Project overview
You are designing practice for one student moment: short sessions on a cheap phone, ideally offline. Pick one subject or one wedge in your case study. Do not try to beat full edtech platforms on breadth.
- Platform
- Mobile app · Android-first · portrait
- Screens
- 11 screens + 1 unhappy path (12 frames)
- Features
- 3 core features
- Bottom navigation
- Bottom navigation with 4 items: Home · Practice · Progress · Profile
- Prototype
- 4 linked flows
Build order: Auth (screens 1–4) → nav tabs (5–8) → core flow (9–11) → unhappy path → link prototypes.
Problem & primary user
Many SS3 students retake subjects or miss their WAEC targets each year. Most cannot afford lesson centres or up-to-date textbooks. They practise with old past-question books that have no answer explanations, so they repeat the same mistakes without understanding why. If you cite pass rates or exam stats, name WAEC (or your school source) for the year you reference.
Primary user
"Chidi, a 17-year-old SS3 student in Onitsha who is struggling with Mathematics, cannot afford a private lesson teacher, and uses a cheap Android phone to study at night."
Geographic scope: National-level
Goals
User goal: Practise WAEC past questions and get clear answer explanations, even without internet.
Business goal: Build a loyal student base before WAEC season and offer premium subject packs.
Success: In a quick test, a student completes one daily challenge, sees why an answer was wrong, and would return tomorrow.
Market context
- Question
- Answer
- Who pays
- Parents and students already pay for past questions, lesson centres, and data. A freemium model (free daily 10, paid full subjects) is realistic (assumption).
- Why not WhatsApp
- PDFs and WhatsApp groups share answers without explanations. Students need structured practice, progress, and why an answer is wrong.
- Design focus
- Pick one wedge: e.g. one subject (Mathematics), offline pack, or daily 10-question streak. Beat incumbents on explanation quality in simple English, not more subjects.
Competitors to check:
- uLesson (WAEC/JAMB video, quizzes, offline; major incumbent)
- EduPadi, Exam Padi, Pass.ng, Edubaloo, ExamTutor Academy (past questions + CBT practice)
- Physical past-question books and lesson centres
- YouTube teachers (free, uneven quality)
Validate before you design
Interview 3–5 people who match your primary user. Update this brief if interviews contradict it. Do not start hi-fi until you complete the confirmation below.
- Validated user (name, age, city)
- Problem in one sentence
- One interview quote
- Success metric for your test
- Primary colour and tone
- One competitor you checked
Interview prompts
- "Walk me through the last time this happened."
- "What did you use instead? WhatsApp, paper, or nothing?"
- "What would make you trust this on a cheap Android phone?"
- "What would stop you from using this every week?"
Features & scope
v1 · three features
- Past questions organised by subject and year
- Clear answer explanations written in simple English
- Daily 10-question challenge with score tracking
Out of scope
- Live tutoring or video courses
- All WAEC subjects in v1
- School admin or exam registration
Screens
Design every row in wireframe, high-fidelity UI, and prototype (where the flow applies).
| # | Layer | Screen | What to show |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auth | Splash Screen | App name and logo on a bold background. |
| 2 | Auth | Onboarding (2 screens) | Screen 1: What the app does. Screen 2: Pick your subjects. Keep each screen to one idea with a 'Next' button. |
| 3 | Auth | Sign Up Screen | Name, class (SS1 / SS2 / SS3], phone number, and PIN. No email required. |
| 4 | Auth | Sign In Screen | Phone number and PIN. Include 'Forgot PIN' link. |
| 5 | App shell | Home (tab) | User name, daily challenge card, subject list, and streak. |
| 6 | App shell | Practice (tab) | Subject and year picker to start practice session. |
| 7 | App shell | Progress (tab) | Scores by subject and recent performance summary. |
| 8 | App shell | Profile (tab) | Name, class (SS1/SS2/SS3), and subjects selected. |
| 9 | Core flow | Question | One WAEC question, four options, progress bar. Show bottom nav on post-sign-in screens. |
| 10 | Core flow | Answer · Explanation | Correct/wrong highlight with short explanation. Show bottom nav on post-sign-in screens. |
| 11 | Core flow | Score summary | Score out of 10 and weak topics. Feature 3 tracking. Show bottom nav on post-sign-in screens. |
Layers: Auth = 1–4 · App shell = 5–8 · Core flow = 9–11
Prototype flows
Link these in Figma. Examiners should click through without your voice-over.
Flow 1 · App entry
Flow 2 · Core task (all three features)
Core flow screens: Question · Answer · Explanation · Score summary
Flow 3 · Navigation
Link every nav tab so examiners can tap each bottom nav item. Tabs: Bottom navigation with 4 items: Home · Practice · Progress · Profile
Flow 4 · Unhappy path
Trigger the unhappy path edge case and link to that screen.
Unhappy path
Design this as its own screen state (frame 12):
User scores 0 out of 10. Do not show a failure message. Instead show: 'Keep going. Every attempt makes you better. Try the same topic again?'
Link in Flow 4.
Design system
- Colour
- You choose. Keep it simple and readable.
- Type
- You choose. Keep body text easy to read on a phone.
- Tone
- Design for your user, not for a tech audience.
Reuse on every screen:
- Primary button (active and disabled states)
- Input field (empty, filled, and error states)
- Card or list item used across the app
- Navigation bar with correct labels and icons
- Empty state: what the screen looks like with no data
Submit & defense
Deliverables
| # | Deliverable | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wireframes | Every screen in this brief, plus the unhappy path. Layout and labels clear. |
| 2 | High-fidelity UI | Same frames polished. You choose colour and type. Bottom nav on every post-sign-in screen. |
| 3 | Prototype | Four linked flows (entry, core task, navigation, unhappy path). Examiners can use the app without your voice-over. |
| 4 | AI prototype | Figma Make: at least 2 screens. Share link. |
| 5 | Case study (1 page) | Problem · User · Who pays · Competitors · Solution · One design decision |
| 6 | Presentation (6–8 slides) | Name · Problem · User · Solution · Key screens · Flow demo · One decision |
Before you present
- Every screen designed in wireframe and hi-fi
- Unhappy path screen designed and linked in the prototype
- Four prototype flows linked end to end
- At least one empty state on a list tab
- Shared components reused: button, input, card or row, bottom nav
- Case study names who pays and one competitor you checked
- You can explain one design decision in critique (why, not what)
- Completed 5 user interviews or 1 usability test
- Checked at least one competitor listed under Market context