Led end-to-end product design for Study Party, a real time gamified learning experience, from research and strategy through MVP launch and iteration.
Reduced participation friction and drove a 22% lift in join conversion, an 18% increase in session duration, and stronger weekly return behavior.
Study Party was a synchronous, low friction social study experience designed to increase active engagement through real time presence. It prioritized instant access, visible activity, and psychological safety over structured organization, making participation feel immediate and easy.
Problem
Numerade students were consuming content… but learning was still largely solo.
The goal
Shift students from passive watching to active, social learning.
How do we create a lightweight, real time study experience that lowers the barrier to participation?
Research
I partnered with PM & data to analyze:
Insight
Students want community, but feared awkwardness→
They didn't want to commit to structured spaces→
Empty rooms felt intimidating→
Many just wanted quiet accountability→
63% clicked, 50% dropped before joining→
Design Implication
Make participation optional and low pressure.
Enable instant, drop-in access.
Surface visible activity and momentum.
Support passive presence, not forced interaction.
Reduce friction at the point of entry.
Competitive Landscape
I analyzed platforms offering social and live experiences, like Fiveable, StudyStream, Quizlet Live and Discord
Many platforms leaned heavily on feature depth or public visibility. Live sessions felt performative, required scheduling, or demanded active participation. Some lacked clear academic structure, while others felt overly structured and commitment heavy. In many cases, students had to navigate complexity before they could actually start studying.
Rather than replicate existing community platforms, I focused on designing a low friction study experience. The priority was instant access, visible activity, and lightweight interaction to reduce social pressure while keeping the academic context front and center. The goal wasn’t to build a community platform, but to make studying together feel effortless.
How Objectives translated to Features
Reduce Friction to Join
High interest, but significant dropoff before entry.
We sacrificed deeper customization early on to prioritize 'speed to join'.
Lower Social Anxiety
Students wanted accountability without social pressure.
We limited expressive features (no complex profiles, no DMs) to reduce moderation complexity and pressure.
Increase Engagement Time
Joining wasn’t enough, we needed students to stay.
We avoided heavy gamification initially, validating core behavior first.
From Concept to Iteration
The original version centered around live video rooms. But the real challenge wasn’t getting students into a room, it was making that experience feel safe, efficient, and optional.
Video felt intimidating
Video chat with strangers created friction and hesitation.
Reduced early hesitation and lowered social pressure at entry.
High drop off in the first 10 secs
Nearly 50% of users dropped off within the first 10 seconds after entering a room.
Improved join completion by 22% and reduced entry friction.
Not everyone wanted to chat
Some students wanted accountability, not conversation.
Increased average session duration by 18%, reinforcing that flexibility drove engagement.
🤖
Awkward first Encounters
“People just leave when I join the room.”
✏️
Unclear Subject matching
“I kept matching with people in a totally different subject.”
📹
Discomfort with video
“I don’t want to be on camera with strangers.”
🫨
Too quiet/chaotic
“Sometimes it’s awkward, other times it’s loud.”
2025 Redesign
Home
Students can instantly “Join a Party” going on with a friend of theirs or join their own parties they have created. It highlights quick access while still surfacing goals for accountability.
Browse
Lets students explore study parties by subject or what’s currently active. While the Home is designed for speed, Browse leans into discovery, giving students the ability to find sessions that align with their current study needs.
Joining a Party
Before Joining
Students see the topic, participants, format, and time in the current study block, so they know what they’re walking into. Multiple choice quiz mode creates an engaging, low-pressure way to test knowledge as a group.
Once inside the party
Presence without cameras keeps the focus on studying while still making the session feel social through avatars, chat, and reactions. Shared subject/topic focus means everyone is aligned on what they’re working toward. This balance of structure and flexibility creates a collaborative environment without the awkwardness of traditional video study calls.
Creating a Party
GROUP OR SOLO PARTY?
Students can start a private session for personal accountability, using timers and streaks to stay on track or a Group Party and invite friends, set a subject and study together. This flexibility supports both independent learners and those who thrive in group settings.
Leaderboards
To sustain motivation, I designed three leaderboard layers:
Overall Leaderboard: global rankings to showcase top contributors.
School Leaderboard: see how you stack up against peers at your school.All-School Leaderboard: friendly competition between schools.
If a student hasn’t entered their school yet, they’re shown an empty state prompting them to add their school and year, turning a blank screen into an onboarding opportunity.
Success Metrics
(Jan 2022)
Engagement metrics
+35% increase in users joining at least one study party per week after introducing the Quick Join flow.
2x more repeat sessions when users participated in group parties compared to solo parties.
Motivation and retention metrics
45% higher streak retention among users who participated in leaderboards.
60% of new users who entered their school details returned for a second session within 3 days.
3 out of 4 students said the leaderboard competition made studying feel more fun.
What's Next?
Onboarding & Setup
I’d like to design a lightweight onboarding flow that helps students set up their profile (name, avatar, school, year). We could ask them to select their preferred study subjects and formats, so the app can recommend relevant parties. Introduce streaks, leaderboards, and solo vs. group parties upfront, so users understand the value right away. This would turn the first time experience into a clear and motivating entry point instead of dropping users straight into the home screen.
expanding study modes
Currently, the design showcases multiple choice quizzes as an interactive way to collaborate. But study isn’t one size fits all. Future iterations could include flashcards, silent focus (pomodoro), fill in the blank/matching exercises or even a collaborative whiteboard. By offering different formats, Study Party can adapt to the way students prefer to learn, whether it’s testing each other, quietly grinding through notes, or co-creating study resources.
Long term direction
The vision is for Study Party to feel like a full study ecosystem, not just a session tool. Onboarding and study mode variety are the natural next steps to make sessions more personalized, engaging, and sticky over time.
Conclusion
Study Party transforms studying from an isolating task into a shared, motivating experience. Through simple entry points (Home and Browse), engaging in room formats like quizzes, flexible solo or group parties, and motivational leaderboards at the individual and school level, the design balances focus with fun. Looking ahead, expanding into onboarding flows and additional study modes such as flashcards and collaborative whiteboards would make the experience even more personalized and versatile, reinforcing Study Party as a community driven platform for learning.
