A pocket-sized library of critical thinking prompts, questions, and strategies.
Client: University of Louisville Health Sciences Center
Role: Product Designer
Team: UofL Integrative Design & Development Design Team (two designers)
PRODUCT DESIGN
CONTENT WRITING
GAMIFICATION
The Problem
A research team at the University of Louisville came to the Integrative Design & Development (IDD) team to build a digital product that would improve critical thinking in clinical settings. Their research proved that the resources they provided in their physical pamphlet improved critical thinkings skills in medical students.
They provided us with a copy of their tool, seen below, that was a prototype for the digital version they hired my team to create. Me and another IDD designer drafted a prototype that would be used by the research team to apply for grant money that would fund further development.
Establishing the system
The QARRD system had a clear color palette, but the palette felt more traditional, structured, and stiff. In discussions with stakeholders, we were aligned on taking the QARRD color palette into a more modern era that was entertaining and playful.
Original Pyramid
Proposed Pyramid
The new pyramid fit the playful direction that would allow us to create a system of shapes and components. The “bubbles” began to grow a personality as we continued to distribute them throughout the app to represent their respective categories. You can see that approach as we build out from verbs to questions, to strategies.
Original Strategy Presentation
App Strategy Presentation
Understanding QARRD
We spent days familiarizing ourselves with Bloom’s Taxonomy and the QARRD pamphlet prior to beginning any visual design work. Using an atomic design approach helped us organize the system we were building and establish relationships between the verbs, questions, and strategies. Those three buckets were the primary “categories” of the app that would create the structure to the gamification.
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Whew! Still with me? I need a cookie break, but more on QARRD coming soon!