Problem
Students often struggle to understand why they got test questions wrong, leading to gaps in learning and engagement. Alpha School aimed to address this by leveraging AI to provide detailed feedback tailored to individual students.
Solution
We turned cold feedback into warm mentorship. Using ElevenLabs’ voice tech and a cast of animated avatars, we served up bite-sized “aha moments” tailored to each student’s mistakes—no human intervention needed.
Transforming coaching with conversational AI
Alpha School faced a challenge: providing personalized post-test coaching to its rapidly growing body of students in an efficient, scalable fashion. Their existing system was time-intensive for human coaches, lacked insightful data analysis, and offered limited opportunities for student review. Post Test Coach aimed to revolutionize this process by creating a kid-friendly cutting-edge custom digital platform powered by AI with bespoke video avatars and voices.
As Product Designer and Manager I led the design and development of this platform, transforming post-test assessment into an efficient, engaging, data-driven, and personalized learning experience for students.
Strategic value
This project demonstrated the potential of AI in education, reducing teacher workload, improving data-driven instruction, and enhancing student learning outcomes. It also positioned Trilogy Software and AE Studio as leaders in AI-driven educational solutions, addressing key challenges in modern education.
Understanding educator & student needs
To create an effective, user-centered solution, I conducted extensive research to understand the perspectives of both educators and students at Alpha School.
Educator workflows & pain points
Fifteen in-depth interviews with Alpha School coaches across different grade levels provided critical insights into how assessments were currently managed. Many teachers reported inefficiencies in grading, limited ability to personalize feedback at scale, and a need for a streamlined digital platform that could automate some of these repetitive tasks while offering valuable insights into student performance.
Student perspectives
Student focus groups revealed that learners often felt disconnected from the feedback process. Many preferred immediate, personalized feedback and expressed interest in interactive tools that would help them understand their mistakes rather than simply receiving a graded test back. Some students also had concerns about AI involvement in education, emphasizing the importance of making the platform approachable and engaging.
Competitive analysis
A market analysis of digital assessment platforms helped identify opportunities to improve on existing solutions. While some platforms provided automated grading, few offered in-depth data visualization or interactive student feedback tools. Many existing solutions lacked a seamless way for educators to interpret student performance trends at a glance, highlighting an area where Post Test Coach could add value.
Key design decisions
Designing the platform required balancing ease of use with robust functionality. The interface needed to be simple enough for teachers and students to adopt quickly, yet powerful enough to provide meaningful insights.
I focused on a clean, intuitive UI that minimized clutter and ensured seamless navigation. A dedicated student review portal was designed to give learners immediate access to feedback, including step-by-step breakdowns of incorrect answers and progress tracking. For educators, a dashboard was developed to provide clear, visual data insights, allowing them to make informed instructional decisions quickly.
Final implementation
The finished platform transformed post-test assessments into a more efficient and engaging experience. Teachers could reduce time spent on grading while gaining deeper insight into student progress. Students benefited from interactive feedback that encouraged self-guided learning. The system integrated smoothly with Alpha School’s existing tools, ensuring adoption was frictionless.
Measuring success
The impact of the platform was measured through multiple data points, including reductions in grading time, improved student performance over time, and increased engagement with post-test review materials. Surveys showed that educators found the data insights valuable for refining their instruction, while students reported greater confidence in understanding their mistakes.
Lessons learned & future improvements
Throughout the project, it became clear that a successful educational technology platform must strike a balance between teacher efficiency and student engagement. Actionable data visualization proved essential, as educators needed insights that were not only accessible but immediately applicable. Future iterations of the platform could further refine AI-driven personalization, offering even more tailored learning experiences. Additional gamification elements could also be explored to sustain student motivation over time.
