Creating a new method of flashcard learning to optimize memorization tactics
How to create a product with educational intention
Overview
HADA started as an idea and was birthed within the Spark! Program at Boston University.
The original idea was to design a "Spotify-inspired" flashcard learning mobile app for users to learn Korean during the semester with ease, but later on developed to a larger scale product that integrated all topics.
My Role
UX/UI Designer and Scrum Master
User Research, Interaction Design, Project Management, Agile Sprints
Jan 2024 - May 2025
Background
Despite the rise of digital learning tools, students today still face fragmented, impersonal study experiences—often switching between multiple apps just to prepare for a single class. These tools either prioritize rote memorization, lack meaningful context, or offer little motivation to stay consistent.
HADA was designed to fill that gap: a customizable, research-backed flashcard app tailored to learners who want to go deeper, stay engaged, and truly retain information. Built with student feedback from day one, HADA focused on mastery, personal context, and a learning experience that actually supports dedication over distraction.
I was the sole UX designer with a team of 4 developers.
I joined the HADA as a UX/UI Designer during the school semester, collaborating with 2 frontend and 2 backend developers. During the project, I was elected to be the Scrum Master and Project Manager, delegating various tasks for each weekly sprint held by our team. Once the team project had concluded, I revisited the project solo to design a more built-out structure that was more accessible that was desktop-friendly and more customizable.
Throughout the project, I:
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Led end to end R&D initiatives. After each weekly design sprint, I would conduct in-depth A/B testing to ensure our product was moving in the right direction and that each design decision was research backed.
Managed agile sprints and product roadmap. These sprints helped the developers stay on top of their tasks and as a team, we were able to prioritize which key features needed to be completed for the MVP and specific deadlines.
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Created brand guidelines. Based on the innovators preferences, I presented various forms of inspiration to choose from and designed from there.
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Established an extensive component library. This has helped the developers build out the application and also maintain consistency throughout each page.
The Problem Space
In order to fully understand the issue at hand, our team wanted to hear from the main target users — students.
Identifying the User Pain points
To do this, we quickly interviewed ~10 different students on campus to hear what issues they have while learning languages with the current resources.
Key takeaways:
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Existing tools lacked personal context and customization
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Poor UX (especially in Anki)
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Missing motivation tools for solo learners
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No streamlined way to track mastery across topics
Research nsight
80% of students we interviewed had stopped using traditional flashcard tools due to a lack of personalization and feedback mechanisms.
"I’m using three different apps to study for one class — it’s overwhelming."
Diving into the users' needs
User Interviews
Once we understood the problem space, we wanted to sit down and hear more in-depth from a variety of potential users.
We conducted research with:
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25 BU Students (5 language learners, 8 STEM majors, 12 general)
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5 University Professors
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Weekly testing cohort of 30+ beta users
What we learned
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88% wanted better customization of study sets
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76% said context examples would improve memory
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63% felt current tools lacked motivational support
"I use DuoLingo occasionally, but I can’t really use it for classes because it has set vocab for each unit." — BU Junior, Psychology Major
Determining our competition
Market overview
The digital memorization and learning app market is valued at over $5.2B globally, with language learning representing the largest segment. Key players focus primarily on gamification and spaced repetition, but significant gaps remain in personalization and contextual learning approaches.
Direct Competitors
Duolingo | Market Leader - Language Learning
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Strengths: Strong gamification, large user base (500M+ users), effective streak system
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Weaknesses: Limited to pre-built content, no personal content import, rigid learning paths
Anki | Power User Favorite
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Strengths: Highly customizable, supports any content type, advanced spaced repetition
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Weaknesses: Steep learning curve, outdated UI, no social features
Quizlet | Study Tool Focus
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Strengths: Easy content creation, multiple study modes, large content library
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Weaknesses: Limited spaced repetition, subscription-heavy model, no contextual learning
Drops | Visual Learning
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Strengths: Beautiful visual design, quick 5-minute sessions
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Weaknesses: Very limited free content, no sentence/context learning
Memrise | Video-Based Learning
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Strengths: Real-world video content, native speaker integration
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Weaknesses: Limited to language learning, no personal content support
Lingodeer | Asian Language Specialist
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Strengths: Strong grammar explanations, culturally relevant content
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Weaknesses: Limited language selection, weak community features
The main gap we wanted to fill was users being able to customize their content and add context.
Planning and feature priotization
With strong foundational insights from our research phase, we moved into planning by whiteboarding the full user journey and identifying core actions necessary for value delivery.
What we did
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Mapped user flows based on research findings
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Prioritized features that addressed the most critical pain points
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Conducted feasibility discussions with dev team to scope effort
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Aligned features with timeline constraints and MVP goals
Branding and Iconography
I created the generalized visual identity and component library using Figma, optimized for mobile responsiveness while in collaboration with the Innovator to get a better idea of what his vision was for the application
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Accessible and fun color palette
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Friendly but academic typography hierarchy
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Reusable components built for React Native and team scalability
Usability testing showed students preferred our new system — 85% said it felt more "mature" and "focused" compared to other flashcard tools.
Ideas to wireframes
We followed a highly iterative design approach to ensure the product remained user-centered at every stage.
Low Fidelity Wireframes
For the main structure of the application, we took a lot of inspiration from the mobile version of Spotify. The main idea was to make using the application as convenient as possible.
Mid Fidelity Wireframes
From the lo-fi frames, I began to structure the pages more, taking the initial feedback I received from both the user interviews and the development team based on what was technically feasible with the given timeline.
high fidelity Wireframes
With validated concepts from earlier phases, I developed polished high-fidelity prototypes that brought the memorization experience to life. The final designs implemented our established visual identity through carefully crafted typography, color systems, and micro-interactions that reinforced learning progress.
I conducted A/B tests comparing different button styles and layout configurations to optimize for both usability and engagement. User feedback sessions revealed that participants found the interface intuitive and motivating, with several noting how the visual feedback made memorization feel more rewarding.
Presenting at Demo Day
In May 2024, we presented our MVP live during Spark! Demo Day to an audience of BU faculty, tech mentors, and fellow innovators. The opportunity to speak about our design process and research-driven decisions helped spotlight the unique potential of HADA. Our MVP was a functioning mobile application that contained features such as a spatial repetition algorithm, card swiping animations, text to audio, and more.
What Happened
For the main structure of the application, we took a lot of inspiration from the mobile version of Spotify. The main idea was to make using the application as convenient as possible.
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Demonstrated core features live on stage
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Spoke to over 20+ potential stakeholders including professors and learning coordinators
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Collected contact info from educators interested in a classroom beta release
This was a turning point. The overwhelmingly positive response validated our research, and gave us the green light for continued investment in the product.
The feedback and interest we received from educators and students directly informed the next stage of development: a solo-led redesign with more advanced, scalable features.
Redesigning and Restructuring
From October 2024 onward, I refined the product as a solo UX project. Because we had a limited time, I wanted to utilize the feedback we received from the beta version to design a new mobile application and desktop application that took it all into account.
New Features added
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Desktop version for extended access
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Mastery stats + deeper analytics
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Explore/search by tags, users, classes
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Library filters, sorting, grid view
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Educational aspect for professor-linked classes
Process
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Used design sprint cycles for feature testing
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Weekly user feedback sessions (avg. 4 users/week)
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Rolled out redesigned home and onboarding flows
The feedback and interest we received from educators and students directly informed the next stage of development: a solo-led redesign with more advanced, scalable features.
This was a turning point. The overwhelmingly positive response validated our research, and gave us the green light for continued investment in the product.
Prototyping
Interaction Design
The digital memorization and learning app market is valued at over $5.2B globally, with language learning representing the largest segment. Key players focus primarily on gamification and spaced repetition, but significant gaps remain in personalization and contextual learning approaches.
Final Reflections
This memorization app project strengthened my end-to-end UX capabilities and reinforced the value of user-centered design. Leading research from initial discovery through iterative testing taught me to balance user needs with business constraints while maintaining design integrity. Working closely with developers throughout the process deepened my understanding of technical feasibility and helped bridge the gap between design vision and implementation reality.
The experience of managing agile sprints and coordinating cross-functional workflows has made me a more strategic designer who can drive projects forward while keeping user pain points at the center of every decision. Most importantly, this project demonstrated how thoughtful UX research and collaborative execution can transform a crowded market space by identifying and addressing genuine unmet needs.
Measuring Stats
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25+ research participants
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40+ weekly usability testing
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92% of users found HADA to be more useful in their daily lives compared to existing competitors
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2.5x memory retention when using