EdAider

Overview

EdAider is a research-based startup company that develops web applications for the education sector. During my time at EdAider, I had the opportunity to work on many different projects and face new challenges.

Note: The following is an overview of some of the projects I worked on at EdAider. I would be happy to share more details during a meeting.

What I started with

One of my first tasks was to think about how to gamify the app. I gathered some ideas and gamified elements that I have seen/experienced in already existing apps such as:

• a points system for consecutive days of login,
• badges,
• customizable avatars,
• mini-games between lessons or tasks,
• real-world rewards for the entire class, and more.

Based on interviews with students and teachers, customizable avatars and the ability to unlock small elements, like color palettes, hats, and other options, were among the most desired features.

At the time, we were a very small team, and the gamification aspect was gradually set aside in favor of more pressing tasks.

Website

I also became involved in branding. With my interest in coding, I offered to design and develop the website. Reflecting on the initial sketches and concepts, I now see countless ways I could improve them. But we’ve all been there, right?

This was the very first version (I’m a bit hesitant to share them, but I coded them myself and gained valuable experience in the process):

This version was designed together with an intern at the company. While the graphics could have been different, we aimed to avoid generic stock images and instead used custom vector illustrations.

This is the 2022 version, which remained in use for nearly two years. It marked a significant improvement in both my design and coding skills. For this version, I avoided using generic device frames with embedded screenshots.

The logo

While working on the website design, I noticed various problems with the logo. Basically it consisted of tiny dots that disappear when the logo is too small. To fix this problem, I decided to change the symbol but keep the hexagon shape which was a symbol of AI at the time. Here is a screenshot from my Figma file where I explored different shapes in the last year or so:

Design library

When I joined EdAider, I encountered a disorganized Figma file with inconsistent fonts, sizes, colors, and icons across many platform pages. Although a Figma library file existed, it included fonts and a large set of icons that were unsuitable for an educational app. This led me to deep dive into design systems. However, convincing the team to adopt a design system was challenging, and I eventually gave up.

I tested various tools and platforms to support both designers and developers and were expected to be free due to our limited company budget. Doing this research helped me to get insights into why a design system is essential for any product and learned about the difficulties in persuading others to adopt it.

Here is one of the versions of my (beatifully) ordered Figma component library:

Research - the platform

The core idea of the platform was to support students and teachers during distance learning (i.e., the pandemic). It offered a variety of features, including video calling, a collaborative digital whiteboard, lesson creation and scheduling, content creation, in-person teaching support, analytics, and much more. The platform saved teachers time on administrative tasks, lesson preparation, and student interactions.

Our qualitative research revealed that schools were asking teachers to use different tools for one or two specific features, resulting in work being spread across several apps. EdAider provided all the necessary features in one place.

Further research and interviews uncovered additional challenges, many of which were unfortunately beyond our control. I truly enjoyed speaking with users and testing prototypes.

Here is an image from the analytics page of the platform and a campaign we had with practice content for national exams:

Another product - EdAider Wellbeing

The Wellbeing app, as we called it, was developed in collaboration with one of our client schools. Initially, it was a feature within the main product designed to check how students felt after each lesson. However, by working closely with the school, we identified an opportunity to expand this feature into a separate app that allows students to reflect on their overall wellbeing once a week.

The app gives students the chance to answer questions about their school week and reflect on their emotional state. The collected data is then presented in charts for teachers and mentors, enabling them to assess the overall wellbeing of the school, identify patterns, and initiate discussions with students during mentoring sessions to help them manage negative emotions.

Another product - AI course

This was one of the last projects I worked on. It was a course for teachers (later extended to students and parents) designed to help them learn more about AI and how to use it in the school environment. My task was to edit and create video content for the lessons. The course was a huge success, and we quickly gained interest from international schools.

For me, it was another opportunity to work with subtitles and even dubbing, as well as to test how well AI tools could handle these tasks.

This is one of the videos I created using DaVinci Resolve. The UI was animated in Figma. Feel free to explore the other videos on the channel—most of them were produced by me.