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Market Research
What is Globbbe
Globbbe introduces an innovative visualization concept of "four-dimensional" navigation, where time becomes an integral dimension alongside space. It guides children through an immersive experience, allowing them to explore and learn about the world.
Project Type
UXUI Design Case Study
Interaction Design
Our Mission
Our goal is to create a multidimensional knowledge web that connects information domains to show how complex subject and events influence each other comprehensively. We aim to bridge the gaps in other educational platforms by enhancing memory retention and fostering connections across different areas of knowledge.
Time Length
Jan 2024 - May 2024
Challenge
The design challenge is to present sleek four-dimensional visualizations on a 2D digital platform while creating a self-exploratory and collaborative learning environment.
My role in a team of 8 designers
Led the analysis of UX research, including market research, competitive analysis, user journey mapping, and design metrics.
Created wireframes and user flows for usability testings.
Designed the main visuals of the "four-dimensional" navigation and two immersive learning experiences.
Tools
Figma
Photoshop
Illustrator
Miro
Team achievements so far
Globbbe was the winner of Red Dot Award 2024 in category of Brands & Communication. We are excited to be honored by this international design competition that brought us increased visibility, credibility, and opportunities for collaboration.
Globbbe was the silver winner of MUSE Design Awards 2024 in categories of:
Product Design - Educational Tools and Computer & Information Technology.
The online exhibition will be available soon.
​Overview
Complex knowledge often spans multiple fields or disciplines. Existing education platforms tend to compartmentalize subjects rather than providing opportunities for interdisciplinary learning for children.
This creates a gap when trying to draw connections between multifaceted ideas or systems, which is often essential for understanding complex knowledge.
Many existing tools still adhere to a traditional, linear learning model, where instructors upload materials and students follow a rigid course structure.
We aim to promote self-exploratory learning paths driven by meaningful interactions and collaborative experiences.
Globeee's unique selling point is its ability to balance a gamified, immersive learning environment with rich educational content.
How might we address complex, cross-disciplinary topics while maximizing knowledge retention?
​Discover & Define
Interviews & Key Findings
My team and I interviewed 47 children aged 6-12, along with one or both of their parents, as well as 22 instructors from elementary and middle schools. Through these interviews, we identified common patterns in the challenges of learning new concepts and reviewing past material, as well as insights into the popular tools they use.
Children find it difficult to engage in deep learnings
Parents find that children often forget what they've learned and tend to quit after just 20 minutes.
Instructors find it challenging to explain cross-fields knowledge with the current learning platforms.
User Journey Map
The interviewers all seemed satisfied with the platforms they had been using until they began discussing how quickly they drop off after about a month. Surprisingly, their experiences along the way are quite similar.
Inability to Form Connections Among Information
The root cause is the fragmented information that prevents individuals from seeking patterns and connections among information.
This lack of interconnectedness makes it challenging to weave a compelling narrative across topics.
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Market Gap & Competitor Analysis
By analyzing and categorizing the products mentioned by the interviewees based on the breadth of topics and whether they offer a closed or open learning path, we were able to identify the market gap that most educational platforms struggle to address.
Our product-market fit:
Addressing broad and complex topics while providing a clear learning path to guide individuals through the experience is both challenging and highly sought after.
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We then analyzed four products positioned closer to the center of the axis, representing diverse product types, to identify effective features and current trends in educational platforms.
Ideations
At this stage, my team is brimming with ideas and inspiration. So I created a decision matrix to identify the MVP features (highlighted in red) that will move forward to the next phase of sketching.
We want to:
We want to form a knowledge web that consolidates fragmented knowledge together for children to learn about the subjects holistically.
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User Flows & Solutions
1. Four Dimensional Navigation
The navigation is the core framework of Globbbe. It should intuitively connect pieces of information across time and around the globe, creating an experience that feels like time traveling.
Not Selected
The timeline will make the user feel obligated to follow the study order.
Users in usability testing mentioned feeling confused by irrelevant learning paths displayed when a time period is selected.
Displaying too many study options confuses the user rather than providing useful information.
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The previous design allow users to study events by time sequence but not clear on presenting how the same event that involve over time. We want to able users to visualize relations of events that happen in different time periods clearly.
Selected Idea
For each geographic area, the stars on the vertical axis represent the timeline of events. The closer a star is to the globe, the more recent the event.
The vertical timeline encourages users to start at any point.
2. Immersive Learning
The learning experience should be immersive, allowing users to feel self-exploratory while providing guidance.
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Click on the stars to navigate through different scenes and chapters of learning content.
Although the expandable AI panel displays learning materials in greater detail and allows for conversations between users and a virtual avatar, many users mentioned during testing that they didn’t feel they would have many questions to ask, so the conversation with the virtual avatar didn’t seem necessary.
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The previous design allowed users to receive learning materials in text format from a virtual avatar in a chat window. However, it causes unnecessary visual clutter that distracts users from the main interactions on the screen. We want to enable users to obtain the maximum amount of information while focusing on the immersive animation effects of the scenes.
Selected Idea
The different states of the stars will guide users through a variety of scenarios. Clicking on a star will take you to the next chapter.
Users can listen to the virtual avatar discussing the learning material or convert it into a transcript while viewing the enlarged visuals.
Learning in progress
Previously
learned
Next
Step
3. Collaborative Quiz
Quizzes can act as roadblocks and lead to disappointment if users don't earn points after long learning sessions. We aim to make them as enjoyable as possible.
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Users can invite peers to share the learning experience and complete mini tasks between chapters. Each learning path concludes with an individual quiz to earn extra points.
Many test participants expressed concerns that an increased number of collaborative tasks might distract them and reduce efficiency.
💡
The previous design required users to coordinate study times with peers, which could be time-consuming if their learning speeds differed. The individual quiz at the end felt isolating and added to users' stress. The adjusted flow below addresses occasional individual quizzes to reinforce memory and allow for easy point accumulation, while collaboration at the end reduces roadblocks and enables individuals to combine knowledge from different learning paths..
Selected Idea
A co-learning request will be sent to the user before the quiz. Once they click 'Accept,' there will be a 5-second window to cancel.
Users can chat and view each other's selected answers during the quiz.
4. Unlocking Globes
When the entire learning path is complete, we want to give users a quick review of what they’ve learned before unlocking additional globes.
Not Selected
It returns users to the home screen, where completed paths appear in blue and unfinished paths in gray.
On the homepage, users will instantly receive a notification when the next globe unlocks.
The downside is that many users can’t identify where they began the learning path. The curved lines on the globe don’t help them remember the learning sequence.
💡
The previous design displays users' learning paths on the globe but doesn’t clearly show the sequence of events, weakening the storytelling that aligns with their study flow. We aim to strengthen users' personalized learning sequence to improve memory retention.
Selected Idea
Upon returning to the homepage, studied events remain yellow to distinguish them from the unstudied gray stars.
The toggle at the bottom right lets users switch between viewing past learning paths on the globe or on a linear timeline, clearly showing the first, middle, and last events in sequence.
Final Designs
The final design incorporates the user flow decisions outlined above and is styled with playful, cartoon-like visuals to align with children's preferences.
Choose an event to begin your learning adventure
Challenge yourself with pop-up mini tasks throughout the learning joruney.
Earn points by collecting starts as you learn.
Engage in collaborative quizzes with peers to enhance your learning.
Explore your learning path and get ready to unlock the next globe.
Globbbe offers more real-world scenarios. Learn as you travel the globe with us.
Reflection & Learning
Globbbe's Impact
At Globbbe, we aim to educate children on how the evolution of humanity, civilization, and technology is intricately connected to a wide array of events and complex knowledge from all corners of the globe.
Rather than delivering information in isolated fragments, Globbbe creates an interconnected web of knowledge that enables children to understand the relationships and conflicts between various events.
Our goal is to cultivate critical thinking, adaptability, and teamwork skills in future learners. By offering a multidisciplinary teaching tool, Globbbe benefits young students, parents, educators, and educational institutions alike, fostering a richer and more engaging learning experience.
What I've learned
One of the biggest lessons I've learned is the importance of balancing creativity with practicality.
We had to adapt to the situation when the team felt disappointed with the outcomes of usability tests, which didn't align with our expectations for the original design flows. I believe it's crucial to design based on honest data and to avoid letting personal biases influence our decisions.
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