchy and users unsure where to focus.
AFTER
Caret and arrow pointer styles with white, light blue, yellow,
and black color options.
INTERACTIVE FEATURE
Fill In The Sentence
Generated the most excitement in user testing. Students related it directly to worksheets they already know.
BEFORE
Draggable tokens weren't visually distinctive or easy to replace.
AFTER
Clear token design with intuitive replace interaction.
INTERACTIVE FEATURE
Text Highlight
Added a large font size to ensure readability for younger students. The highlight interaction is simple and familiar.
BEFORE
AFTER
INTERACTIVE FEATURE
Venn Diagram
High contrast color for the "both" column supports clear visual distinction between diagram sections.
BEFORE
Low contrast between sections created confusion about where items belonged.
AFTER
High contrast "both" column makes diagram sections immediately
distinguishable.
INTERACTIVE FEATURE
Fill in the Table
Interactive flashcards with drag and drop. Vocabulary words tailored to the student's grade level.
OUTCOMES
Student Dashboard Updates
Redesigned the student timeline to surface scores and results inline, and connected activity tiles directly to detailed results.
Integrated student dashboard
Scores and results now surface directly on the
timeline, eliminating the need to click into each activity.
Connection to new experience
Activity tiles link directly to detailed results, letting students review each question immediately after completing an assignment.
reflections
This was BrainPOP's largest initiative to date, spanning nearly a year and a half with deep cross-functional collaboration across product, marketing, and sales.
I partnered closely on demo prototypes, launch messaging, and go-to-market alignment, learning how to bring complex features to market without losing design quality under pressure.