In the world of interactive learning apps, creating a seamless user experience is crucial for success. Users should be engaged, motivated, and find the app easy to navigate. To achieve this, developers and designers can apply various principles and laws of UX/UI design. In this article, we will explore some key principles and laws that can greatly enhance the user experience in interactive learning apps.
Hick's Law: Simplify Choices and Provide Clear Guides For Interactive Learning App
Hick's Law suggests that the time it takes for a person to make a decision is directly proportional to the number of choices they have. When it comes to interactive learning apps, it's crucial to give a clear explanation of the tasks or things that users need to do in order to learn. By reducing complexity and clutter, users are more likely to feel less overwhelmed and fatigued.
- Clean UI Design: Show only the choices that are relevant to the current page or task at hand. This helps prevent decision fatigue and allows users to focus on completing tasks without unnecessary distractions.
- Clear Guides: Users should be able to easily identify the starting and ending points of a task or activity, allowing them to know where to begin and when they can stop if necessary. Keeping the interface clean and neat further enhances the user experience by minimizing distractions.
- Gradient Effect: A commonly employed method to create clear vision navigations. The goal gradient effect states that people tend to increase their effort as they get closer to achieving a goal. By visually representing progress or milestones within an interactive learning app, users are more likely to stay engaged and motivated as they see themselves getting closer to their objectives.
Duolingo: An Interactive Language Learning App
Duolingo's new user interface effectively applies Hick's Law and the Gradient Effect to provide clearer guidance for users when starting a course. Comparing to its new UI, the previous interface had an excessive use of colours and lacked sufficient user guides, resulting in an overwhelming number of decisions to be made.
They also effectively utilised numerical indicators to help users track their daily remaining tasks . This is particularly important in interactive learning apps, as it gives users a clear sense of how much time they will need to complete their tasks. Additionally, displaying the number of unfinished tasks also captures users' attention and taps into the Zeigarnik Effect.
Zeigarnik Effect: Create Mental Tension for Task Completion
The Zeigarnik Effect suggests that people remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks more than completed ones. In an interactive learning app context, this effect can be utilised by bringing the user's unaccomplished tasks to their attention. By highlighting these tasks, a mental tension or desire to achieve closure is created, motivating users to finish what they started.
10 Minutes English: An interactive English learning App targeting Chinese users.
While the app covers a wide range of English learning chapters, it still does a great job of providing a clear guide to users. They have brought uncompleted tasks to the homepage, showing users progress through indicators and visualising the user's learning progress using a "traffic light" color code. All these tactics create an intention for users to completing their incomplete tasks
Incorporating streaks can also be an effective way to leverage the Zeigarnik Effect. Streaks refer to a series of consecutive completed tasks or actions. By showing users their completed streaks, they are more likely to feel a sense of accomplishment and strive to maintain their streak by completing more tasks. This creates a positive feedback loop that keeps users engaged and motivated.
Parkinson's Law: Break Tasks into Smaller Parts
Parkinson's Law states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. For interactive learning apps, this law suggests that tasks should be broken down into smaller parts to make them more manageable for users. When tasks are too large or complex, users may feel overwhelmed or lose motivation.
To apply Parkinson's Law effectively, it is important not to deceive users about the time required for task completion. Instead, provide accurate estimations and break down larger tasks into smaller ones. By doing so, users can easily calculate and allocate their time accordingly, resulting in a smoother user experience.
One way to use Parkinson's Law in interactive learning apps is to divide big tasks into smaller ones that can be done throughout the day. This allows users to adjust their learning time to fit their daily routine, which is important for keeping them engaged in their learning journey.
It is also beneficial to slightly overestimate the time required for task completion. For example, if a task is expected to take around 4.5 minutes, it is better to communicate it as 5 minutes. This gives users the impression that they will be able to finish the tasks faster than they actually can. This, in turn, increases user satisfaction by meeting their expectations.
User Psychology: Happy Paths and Respecting User Actions
Understanding user psychology is essential when designing interactive learning apps. Two important aspects include creating happy paths and respecting user actions.
Happy paths refer to simplified experiences that boost activation rates among users. People tend to appreciate easier tasks rather than difficult ones, as it increases their retention and engagement with the app. By offering simpler tasks and increasing users' self-confidence, users are more likely to enjoy the learning process and stay motivated.
Respecting user actions is equally important. It is crucial not to force users to come back or complete tasks against their will. Instead, respect their decisions and provide options for them to easily resume where they left off. By giving users the freedom to choose when and how they engage with the app, they are more likely to have a positive experience and continue using it in the long run.
Conclusion
When designing interactive learning apps, incorporating key UX/UI principles and laws can greatly enhance the user experience. By simplifying choices, providing clear guides, leveraging the Zeigarnik Effect and streaks, breaking tasks into smaller parts according to Parkinson's Law, and understanding user psychology, developers and designers can create engaging and motivating experiences for learners. Remember that creating motivation rather than stress should be the ultimate goal when designing interactive learning apps.