Merlyn Origin is an AI voice assistant for the classroom that allows teachers to streamline workflows, untether from their computers, and ultimately better connect with their students.
CLIENT
Merlyn Mind
ROLE
Lead UX Designer
YEAR
2024
COLLABORATORS
Molly Crickman
Merlyn Origin is an AI voice assistant for the classroom that allows teachers to streamline workflows, untether from their computers, and ultimately better connect with their students.
CLIENT
Merlyn Mind
ROLE
Lead UX Designer
YEAR
2024
COLLABORATORS
Molly Crickman
Merlyn Origin is an AI voice assistant for the classroom that allows teachers to streamline workflows, untether from their computers, and ultimately better connect with their students.
CLIENT
Merlyn Mind
ROLE
Lead UX Designer
YEAR
2024
COLLABORATORS
Molly Crickman
Broadening Merlyn’s reach with support for Chromebook
Many school districts are switching to Chromebooks for their affordability, simplicity, and security measures. Teachers love Merlyn, but need Chromebook interoperability as their districts make the switch.
Expanding Merlyn Origin to Chromebooks provided an excellent opportunity to audit the current Origin experience while unlocking significant market share opportunities.
Broadening Merlyn’s reach with support for Chromebook
Many school districts are switching to Chromebooks for their affordability, simplicity, and security measures. Teachers love Merlyn, but need Chromebook interoperability as their districts make the switch.
Expanding Merlyn Origin to Chromebooks provided an excellent opportunity to audit the current Origin experience while unlocking significant market share opportunities.
Broadening Merlyn’s reach with support for Chromebook
Many school districts are switching to Chromebooks for their affordability, simplicity, and security measures. Teachers love Merlyn, but need Chromebook interoperability as their districts make the switch.
Expanding Merlyn Origin to Chromebooks provided an excellent opportunity to audit the current Origin experience while unlocking significant market share opportunities.
Set a timer for 10 minutes
Who was Cleopatra?
Remind me to take attendance at 9 am
Go full screen
Search for articles about climate change on Nearpod
Open Khan Academy
Switch to my YouTube tab
Search for the Battle of Puebla on Wikipedia
Set a timer for 10 minutes
Who was Cleopatra?
Remind me to take attendance at 9 am
Go full screen
Search for articles about climate change on Nearpod
Open Khan Academy
Switch to my YouTube tab
Search for the Battle of Puebla on Wikipedia
Set a timer for 10 minutes
Who was Cleopatra?
Remind me to take attendance at 9 am
Go full screen
Search for articles about climate change on Nearpod
Open Khan Academy
Switch to my YouTube tab
Search for the Battle of Puebla on Wikipedia
DISCOVERY
Driven by teacher feedback with stakeholder goals in mind
Though interviews with current Merlyn users, we were able to determine existing pain points in their interactions with Merlyn, as well as more general classroom-specific challenges. These insights helped us better understand how Merlyn could ease the burden of classroom management, tech fatigue, and the need to be at one’s computer instead of at one’s students side.
Discussions with stakeholders solidified the importance of rolling out Merlyn Origin for Chromebooks to unlock sales opportunities for the 50% of school districts that use Chromebooks as their primary device.
Cross-functional collaboration with the engineering team allowed for design exploration to begin with a few Chromebook quirks in mind.
DISCOVERY
Driven by teacher feedback with stakeholder goals in mind
Though interviews with current Merlyn users, we were able to determine existing pain points in their interactions with Merlyn, as well as more general classroom-specific challenges. These insights helped us better understand how Merlyn could ease the burden of classroom management, tech fatigue, and the need to be at one’s computer instead of at one’s students side.
Discussions with stakeholders solidified the importance of rolling out Merlyn Origin for Chromebooks to unlock sales opportunities for the 50% of school districts that use Chromebooks as their primary device.
Cross-functional collaboration with the engineering team allowed for design exploration to begin with a few Chromebook quirks in mind.
DISCOVERY
Driven by teacher feedback with stakeholder goals in mind
Though interviews with current Merlyn users, we were able to determine existing pain points in their interactions with Merlyn, as well as more general classroom-specific challenges. These insights helped us better understand how Merlyn could ease the burden of classroom management, tech fatigue, and the need to be at one’s computer instead of at one’s students side.
Discussions with stakeholders solidified the importance of rolling out Merlyn Origin for Chromebooks to unlock sales opportunities for the 50% of school districts that use Chromebooks as their primary device.
Cross-functional collaboration with the engineering team allowed for design exploration to begin with a few Chromebook quirks in mind.
An in-depth audit of Merlyn’s user experience revealed three key insights, leading to overarching UX improvements.
An in-depth audit of Merlyn’s user experience revealed three key insights, leading to overarching UX improvements.
An in-depth audit of Merlyn’s user experience revealed three key insights, leading to overarching UX improvements.
EXPERIENCE-WIDE PAIN POINTS
New transcriptions appear at the top of the stack and are at odds with the way we read.
New transcriptions appear at the top of the stack and are at odds with the way we read.
Transcription UI does not have a constrained width and can disrupt the teacher’s onscreen UI.
Transcription UI does not have a constrained width and can disrupt the teacher’s onscreen UI.
Generic teacher avatars make the source of the transcription unclear.
Generic teacher avatars make the source of the transcription unclear.
Lack of differentiation between the teacher’s transcription UI and Merlyn’s makes it difficult to identify the transcription’s source.
Lack of differentiation between the teacher’s transcription UI and Merlyn’s makes it difficult to identify the transcription’s source.
SOLUTIONS
Arrange transcriptions linearly to read naturally.
Arrange transcriptions linearly to read naturally.
Set a fixed width for Merlyn’s UI to minimize disruptions to the teacher’s onscreen content.
Set a fixed width for Merlyn’s UI to minimize disruptions to the teacher’s onscreen content.
Allow for customization of teacher avatars.
Allow for customization of teacher avatars.
Differentiate between the teacher’s UI and Merlyn’s for improved clarity.
Differentiate between the teacher’s UI and Merlyn’s for improved clarity.
INSIGHT 1
The magic in Merlyn is the ability to move freely in class.
With the ability to control classroom technology using voice, d-pad, and air mouse, teachers can freely engage with their class instead of being stuck behind a computer.
INSIGHT 1
The magic in Merlyn is the ability to move freely in class.
With the ability to control classroom technology using voice, d-pad, and air mouse, teachers can freely engage with their class instead of being stuck behind a computer.
INSIGHT 1
The magic in Merlyn is the ability to move freely in class.
With the ability to control classroom technology using voice, d-pad, and air mouse, teachers can freely engage with their class instead of being stuck behind a computer.
How can we ensure that teachers can untether from their computers by optimizing transcriptions for accessibility and multimodal interaction?
How can we ensure that teachers can untether from their computers by optimizing transcriptions for accessibility and multimodal interaction?
How can we ensure that teachers can untether from their computers by optimizing transcriptions for accessibility and multimodal interaction?
EXISTING PAIN POINTS
The current inline buttons are small and difficult to navigate using the Air Mouse.
The current inline buttons are small and difficult to navigate using the Air Mouse.
Inline buttons are not in focus for easy selection using the remote’s d-pad.
Inline buttons are not in focus for easy selection using the remote’s d-pad.
SOLUTIONS
Expand inset buttons to be the full width of the transcription footprint to allow for easier navigation using the Air Mouse.
Expand inset buttons to be the full width of the transcription footprint to allow for easier navigation using the Air Mouse.
Automatically focus buttons for selection using the remote’s d-pad for quick multimodal selection.
Automatically focus buttons for selection using the remote’s d-pad for quick multimodal selection.
INSIGHT 2
Teachers need a path to quickly troubleshoot - and ideally avoid it altogether
The smallest disruption can break the attention of the class. Providing efficient error recovery and disambiguation for voice requests is essential when additional context is necessary.
INSIGHT 2
Teachers need a path to quickly troubleshoot - and ideally avoid it altogether
The smallest disruption can break the attention of the class. Providing efficient error recovery and disambiguation for voice requests is essential when additional context is necessary.
INSIGHT 2
Teachers need a path to quickly troubleshoot - and ideally avoid it altogether
The smallest disruption can break the attention of the class. Providing efficient error recovery and disambiguation for voice requests is essential when additional context is necessary.
How can we improve the current disambiguation and error recovery flows to streamline troubleshooting?
How can we improve the current disambiguation and error recovery flows to streamline troubleshooting?
How can we improve the current disambiguation and error recovery flows to streamline troubleshooting?
EXISTING PAIN POINTS
The fixed height of disambiguation listings feels cramped and overstimulating when options exceed three lines.
The fixed height of disambiguation listings feels cramped and overstimulating when options exceed three lines.
The current system of pagination is not intuitive.
The current system of pagination is not intuitive.
The number of options shown before requiring pagination is overwhelming.
The number of options shown before requiring pagination is overwhelming.
SOLUTIONS
Maintain truncation after three lines, but ensure consistent padding across disambiguation listings.
Maintain truncation after three lines, but ensure consistent padding across disambiguation listings.
Implement a scrollbar for more intuitive navigation when many options are returned.
Implement a scrollbar for more intuitive navigation when many options are returned.
Set a fixed width and height to minimize the number of listings shown and give Merlyn it’s own space.
Set a fixed width and height to minimize the number of listings shown and give Merlyn it’s own space.
INSIGHT 3
Multimodal interaction is critical
The classroom is a living, breathing organism. A workflow that might be completed best using voice in one scenario may be more efficiently executed using air mouse or d-pad in another. We must ensure all workflows can be executed multimodally from anywhere in a busy classroom.
INSIGHT 3
Multimodal interaction is critical
The classroom is a living, breathing organism. A workflow that might be completed best using voice in one scenario may be more efficiently executed using air mouse or d-pad in another. We must ensure all workflows can be executed multimodally from anywhere in a busy classroom.
INSIGHT 3
Multimodal interaction is critical
The classroom is a living, breathing organism. A workflow that might be completed best using voice in one scenario may be more efficiently executed using air mouse or d-pad in another. We must ensure all workflows can be executed multimodally from anywhere in a busy classroom.
How can timers leverage multimodal interaction from anywhere in the classroom?
How can timers leverage multimodal interaction from anywhere in the classroom?
How can timers leverage multimodal interaction from anywhere in the classroom?
EXISTING PAIN POINTS
The timer it too small to be seen at the back of the classroom.
The timer it too small to be seen at the back of the classroom.
Timer control iconography lacks clarity.
Timer control iconography lacks clarity.
Timer control buttons are small and difficult to navigate using the Air Mouse.
Timer control buttons are small and difficult to navigate using the Air Mouse.
Timer control buttons are not easily navigable using the remote d-pad and do not optimize for multimodal interaction.
Timer control buttons are not easily navigable using the remote d-pad and do not optimize for multimodal interaction.
SOLUTIONS
Make the timer larger for accessibility and visibility from anywhere in the room.
Make the timer larger for accessibility and visibility from anywhere in the room.
Improve iconography and add labels to the timer control buttons.
Improve iconography and add labels to the timer control buttons.
Increase the size of the timer control buttons for ease of use with the Air Mouse.
Increase the size of the timer control buttons for ease of use with the Air Mouse.
Ensure multimodality by automatically focusing timer control buttons for selection using the remote’s d-pad.
Ensure multimodality by automatically focusing timer control buttons for selection using the remote’s d-pad.
Outcome
Redesigning Merlyn for Chromebooks optimized accessibility, multimodal interaction, and readability while enabling Chromebook teachers to integrate Merlyn into their workflow.
Outcome
Redesigning Merlyn for Chromebooks optimized accessibility, multimodal interaction, and readability while enabling Chromebook teachers to integrate Merlyn into their workflow.
Outcome
Redesigning Merlyn for Chromebooks optimized accessibility, multimodal interaction, and readability while enabling Chromebook teachers to integrate Merlyn into their workflow.
Impact
61%
of teachers using Merlyn reported an overall reduction of technology-related stress after 7 weeks.
8,000+
classrooms streamline their workflows with Merlyn.
5-10 min
The frequency at which superusers are interacting with Merlyn in their classroom.
Impact
61%
of teachers using Merlyn reported an overall reduction of technology-related stress after 7 weeks.
8,000+
classrooms streamline their workflows with Merlyn.
5-10 min
The frequency at which superusers are interacting with Merlyn in their classroom.
Impact
61%
of teachers using Merlyn reported an overall reduction of technology-related stress after 7 weeks.
8,000+
classrooms streamline their workflows with Merlyn.
5-10 min
The frequency at which superusers are interacting with Merlyn in their classroom.
