UX Case Study
Neuroscience for everyone!
For my UX Capstone, I helped my client, Backyard Brains, deliver an educational tool that displays live neural signals.
Product
Cross platform application
Skills
UX Research
UI/UX Design
My Role
UX Designer
Timeline
August 2024 - Present
Collaborators
Jade Li, Nicole Surcel, Yuyu Yang, Kayla Wehner
Background
Founded in 2009, Backyard Brains (BYB) is an educational company that aims to distribute and simplify neuroscience material for K-12 students via books, tool kits, and workshops. BYB’s primary personas consist of students as well as their teachers. Of their numerous products, BYB more recently developed the SpikerBot and Human SpikerBox applications, two groundbreaking educational tools that improve students’ knowledge on neural networks and how the brain works.
Despite major innovations brought by these products, BYB’s current users experience difficulty accessing both the SpikerBot and Human SpikerBox without a) needing to purchase both relatively expensive items and b) needing to navigate between multiple platforms, which can reduce willingness to use both products. This can also deter potential new users (i.e. school programs) from investing in the software, as it requires two separate softwares rather than one unified system.
Thus, our team aims to develop a single application (compatible with multiple device systems–iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows, and the web) connecting the SpikerBot with the Human SpikerBox applications. Throughout our research and design process, we will maintain consistent communication with one another–and BYB–to ensure our goals and plans will effectively foster the development of a unified, cohesive platform that makes neuroscience more accessible to all.
Problem
BYB's current separation of the SpikerBot and Human SpikerBox applications creates a fragmented experience for teachers and students in the K-12 educational environment. Teachers struggle to integrate these two platforms into their curriculum due to logistical and financial concerns, limiting their ability to effectively leverage the Neurobots for engaging science education. Overall, the platform fragmentation hampers user confidence and reduces overall learning outcomes, which can also deter new users from adopting the products.
Stakeholders
We identified our three main core stakeholders: school administrators, teachers, and students. After meeting with BYB and referencing client-provided resources, our team has quite a few knowledge gaps about current users’ experiences while navigating and using BYB’s two educational platforms. Thus, to better understand the current needs, pain points, and goals of users, we will develop various research questions that assess the experiences of educators, students, and administrators in the Ann Arbor Public School district.
Research
To answer our research questions, we are currently carrying out four different methods of research: user interviews, contextual inquiry, usability testing, and surveys.
To be continued…
Back