In the rapidly evolving digital landscape of education, user experience (UX) design has become a critical factor in shaping how content is consumed and understood. From academic research publishing to school and higher education platforms, thoughtful UX can transform learning and teaching experiences for diverse audiences. In this post, we’ll dig into how effective UX design is making an impact across different educational sectors and share some lessons learned from our projects and research.
Accessible and engaging content for all
Accessibility is a cornerstone of effective educational design. Whether it’s academic research for university students or interactive lessons for primary school kids, content needs to be clear and easy to engage with. Our article, 10 essential tips for choosing accessible fonts for educational digital products, highlights how even simple choices like font selection and contrast can make a significant difference. An accessible interface helps ensure that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can engage meaningfully with educational content.
Engaging design for different age groups
Designing for education requires understanding that one size doesn’t fit all. Academic research publishing platforms, for instance, have very different needs compared to school or higher education systems. In academic publishing, the focus is often on complex information that needs to be easily searchable and reference-friendly for authors, editors, reviewers. Our case study, UX Strategy and research partnership with a global publisher, explores how our user research helped a major academic publisher improve their digital platforms, making research articles and academic papers easier to access for scholars and researchers. We prioritised efficient navigation, searchability, and tools for managing citations—key features for a research-driven audience.
When designing for schools (for teachers, children and young adults) and higher education, engagement is just as important as information delivery. Our experience in UX and UI design for educational websites, such as Micro:bit illustrates how intuitive and visually engaging design can support students and teachers alike.
Designing for children requires a tailored approach, especially when it comes to understanding how they interact with digital content. Our post, conducting user research with children, discusses practical strategies for gaining valuable insights from younger audiences, ensuring that the design is both engaging and age-appropriate.
The challenges of Edtech UX design
Educational technology (edtech) has become a booming industry, but the key challenge remains: how to keep students engaged, motivated and increase attainment. As we discuss in the impact of UX design in edtech, the most successful platforms simplify complex learning materials and resources, making them engaging and easy to use. Edtech UX is about creating a learning environment where digital tools feel like a seamless extension of the classroom or it supports homework. Effective design means fewer barriers to understanding and more opportunities for active, hands-on learning.
Real-world examples: our work in action
We’ve had the chance to work on some fantastic projects in the education sector, partnering with clients like Elsevier, Micro:bit Educational Foundation, Taylor & Francis, Boardworks, CABI, This is School, Dr Frost Learning, and Classlist.
Here are some highlights of the work we’ve done:
Subscription flow for higher education: We revamped the subscription process for the British Film Institute (BFI) video-on-demand service aimed at higher education students. By simplifying the registration and payment process, we made it easier for students to sign up and get started. Check out the full story in our case study, UX & UI for video-on-demand subscription process flow.
Educational website redesign: We took on a complete overhaul of an educational website to make it more intuitive for both students and teachers. Our approach focused on creating a streamlined user experience, which you can read about in our case study, UX & UI design for educational website for the Micro:bit Educational Foundation.
UX Strategy for an education community app: We designed a user-focused strategy for a community app aimed at school parents, involving in-depth research and continuous testing to improve usability. See how we made the app more user-friendly in our case study, UX Strategy for education community app.
Investing in high-quality UX design can transform educational experiences. Whether you’re creating platforms for academic researchers or engaging Edtech solutions for schools, the goal is the same: make learning more accessible, intuitive, and effective. For a deeper dive into our work and insights, explore our blog and case studies.
If you’re looking to design or improve an educational product, we’d love to help. Let’s create something that makes learning better, accessible and engaging for everyone.
