UX/UI
design
Student
My role in this project was multifaceted, allowing me to work across several areas:
Collaboration: contributed to ensuring everyone felt included and that discussions moved forward.
Method Selection and Work Structure: Organized the “understand” phase and prioritized developing our ideas in a structured and thoughtful manner.
Empathy Phase: Formulated “How Might We” questions and interview questions, identified interview participants, and conducted interviews.
Design Work: Responsible for adapting the app for language selection with a language switcher button. Designed one of the four games in Figma—a block game—and the AcadeMedia information page. Facilitated a usability test.
User Perspective: Leveraged my teaching experience to advocate for essential features in the design process, such as allowing users to anonymously send messages to the quiz game leader. This feature was ultimately incorporated into the final prototype.
The project was carried out in collaboration with Hedvig Reese and Academy, part of the development team at AcadeMedia.
Purpose and Duration
AcadeMedia
My role
Work Process
Reflection
Background
Purpose: To digitalize AcadeMedia’s conversation card decks,
making them accessible to a wider audience.
Duration: 3 weeks (June 2, 2025 – June 27, 2025)
Participants: 4 UX students
AcadeMedia is one of Sweden’s largest education groups. They have four physical card decks used as tools to promote discussions among children, students, and school staff.
The decks focus on mental health, guidance, values, and education. Currently, they exist only in physical form and in Swedish, which limits accessibility for individuals working within AcadeMedia’s international branches.
The task was to develop the physical card decks in a way that would make them accessible to a wider audience.
Prior Knowledge:
Several members of our team had experience working in education, which was valuable during the empathy phase for defining interview questions, in the understanding phase for interpreting participants’ experiences, and in the design phase for making key design decisions based on practical insights.
Empathize:
We conducted six in-depth interviews with individuals connected to education, representing perspectives from preschool, school administration, special education, and students.
The interview questions aimed to identify when conversation cards could be used, the participants’ experiences using discussions for deeper topics, potential risks associated with the method, and how they handled challenging questions. Participants were also asked to read sample question cards and reflect on situations where these could be applied, as well as any challenges in facilitating such discussions.
Our goal was to gather insights on various scenarios where the educational cards could be used, explore contexts where they were not currently applied, and identify solutions for potential risks and opportunities revealed by the research. Some interviews were summarized in table format, and all were compiled into a master table highlighting the main areas of each interview: risks, challenges, opportunities, suggestions, experiences, and opinions about the cards.
Our app became a digitally gamified version where users can choose between four different games, tailoring the experience according to age, ability, interest, and context.
Game Selection
Users select from four games, each adapted for different abilities, ages, and language skills to ensure participation from preschool children to adults. After choosing a game, users select the deck’s focus:
Tetris: For ages 5 to adults
Board Game: Two variants—an easier version with simplified language and a more challenging version
Quiz Game: Similar to Kahoot, suitable for groups of multiple participants aged 9 and up
Conversation Blocks: Designed for younger children from age 3
Accessibility Adaptations
Language Ability: Language switcher button to change the app language
Difficulty Level: Adjustable via settings
Visual Support: Activatable via settings
Read-Aloud Function: Activatable via settings
Anonymity in the Quiz Game
It was important that quiz participants could play anonymously using a self-created username. If needed, they could send messages to the quiz leader. This ensured that sensitive topics could be addressed safely without compromising anonymity. Users can also choose to include their name in messages if further contact is desired.
Live User Feedback
On the “About Us” page, users can provide feedback on the game experience using smiley ratings.
Strengthening AcadeMedia’s Brand
The “About Us” page also directs users to information about AcadeMedia, reinforcing their brand presence.
Results
Ideation
Each team member sketched concepts for what the prototype could look like. In parallel, we maintained a shared space for brainstorming ideas to spark creativity. We then voted on which ideas to move forward with.
Prototype and Testing
We created wireframes based on the ideas that were voted to move forward. These wireframes guided the development of the prototype, which was ultimately built in Figma.
Next, we formulated our HMW question:
“How might we develop AcadeMedia’s conversation card decks digitally, adapting the language and concept for people of all ages, in a way that allows them to be used and developed sustainably for the future?”
Definine
We further compiled the interview responses to determine how to advance our research. This was done using a SWOT analysis to compare how the card decks stood relative to other options on the market.
Strengths: Broad topics, strong concept idea, and the playful game format.
Weaknesses: Not everyone gets a chance to speak; children may give answers they think adults want to hear.
Opportunities: A digital format increases accessibility; simplified cards with symbols and colors for younger children.
Threats: The concept may be too similar to others and fail to stand out; sensitive topics could become heavy without proper support.
This project was valuable to work on because we were able to contribute something aligned with digital development, while the games we created now include a broader range of users. This allows more people to want to, dare to, and be able to participate in these conversation forums.
Understanding Users and Their Challenges
It is crucial to immerse oneself in the users’ perspectives, experiences, opportunities, and challenges. Making adaptations so that everyone can participate on equal terms ensures that research has a significant impact on the design decisions made.
Having the Courage to Advocate for Users
It is important to have the courage to argue for design choices that ultimately benefit the user. In this case, it was the chat feature allowing users to write anonymously to the quiz leader—a feature that was not initially obvious. By clarifying its purpose and demonstrating potential scenarios, the whole team agreed to include it.
Designing and digitalizing a card game from a specific perspective was both highly educational and incredibly enjoyable.
Insights from the Interviews
From the compilation, we gathered the following insights:
#1 ““The cards are not adapted for children.”
#2 “The language is too advanced and not suitable for everyone.”
#3 ““The cards can be used for conflict resolution, reflection, and emotional conversations in preschools and other settings.”
#4 “A board game for younger children.”
#5 “I haven’t used conversation cards before, but I see potential for using them in school environments and everyday life.”
#6 “It’s important to have competence and experience to use the cards effectively.”
#7 “Captures children’s attention through games with the cards.”
#8 “A digital alternative could lower the threshold for youth to open up.”
#9 “A great way to facilitate discussions with students.”
#10 “Needs to be adapted for different ages and contexts.”
UX/UI-design, User-researcher, User-tester
Methodology: We worked according to the Double Diamond method, structuring the project and continuously documenting progress throughout each phase.
