Pearson Practice English App

In 2018, Pearson English launched an app with content for its many courses. A team of engineers, designers, and content-specialists developed it.

I led the instructional design. It was informed by studies on how and why students use language learning apps (during short breaks to keep material fresh). App features such as low stakes activities and fast feedback evolved naturally from there.

I then worked with the production team to see those features come to life in the app. Challenges included coordinating with a global team and finding ways to work under technology constraints.

After the app was built, I then drafted the writing briefs and authoring templates and began training in-house teams as well as freelance writers and editors.

Check it out here.

Activities are organized by course, unit/chapter, and lesson.
Working within technical limitations was key. Here, you can get a sense of the space available for images and answer choices.
Users get immediate feedback. This matches research that shows most students use language learning apps in a casual manner. (It’s not a test.)
Students can generally access all the materials associated with their book, including video and audio.
I created six “briefs” for authors and editors. They review the app and how to create activities for it.
The template for writing activities isn’t pretty because it serves varied purposes. I hammered it into shape for app writing. Both writers and technical folk find it easy to use.