2024
dezQ
A gamified design learning app
CATEGORY
DURATION
BACKGROUND
DezQ began with an interest in making online design education more interactive and engaging. I wanted to explore how digital learning could move beyond watching tutorials and completing quizzes to encourage learners to experiment, solve problems, and learn through practice.
What started as a product design exploration eventually grew into a deeper interest in understanding how interaction shapes the learning experience.
CONTEXT
Online learning makes knowledge accessible, but access to information alone does not always translate into practical understanding. For design learners, the opportunity to apply concepts, explore ideas, and receive feedback is an important part of the learning journey.
DezQ explores how a digital platform could bring these experiences together, making design learning more hands-on, structured, and collaborative.
APPROACH
I approached DezQ by looking at learning as an experience rather than simply a process of consuming content. The focus was on creating opportunities for learners to actively participate, experiment with ideas, and build their skills over time.
This led me to explore challenge-based learning, creative exploration, progress tracking, and collaboration as ways to make the experience more engaging.
METHODOLOGY
The project began with product design exploration, where I identified opportunities to make online design learning more interactive and translated them into a digital experience.
This work later informed my research into interaction in online design education. The research combined primary and secondary research involving students and educators to explore the challenges of existing learning experiences and the potential of more interactive approaches.
The two strands of work helped me examine the relationship between designing a learning experience and understanding the broader educational challenges behind it.
INSIGHTS
Learning through practice
Learning becomes more meaningful when learners have opportunities to apply concepts through activities and real-world challenges, rather than relying only on passive content consumption.
Progress beyond completion
Completing a lesson is not the same as developing a skill. Learning experiences can benefit from making progress and practical growth more visible.
The value of collaboration
Opportunities for peer feedback, mentorship, and shared learning can help learners feel more connected throughout their learning journey.
FINAL CONCEPT
DezQ is a concept for an interactive design learning platform that encourages learners to build skills through practice, creative challenges, and collaboration.
The experience brings together guided activities, creative exploration, progress tracking, and community-oriented learning opportunities. Rather than focusing solely on completing content, the concept aims to support an ongoing journey of experimentation, feedback, and growth.
CONCLUSION
DezQ was an important step in my exploration of interaction design because it encouraged me to look beyond interfaces and consider how a product can shape the way people learn.
The project also led me to investigate the subject more deeply through academic research, connecting my interest in product design with a broader curiosity about learning, engagement, and human behaviour. Together, these experiences strengthened my interest in research-informed design and the role it can play in creating more meaningful digital experiences.
