VoyageMath Student Experience
Turns math practice into an adventure where students progress through guided challenges, building skills and confidence along their learning journey.
MY ROLE
Product Designer
TEAM
1 PD, 1 PM, 2 engineers
TIMELINE
Aug'23-Till Now
Practice tools were broken. They felt like tests, punished mistakes, and pushed kids to chase speed instead of understanding. For average and struggling students, that meant frustration, not growth.
We built VoyageMath to fix that. To make math feel encouraging. To create a space where mistakes become learning moments, not sources of shame. And to turn practice into something students actually want to keep doing.
In a nutshell:
VoyageMath is a gamified math practice experience designed to help every student climb their own mountain at their own pace. By blending question scaffolding, adaptive difficulty, visual progress, and reward mechanics, VoyageMath turns quiet frustration into confident momentum.
What We Wanted VoyageMath to Achieve
Timeline & Process Overview
Our design journey unfolded in four iterative phases:
Discover
Classroom visits with 15-20 students
1:1 teacher interviews
Competitor tear-downs (IXL, ByteLearn, Quizizz)
Behavioral observation sessions
AUG - SEPT, 23
Define
Synthesized user needs from research
Crafted early prototypes
Mapped student learning journeys
Identified 3 core user cohorts
SEPT - OCT, 23
Develop
Built testable StepGuide flows
Created mountain climb mechanics
Designed campsite mini-games
Developed adaptive algorithm
OCT - DEC, 23
Deliver
Piloted in real classrooms
Gathered usage data and feedback
Optimized based on student behavior
Scaled successful mechanics
JAN - FEB, 24
Each phase informed the next, with at least two playtests per core mechanic before full rollout.
Research & Insights
Before jumping into wireframes, we spent weeks listening closely to the students and teachers we were designing for.
What We Did
Playtested around 10 times with groups of 15–20 students from grades 5–8, refining each MVP based on what we saw
Interviewed multiple teachers from the US to understand classroom dynamics
Shadowed students during practice sessions to see real behavior patterns
Analyzed behavior on other edtech tools like IXL, ByteLearn, and Quizizz
What We Learned from Competitor Analysis
We tested tools already in classrooms and observed where they fell short:
Tool
Gap Observed
Our Learning
Rigid and demotivating. Students ignored explanations and didn't understand Smart Score.
Progress needs to be clear and rewarding. Feedback should be supportive, not punitive.
Students overused hints. Felt stuck when forced to get it right before continuing.
Help should guide, not overwhelm. Scaffolding must be optional and supportive.
Dry, worksheet-like interface with no engagement elements. Students saw it as "digital homework."
Presentation matters. Even educational content needs engaging design to maintain student motivation.
Game overshadowed learning. Students played but didn't retain.
Fun should serve learning, not replace it. Game mechanics must reinforce effort.
Our Takeaway:
Students need tools that balance motivation with learning, offer support without giving away the answer, and reward effort meaningfully.
What We Built and Tested as MVPs
We divided students into 3 cohorts and focused on the middle and lower-performing groups:
1
2
3
We tested mechanics like badges, mountain climb progress, and campsites to see what really clicked:
This MVP design was created in a week to test our hypothesis
Badges were forgettable. Mountain progress worked because it showed movement. Campsites brought fun and rewards without breaking the learning rhythm.
Later playtests showed us what was missing. We added avatars (ownership), a high-risk Zipline mode (creativity and challenge), and confidence boosters (meaningful progress).
Design Framework: Balancing Motivation and Learning
Each design choice mapped back to key motivational principles:
Progress
The mountain gave visible feedback
Surprise
Campsites kept it fresh
Identity
Avatars made it personal
Challenge
Zipline added excitement
Even our leaderboard followed this thinking. Students only saw peers on their current leg of the mountain: keeping social pressure low, but peer motivation high.
Every feature aimed to support students emotionally and academically, not just make things fun.
Here's what we built
We built a 🏔️ mountain-climbing adventure where correct answers move students ⬆️ up the trail, wrong answers trigger helpful 🎯 StepGuide moments, and major milestones unlock 🏕️ celebrations with friends.
The journey from base camp to summit transforms math practice into a rewarding quest for mastery.
Here's how we built it
Onboarding & Game Rules
The First Impression Matters
A gamified three-slide introduction sets a positive, adventure-focused tone that immediately differentiates VoyageMath from traditional quiz tools.
Key Design Decision: This onboarding appears only once per user, ensuring returning students can jump straight into practice.
Game Entry & Avatar Setup
Creating Personal Investment
The Experience
Students enter a beautifully illustrated mountain landscape where they can see themselves alongside classmates. The avatar customization system (adapted from Quizizz) allows personal expression and builds investment in the experience.
Design Decisions
The Core Gameplay Interface
Where Learning Happens
Split Screen Design
Key Design Decision: To balance motivation without discouraging struggling students, we only show peers in the same mountain "leg." This creates achievable competition as students progress through new peer groups, solving the "too much vs too little competition" challenge.
We change the background image and zoom in on the mountain as the student climbs higher, making the game feel more immersive.
StepGuide: Teaching in the Moment
Our Secret Weapon
Traditional tools
Get it wrong
feel stupid
give up
VoyageMath
Get it wrong
nail the next one
The Innovation: Instead of penalizing wrong answers, we reward learning through guidance.
How It Works
Design Evolution: Initially, we hid the mountain during StepGuide, which reduced engagement. By creating a mini-mountain view, students could see their progress throughout the learning process, dramatically increasing completion rates by 30%.
Math Vocabulary Support
Breaking Down Language Barriers
The Problem: 60% of below-average students couldn't understand math terminology
The solution
Milestone Celebrations: Campsites
Rewarding Progress
Campsite Arrival & Avatar Rewards
Students are greeted with congratulations and a mystery box animation that unlocks new avatar customization options.
Mini-Game Hub & Hall of Fame
Students can take a breather and play 4 different mini-games, each with their own Hall of Fame leaderboard.
Key Insight: Average math students get a chance to excel and show off their potential through different skill-based mini-games, creating alternative paths to recognition and confidence.
Zipline Stations: Strategic Risk-Taking
High Stakes, High Rewards
The Concept
Confident students can challenge themselves for bigger rewards, but get it wrong and you slide back down the mountain. Not confident? Choose lower risk or skip entirely.
Design Purpose
Personalized End Experiences
Every Journey Has Its Ending
We have personalized quiz end experiences for students based on their performance, targeting exactly the right message for each type of learner.
Three Outcome States
Success State (Mastery Score 80+)
Students are celebrated with fun stickers and placed at the mountain top where they can see friends who also mastered the skill. This creates a motivational target for other students to aspire toward.
Encouragement State (Tried Hard, <80 Mastery)
Our adaptive logic gently stops their progress and nudges them to seek teacher help. They can review missed questions to learn before playing again.
Guidance State (Rushing Pattern)
When we detect rushing behavior (average <10 seconds + mostly wrong answers), we ask students to slow down and think through their answers more carefully.
Accessibility & Inclusion
Supporting Every Learner
Comprehensive Accommodations
Borrowed from Quizizz's robust accessibility system:
The Adaptive Algorithm
🚀 Start with 2 confidence boosters - super simple questions to motivate students
⚡ Get 5 consecutive correct answers to advance levels
📊 Maximum 11 questions per level
🏁 Session ends if unable to progress; teacher flagged for support
Starting Point
Confidence boosters
2 questions
Easy Level
Build mastery
11 questions
Medium Level
Increased complexity
11 questions
Hard Level
Advanced students
11 questions
How did we evolve the algorithm?
v1
Medium Start
Start with 5 medium questions: 3+ correct → stay medium, <3 → drop to easy. Advance with 3 consecutive correct.
Problem: Discouraged average students from the beginning
v2
Easy Advance
3 consecutive correct answers.
Problem: Too easy to advance, wide gap between fast and slow students
v3
Lucky Breaks
5 correct answers total (not consecutive)
Problem: Students advanced through luck rather than understanding
v4
Perfect Balance
5 consecutive correct answers with confidence boosters
Result: Balanced progression that ensures actual learning
📊 What We Saw
76%
Repeat Rate
3.8/5
Student PSAT
86
Teacher NPS
80%
Game Completion Rate
What Teachers & Students Are Saying…
"I like how VoyageMath keeps them engaged with their math tasks so I can focus on more important things for the class"
Jennifer Wing, 6th Grade Math Teacher
"I love customizing my avatar and playing VoyageMath with my friends!"
Grade 7 Student
"When I get a question wrong, I don't feel bad because I still get to climb the mountain"
Grade 6 Student
🪄 Closing Thoughts
What I Learned
Designing for education requires balancing engagement with efficacy. The most successful elements of VoyageMath came from understanding that learning motivation is as important as learning content. Students need to feel successful and supported to engage with challenging material.
Next Steps
Building on VoyageMath's success, we're investing in mindful gamification techniques that deepen engagement across learning sessions. Students will collect gems after each completed session, creating a progression system that extends beyond individual games. These gems unlock thousands of avatar customization assets, special mountain themes, and exclusive rewards, fostering long-term investment in their learning journey while maintaining our core principle: game mechanics that serve learning, not replace it.
~ THE END ~
Explore More Work
Curious about the step-by-step scaffolding system that powers VoyageMath's learning experience?
