Overview
TellStory: Spark Your Teenager's Creativity
TellStory empowers creative writing tutors to guide teenagers on their storytelling journeys. Our app provides:
Engaging lesson plans and activities to ignite imagination and develop writing skills.
Interactive grammar and punctuation guides for clear and impactful writing.
A supportive community for tutors to connect, share experiences, and grow together.
TellStory is the perfect companion for nurturing young writers and unlocking their creative potential.
01/2024 - 01/2024
The problem:
Many creative writing tutors struggle to find engaging and age-appropriate resources to keep teenagers motivated and learning. Existing materials are often scattered, outdated, or lack interactivity, leading to frustration for both tutors and students. Additionally, tutors often feel isolated and lack a platform to connect and share best practices.
The Goal:
At TellStory, my mission is to empower creative writing tutors by providing essential tools and fostering a supportive community. I offer engaging lesson plans tailored to teenagers, emphasizing critical writing skills while sparking their imaginations. Through my platform, tutors connect, share experiences, and access expert advice. Additionally, my interactive grammar and punctuation guides help students grasp technical aspects without stifling their creativity. By equipping tutors with these resources, TellStory aims to transform creative writing instruction and nurture confident young writers.
My role:
UX Designer
Responsibilities:
User research, Personas, User journey maps, Wireframing, Low-Fidelity Prototype, High-Fidelity Prototype, Usability studies, Mock ups, Accessibility design
User research: summary
Persona : Irene
Goals
Empower Students: Irene aims to empower her students to express themselves confidently through storytelling. She wants them to discover their unique voices and develop a love for writing.
Foster Imagination: Irene’s goal is to ignite imagination. She wants her students to dream beyond the ordinary, explore fantastical worlds, and create memorable characters.
Build a Community: Irene believes in the power of collaboration. She wants to connect with other tutors, share teaching strategies, and learn from their experiences.
Frustrations
Time Constraints: Balancing lesson planning, grading, and individual student feedback leaves Irene with little time for personalized tutoring.
Resource Scarcity: Existing materials lack specificity for creative writing. Irene struggles to find engaging content that resonates with her students.
Student Apathy: Some students resist creative writing, making it challenging to ignite their enthusiasm.
Grammar Battles: Addressing individual grammar issues consumes valuable tutoring time.
Isolation: Irene misses the camaraderie of a physical classroom. She longs for connections with fellow tutors who share her passion.
Objective
To understand the needs and pain points of creative writing tutors working with teenagers.
Methodology
Interview Insights:
Conducted interviews with 5 people.
Explored challenges, resource preferences, and teaching experiences.
Key Findings:
Resource Customization:
Tutors seek concise, adaptable teaching materials.
Desire grammar guides and punctuation resources tailored to student levels.
Community Value:
Peer collaboration is essential for professional growth.
Tutors crave connections and shared strategies.
Time Constraints:
Scheduling flexibility is crucial for busy educators.
Unmoderated research may provide additional insights.
Implications
Content Agility:
Develop modular resources for varied teaching contexts.
Balance depth and brevity to cater to time-strapped tutors.
Community Features:
Prioritize building a robust “Tutors” page.
Encourage mentorship and knowledge exchange.
Iterative Approach:
Combine real-time and unmoderated research for holistic insights.
Validate improvements based on tutor feedback.
Conclusion
The TellStory app aims to empower tutors, foster community, and ignite young imaginations.
Name: Irene Thompson
Role: Creative Writing Tutor
Experience: 10+ years teaching high school students
Passion: Nurturing young writers and sparking their creativity
Irene, a seasoned creative writing tutor, steps into her sunlit classroom. Her passion for storytelling and commitment to nurturing young minds have guided her for over a decade. Today, she faces both excitement and frustration as she embarks on another semester with her teenage students. Her goals: empower students, foster imagination, and build a community of like-minded educators. Yet, time constraints, resource scarcity, and student apathy weigh on her. As she stands before her students, she carries their dreams and frustrations, ready to ignite sparks of creativity—one word at a time.
Paper wireframes
It prioritizes featured content, inviting users to explore further. I considered user needs by placing essential elements (profile, search) at the top. Clear icons and placeholders guide users, ensuring easy navigation. The hand-drawn style maintains simplicity while conveying functionality.
Digital wireframes
I wanted to create an engaging mobile app so that the tutors could access everything they need easily. my goals include enabling users to manage their profiles efficiently, ensuring straightforward navigation, and maintaining simplicity. Overall, I prioritized clarity and essential functionality.
A "More" button has been created to let the user navigate furthur.
The shapes and numbers of the contents in each section is different and that makes it more engaging.
Users always want to watch the most watched previews since they are curious to know what that preview had that got the attention of that many users.
The design here has good ballance between the place of the pictures, the place of the texts and the space between the sections.
Low-fidelity prototype
The user opens the app. Choose from the section they want. Navigate to the intended page.
Usability study: findings
Findings
Most of the users were unable to communicate with other teachers to ask for their wisdom and learn from their experience
Most of the users want to see a list of tutors to contact with them
I took an unmoderated approach and asked the strangers I knew to try my app and give their feedback.
Mockups
Based on the insights from the usability study, I made changes to improve the design. One of the changes I thought that having more white space can help ballancing the design and creates a visually apealing and user-friendly interface.
Before Usability Study
After Usability Study
Accessibility Considerations
Alt Text for Images:
Informative images should have descriptive alt text. Alt text provides essential information about the image for people with visual impairments who use screen readers or Braille displays. Ensure that alt text conveys the image’s purpose effectively.
High Contrast Colors:
Consider using high-contrast colors to enhance readability. This benefits users with low vision or color blindness. Ensuring sufficient contrast between text and background improves overall accessibility.
Takeaways
Impact:
The impact of this design lies in its user-centric approach, seamlessly blending storytelling elements with interactive features. By fostering community engagement, it empowers both creators and consumers, making storytelling an immersive and collaborative experience.
What I learned:
In the course of this project, I gained valuable insights into user-centric design, emphasizing empathy and accessibility. Iterative refinement, collaboration, and clear communication emerged as critical success factors. As I move forward, I’ll continue to prioritize user needs and foster inclusive experiences.