Background

ALEKS is an artificial intelligence math and chemistry learning platform. Due to updates in common core math standards, ALEKS was tasked with introducing new math problems into its college algebra and geometry curriculum. Such problems required students to move, rotate, translate, and reflect objects over X and Y axes.

The Challenge

Prior to my arrival, UX designers had sketched concepts but ultimately relied on developers to create the tool in order to test it with real users. Due to the high cost of developing the tools, often times problems found in usability testing were not implemented.

The Task

My goal was to find a solution to test math input tools before they were developed. I pushed Axure to its limits and was able to prototype tools that closely mimicked how a real tool would behave. This allowed us to conduct usability testing without any actual development work.

I ran usability tests with real students in-house using the interactive prototypes. I wrote the test plans and moderated usability tests. Our goal was to assess whether students could successfully use the tool.      

Outcome

The interactive prototypes saved McGraw-Hill Education time and money by avoiding any actual development prior to testing. We discovered a few problems during the tests, redesigned the tools, and continued testing before they went to development.

Below are videos of the actual tools being used (not the prototypes). Actual prototypes can be shown during in-person interviews.