Impact
Overview
Code Ninjas is a learning center where kids learn programming, robotics and AI through hands on projects and building games.
To encourage continued engagement with curriculum outside the center, I designed features for challenges, reviewing concepts, individualization, and a reward system.
Year
2025
Client
Code Ninjas
Project Type
Eduction, Product Design
The Problem
Limited At-Home Engagement
Outside schedules sessions, at-home practice is infrequent, and understanding of advanced topics decay with extensive time between visits. Without clear guidance, many parents don't know how to help sustain progress at home.
The Solution
Gameify the System
To fit the students established patterns and interests with games, competition, and rewards—I designed a new portal to help students practice, track progress, and earn benefits.
The Process
Poll Time!
Kids are much more honest than one might imagine. With a little reassurance that any & all answers were ok, the best way to understand how they felt was to simply ask.
So what ARE students engaging with?
After interviewing students, a clear thread linked their responses: games, competitions and rewards.
Considering Implementation
With research insights in mind, I began considering implementation approaches, their tradeoffs, and the constraints I needed to work within.
Standalone Web App
Host Site
Seperate student login
Coding platform not integrated
In-App Expansion
Easy access to projects
Doesn't disrupt existing flow students are accustomed to
Constraints
Match Impact Design System
No Access to Analytics
No Access to Impact Design Assets
Ideation
Turning pain points into product features
The Design
Boosting At-Home Engagement
Original
My Design
Takeaways
Reflection
This project sits at the intersection of two things I care deeply about: design and the kids I work with.
By working on this, I was able to better understand my students and how to help them. While at the same time, I was forced to design for a demographic that isn't often my primary user. As a result, I think it made me both a better designer and instructor.