I served as the main point of contact between the design team and the client and engineer to define our scope, communicate updates, incorporate feedback, and coordinate handoff.
I conducted desk research, competitive analysis of 3 CPA exam preparation platforms, 3 user interviews with current CPA candidates, and 2 remote usability tests with CPA candidates to understand the CPA study experience and identify improvement areas on the platform.
I created personas and user statements using the research insights to guide design decisions.
Using a design system developed by a designer on our team, I redesigned the lessons section of the Examprep.ai website to integrate an AI-study companion, incorporating conversational design principles and active content engagement opportunities for students.
By the end of our UX consultancy, through UX research, design system development, and implementation, our team:
Reduced cognitive load through improvements in visual consistency.
Highlighted the unique value proposition of an emerging brand.
Created active e-learning opportunities to study for a 4-part 16-hour exam.
Incorporated an AI tutor to support a solo online learning experience.
Defining Improvement & Opportunity Areas Through Auditing and Research
Lessons Page Redesign: Online Learning Best Practices in Action
With a team of four spanning three different time zones, we held all meetings virtually over Zoom. In our kickoff meeting, we discussed the client's requirements for our website redesign process. He expressed interest in two main changes to the current platform.
1. Moving the navigation bar from top to left.
2. Incorporating an AI tutor into the platform.
During our design audit, we also identified several visual inconsistencies, from typographical hierarchy to color usage and the overload of UI elements to indicate progress. To align with the brand's mission of making studying easier, we created a design system in Figma based on the site's Quasar.js framework to enhance usability.
The system used the Quasar component library, contextualizing colors, and typographical elements in the context of the platform's features. Using this method, we were able to ensure visual consistency across all screens and prepare for a seamless shipping process.
Using a competitive analysis of the three leading CPA Exam Prep platforms, Becker, Gliem, and Surgent, and usability test insights, we redesigned the website navigaton to use language that helps users find the content they are looking for with more ease.
As a content-dense web application available on mobile and web, we decided on a collapsible left navigation. While our consultancy focused mainly on the web platform, we created the opportunity for seamless, responsive UI designs on mobile devices by using icons in the collapsible navigation to free up screen space while keeping the site navigation visible to users.
Our design audit identified three main sections of the website that required a redesign to incorporate a left navigation. We delegated sections and began our redesign process.
As a small startup with little historical data and an active beta user base of under 10 people, we needed to help the brand build a deeper understanding of the CPA candidate experience.
Through desk research and user interviews, we were able to redesign the platform interfaces and propose new features that considered the users' contexts, study habits, and techniques.
As a new product entering the market of CPA exam preparation, it's essential to highlight the platform's unique adaptive learning capabilities to differentiate it from other well-established, trusted brands.
Centering Examprep's goal to reduce cognitive load in the study process, I took the opportunity to incorporate additional user experience improvements aimed at improving searchability and customizability on this page.
To become a CPA, candidates must complete a 4-part, 16-hour exam, over the course of 18 months. The preparation process is grueling, relying heavily on memorization, as candidates study to answer 276 multiple-choice questions, 28 task-based simulations, and complete three writing portions within the following four areas: Auditing and Attestation (AUD),Business Environment and Concepts (BEC),Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR), Regulation (REG).
Original Design Pain Points
The current lessons page are designed for primarily passive learning. Users are only able to watch lessons, skip to following lessons or take a There are no opportunities to take notes and there is no interactive engagement with the quiz at the end of each sections. Passive learning strategies are shown to reduce information retention and allow for learners to become distracted while learning.
From research and interviews, we identified the following study techniques as the most effective to ensure CPA success.
Research-backed study techniques include:
Lesson Redesign: Highlighting Text
Users mentioned that memorization techniques such as highlighting text and using mnemonic devices were helpful to learning. The proposed design allows users to highlight areas of the video transcript to support improving content retention.
Lesson Redesign: Timestamped Notetaking
In the Notebook tab, users can write and save the timestamped notes, and download, print, or email them for use outside of the platform. This allows users to summarize the content in their own words and return to their notes when revisiting lessons for review as they study.
Lesson Redesign: Ask Questions in Real Time
Participants shared that one of their significant challenges is that the language in the CPA exam is not intuitive, making concept comprehension and memorization difficult.
The “Ask a Question” tab has a chatbox for users to interact with an AI tutor. If there are concepts in a lesson that the user is struggling to comprehend, they can ask questions about the lesson to get more clarity on concepts. Using the platform's machine-learning capabilities, ExamPrep's AI Tutor can use prior practice quiz results, user notes, and study habits to tailor its approach to each candidate.
Lesson Redesign: Help Beyond the Bot
Lastly, if the ChatGPT tutor can’t answer the questions the users are looking for, they are able to request live tutoring with the ExamPrep.ai resident tutor, Nick, to get additional one-on-one support. This offers multiple forms of support for users depending on their learning styles.
Allyson's team tackled a complex project with three designers, and she played a key role in developing a new dashboard, lessons pages, and final review process that directly addressed user pain points. Her attention to detail and ability to conduct user research helped us reduce confusion and increase engagement. Throughout the project, Allyson demonstrated excellent communication skills and was able to tap into her network to find solutions when we encountered obstacles.
She worked well with our team and was always open to feedback, making her a pleasure to collaborate with."
"Allyson is very tenacious, smart, driven and kind. She posses amazing leadership skills and is very organized. She posses a great amount of empathy which is extremely important when being a ux/ui designer and is able to see things from many different perspectives. She is very hard working and always keeps a good level of communication so everyone knows what they should and should not be doing. She is also very approachable if you need help or have a question about a certain subject. I would love to work with her again and would not hesitate to hire her in the future for any UX/UI role.
"I had the pleasure of collaborating with Allyson on a Springboard redesign project for ExamPrep.ai, and I am thrilled to recommend her as an exceptional UX designer. She played a crucial role in identifying and addressing user pain points, ensuring that the final product met their needs and expectations. Allyson's excellent organizational skills and communication abilities were instrumental in keeping the project on track, and she consistently went above and beyond to find solutions to any obstacles that arose. I would not hesitate to work with her again.