Achieve3000 iPad App Redesign

Achieve3000 turned to Mightybytes for help making their popular educational iPad app easier and more engaging to use for users of all types, including those with disabilities. Here’s what we did.

Designed to help students with basic math and reading skills, the Achieve3000 app for iPad gives students the freedom to complete lessons on their own time, from any location, without needing access to wifi. The app had been featured several times in the App Store but needed an update to meet the latest iOS standards. The Mightybytes team used our expertise in designing educational apps to come up with a modern design that worked well for children in a range of ages. We also updated the Q&A feedback loops to make them easier for students to understand and improved the app’s accessibility for people with disabilities.

Usability and Accessibility Challenges

The Achieve3000 app for iPad had several challenges. It needed to be designed for both portrait and landscape views, for both retina and non-retina displays, and the app experience had to match the online experience so students could easily transition from school to home learning. It also involved designing for children in a range of age groups, from second grade to high school. While designing for children presents its own set of challenges—like fingertip dexterity issues—kids also enjoy a user experience that is much different from adults. Where adults crave predictability, children enjoy surprises.

Finally, the app also needed to be accessible for users with disabilities, so the iPad’s specific assistive technology features had to be considered when making design and interactivity choices.

A New User Experience

Taking all this into account, Mightybytes redesigned the flow of questions and answers, gamifying the in-app experience while tightening up feedback loops to involve fewer steps. We created a unique color scheme for each grade level and updated the “Lessons” view, making it easier to understand which lessons were completed and which were still available. We modernized the look and feel of the app with a design that matched current Apple iOS design standards. We also optimized the interface for accessibility so that it provided a seamless and intuitive experience for users with disabilities. 

The iPad app redesign made it much easier for children of all ages and abilities to navigate lessons and to understand where they are in the flow of questions and in the lesson plan. The updated experience helped Achieve3000 once again gain traction in the competitive App Store marketplace.