NEET Preparation App —UI/UX Case Study

Introduction

• Basidia is an online education company that provides a platform for medical entrance exam (NEET UG) preparation in India.

Problem statements

Problem 1

Despite the presence of long-established NEET training centres in India, accessibility remains a challenge for students nationwide. There is a pressing need for a solution that ensures accessibility for students across all regions of the country.

Problem 2

Despite improved internet accessibility, leading online education platforms offer NEET programs at a high cost, posing affordability challenges for students from lower-income backgrounds. There is a critical need for an affordable alternative to ensure equal access to quality NEET training.

Problem 3

Many training centres and learning apps lack authentic content aligned with NCERT books and the prescribed syllabus. Students seek reliable material, emphasizing the need for content derived directly from authentic sources like NCERT books.

Goals

• Apart from solving the above 3 problems, we had 2 important goals
• Goal 1 — We should have students who have scored above 600 marks in NEET UG who would have used the Basidia NEET App for preparations.
• Goal 2 — An overall positive user experience and satisfaction.

Approach

Through direct interactions with NEET aspirants, exam-takers, and educators, we gained valuable insights into student psychology, learning methods, motivators, and crucial aspects, and identified opportunities for improvement.

The Mantra

We planned to design and build a product that would imbibe the below learning strategy:

Learn + Practice = Conquer

From interactions with students and teachers, a recurring theme emerged — Practice. Thus, our mantra emphasizes not only teaching the exam curriculum but also enabling students to practice regularly.

The Core Pillars

For the MVP, the core modules that we planned were Keys, MCQs, Mock Tests, Revision and Videos.

Keys

To accommodate varied preparation timeframes (2 years, 1 year, and less than 1 year), our system ensures support for both first-time learners and those revising concepts, aligning with the NEET UG syllabus based on Class 11 and 12 NCERT books.

• Keys serve as concise summaries of Class 11 and 12 concepts from NCERT Books. Ideal for both first-time learners and those revising, providing a quick overview before delving into the textbook.
• Keys are categorized by High, Medium, and Low frequency, denoting the concept’s importance based on the analysis of over 7 years of exam papers.

MCQs

• Merely learning theoretical concepts through Q&A or textbook reading may not prepare students for the MCQ format. Adaptation to recognizing questions, eliminating options, and selecting the correct answer comes with dedicated practice.
• Additionally, it’s crucial to note that this exam carries a penalty for incorrect answers.

Correct Answer = +4 Marks, Wrong Answer = -1 Marks

• In this competitive exam, a mere one-point difference can shift your rank by thousands. With over 2 lakh participants vying for approximately 100,000 medical college seats, the competition stands at a 20:1 ratio.

Students 20:1 Medial Seats

• Learn by solving MCQs — Given the exam’s MCQ format, our strategy encourages students to learn concepts through solving MCQs. Repeated practice instils confidence, making it second nature for them to approach the exam.

• The content team has curated extensive MCQ sets for each chapter. Students can engage in two modes, Learn and Exam. In Learn mode, immediate feedback and detailed explanations accompany each MCQ, aiding comprehension and correct answer selection.
• In Exam mode, students receive their final score upon completing all MCQs, simulating the mindset of a condensed MCQ test.
• Related Keys accompany each MCQ, enhancing understanding. Credibility and authenticity are reinforced by citing the source of content from the NCERT book.

Mock Tests

• Mock tests, carefully crafted by experts, replicate the real exam format, offering students a 3-hour simulation.
• NEET preparation isn’t complete without multiple mock tests. While ideally taken after covering the entire syllabus, students can assess their progress at any stage by attempting these tests.

Revision

• Revision is vital for students, serving as a crucial activity to reinforce and retain learned information in memory.
• The forgetting curve is a concept that suggests memory retention would decline with time.

• The curve in the above image shows how information is lost over time when there is no attempt to retain it. Revision enhances memory strength, enabling longer recall periods.

• Based on how the student performs in MCQs or Mock tests, we would recommend a default timeframe to revise (15 days or 30 days).

Outcome

• In 2022, two years post-launch, we’ve garnered positive feedback on the product’s effectiveness in exam preparation. The image below, a sample from the Google Play store, reflects user satisfaction.

• As of 2022, we maintained a positive Google Play Store rating of 4.3.

Play Store Rating — 4.3 / 5

• We successfully achieved our primary goal of helping students secure over 600 marks in the same year.
• Ritika Sahu — 631
  (View Testimonial — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFK-ZDzgkec)
• Annu Jaiswal — 654
  (View Testimonial — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWmEz0tSm-4)
• Krishna Prasad — 632
  (View Testimonial — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CO0LwP30FQ)

Areas of improvement and challenges

• We received complaints regarding increased loading time and connectivity issues. Our technology team is actively addressing these concerns to enhance user experience, aligning with our goal of providing accessible solutions to students nationwide.
• In regions where parents restrict mobile phone usage during Class 12 or NEET preparation, accessing our app can be a challenge. To accommodate these students, we are developing a desktop web version of the product.
• For Biology and Chemistry, studying through books or our app suffices, but Physics often involves numerical practice with pen and paper. Recognizing the preference for written notes, we are planning a workbook to integrate interactive learning with both paper and the Basidia App.