Gamifying learning for enhanced engagement and retention for SuperKalam
This case study details the Design of the SuperKalam App, an ed-tech platform, to increase user engagement and retention through gamified features and social interaction.
Problem Statement: Design an IOS or Android app for SuperKalam that helps students prepare for UPSC exams while increasing their retention and referral.
Short on time? Play around with the prototype :)
Content📝
About SuperKalam ℹ️
SuperKalam is an ed-tech platform that creates personalized study plans and sets daily targets based on a student’s progress. It tracks mistakes, performance, and time spent on specific subjects to improve learning outcomes. The goal is to scale this solution to reach 5 million students in India, starting with UPSC exam preparation.
Why is SuperKalam Better? 🚀
Unlike traditional ed-tech platforms that overwhelm students with unstructured content, SuperKalam offers a focused, AI-driven approach. It simplifies learning by tracking progress, addressing common mistakes, and fostering engagement. With Vimal’s (Founder & CEO) decade long education experience, the platform is poised to make a significant impact, beginning with UPSC candidates and eventually benefiting millions across India.
Objectives and Goals🎯
The project’s main objectives were to:
1) Increase user engagement by implementing gamification features and social interactions.
2) Improve user retention by providing a more motivating and engaging learning experience.
3) Boost organic referrals by fostering a sense of community and social proof.
Success was measured using key performance indicators (KPIs) such as:
a) Daily active users
b) Challenge completion rates
c) Course Purchase conversion rates
d) Referral rates
Note: As of now the SuperKalam App is not yet out so I am designing an app for them.
Research and Insights🔍
Who was I designing for?🎓
The primary audience for SuperKalam consisted of 18–22-year-olds, mainly students and early-career individuals looking to enhance their academic performance. This group often struggles with focus, time management, and isolation in their learning, leading to procrastination. To address this, they needed a solution that was both motivating and engaging.
So I needed to design SuperKalam by incorporating social proof by showing users how many of their friends had completed challenges, tapping into their natural competitive instincts. By displaying peer progress and setting clear milestones, the platform would then created a sense of urgency, community, and motivation, keeping users engaged and driven to outperform their peers.
Why am I designing this❓
The primary reason for designing SuperKalam was to address the significant gaps in user engagement and retention within the education sector, particularly for 18–22-year-olds. Many existing ed-tech platforms struggle to keep users motivated over time due to a lack of interactive learning experiences and community-driven features.
The design aims to motivate students to stay consistent with their learning by incorporating gamification and social proof, where users can see their peers’ progress, triggering a sense of competition and urgency. Additionally, the design tackles the common issue of procrastination by introducing personalized study plans, challenges, and rewards.
Ultimately, the purpose of designing this platform is to create an engaging, motivating, and community-focused learning environment that helps students overcome isolation and unstructured learning, leading to better outcomes and increased referrals.
What did competitive research tell me?📊
Competitive analysis of other ed-tech platforms revealed that successful platforms often incorporate gamification features and social interactions. The analysis identified popular features such as leaderboards, progress trackers, and achievement systems, which were crucial for motivating users to engage with the app.
How did I use these research insights and take design decisions?🛠️
This helped come up with ideation and concept development for the gamification features of the app. The ideation phase involved brainstorming and sketching various concepts to address the identified user needs and competitive landscape. The focus was on incorporating gamification and social elements to create a more engaging and interactive learning experience.
Several concepts were explored, including:
1) Introducing a Current Streak feature to encourage consistency in learning.
2) Implementing a Leaderboard to showcase user progress and create friendly competition.
3) Creating a Your Squad feature that promotes referrals by allowing users to connect with friends and track their progress together.
4) Developing a Point System for completing tasks and redeeming rewards such as discounts on courses or branded merchandise.
My design process🌀
My approach involved (Step1) researching existing apps within the edtech community and gamification features for user retention and referral flows, understanding what strategies worked best for similar target audiences. Then, I moved on to (Step2) wireframing and visual design, sketching initial layouts and focusing on the app’s overall look and feel. After that, I (Step 3) prototyped the designs to bring the wireframes to life and test usability. This was followed by (Step 4) which included several iterations based on feedback and refinement of the design elements.
This process helped the final design by enabling me to craft an engaging user experience with improved visual design and innovative retention features, such as the Current Streak, Leaderboard, Your Squad and a Point System. These features fostered a more engaging, motivating, and community-driven experience, ultimately addressing retention and referrals effectively.
Challenges and Solutions⚡
A key challenge was ensuring user engagement, getting users to check out courses and motivating users to share SuperKalam to their friends.
The solution to this was Gamification which included features like Current Streak, Leaderboard, Your Squad and a Point System. This was addressed by strategically placing social proof and peer competition elements within the app’s flow.
I have explained more about this was implemented in the designs visually.
The Designs📐
Style Guide
Part 1 — Onboarding Flow
Part 2 — Homepage Design
Part 3 — More on Retention Features
Part 4 — Other Screens
Final Outcome🏁
The final design solution incorporated the gamification features and social interactions outlined in the ideation phase. The app’s interface was designed to include a Current Streak feature, a Leaderboard, a Your Squad feature for referrals, and a Point System for completing tasks and redeeming rewards.
These design elements are expected to increase user engagement and retention, fostering a sense of community and leveraging social proof. While the projections indicate positive outcomes, the true success of these features will be validated through user testing and real-world interactions once deployed.
Learnings and Reflections💭
This project reinforced the importance of user-centered design, emphasizing the need to deeply understand user needs and motivations to develop effective design solutions. The project also highlighted the value of incorporating gamification elements to enhance engagement and drive user behavior.
For future projects, I will continue to prioritize user research and incorporate user feedback throughout the design process. Additionally, I’ll keep exploring gamification strategies that align with user motivations and enhance overall engagement.
Fin🔚
This project implemented gamification features and social interactions to the SuperKalam app. This project demonstrates the effectiveness of user-centered design principles and the power of gamification in creating a more engaging and motivating learning experience.
As the design is rolled out, its impact on user engagement, retention, and referral growth will be closely monitored, with adjustments made based on user feedback and data-driven insights to ensure long-term success.
The entire project was super fun, from research to working on iterations all of it was amazing . A huge shoutout to Adnan Jaweed and Yutika Pahuja for all their help.
I’m open to opportunities as a Product Designer! so feel free to connect with me on Linkedln or Twitter if you’d like to work together or collaborate on projects! (or just drop a hello 👋)
