Merlyn Sessions is a activity based platform for engaging with students while remaining untethered from your computer.
CLIENT
Merlyn Mind
ROLE
Lead UX Designer
YEAR
2024/25
COLLABORATORS
Sebastian Feldman, Molly Crickman
Merlyn Sessions is a activity based platform for engaging with students while remaining untethered from your computer.
CLIENT
Merlyn Mind
ROLE
Lead UX Designer
YEAR
2024/25
COLLABORATORS
Sebastian Feldman, Molly Crickman
Merlyn Sessions is a activity based platform for engaging with students while remaining untethered from your computer.
CLIENT
Merlyn Mind
ROLE
Lead UX Designer
YEAR
2024/25
COLLABORATORS
Sebastian Feldman, Molly Crickman
Integrating teacher/student interaction into the Merlyn ecosystem
Many EdTech companies offer solutions for interactive classroom activities, but require you facilitate them from your computer instead of fully engaging in the classroom space.
Merlyn Sessions redefined this approach by creating a safe and engaging environment for classroom collaboration while allowing freedom of movement throughout the classroom.
Integrating teacher/student interaction into the Merlyn ecosystem
Many EdTech companies offer solutions for interactive classroom activities, but require you facilitate them from your computer instead of fully engaging in the classroom space.
Merlyn Sessions redefined this approach by creating a safe and engaging environment for classroom collaboration while allowing freedom of movement throughout the classroom.
Integrating teacher/student interaction into the Merlyn ecosystem
Many EdTech companies offer solutions for interactive classroom activities, but require you facilitate them from your computer instead of fully engaging in the classroom space.
Merlyn Sessions redefined this approach by creating a safe and engaging environment for classroom collaboration while allowing freedom of movement throughout the classroom.
DISCOVERY
Guided by teacher insights while aligned with stakeholder objectives.
Through teacher interviews, we identified key EdTech pain points: restricted mobility, reduced engagement and increased classroom management challenges. Concerns over student response appropriateness posed a threat to adoption. Educators sought tools to assess student well-being and comprehension while supporting ESL and hard-of-hearing learners.
To better understand how Merlyn Sessions stood out from existing EdTech tools, we conducted stakeholder interviews. These conversations reinforced that integrating voice technology and AI-driven safety guardrails provided a unique advantage.
Working closely with the engineering team, we developed a streamlined plan to rapidly deliver design assets for a Hackathon in Madrid, leading to a successful debut at FETC.
DISCOVERY
Guided by teacher insights while aligned with stakeholder objectives.
Through teacher interviews, we identified key EdTech pain points: restricted mobility, reduced engagement and increased classroom management challenges. Concerns over student response appropriateness posed a threat to adoption. Educators sought tools to assess student well-being and comprehension while supporting ESL and hard-of-hearing learners.
To better understand how Merlyn Sessions stood out from existing EdTech tools, we conducted stakeholder interviews. These conversations reinforced that integrating voice technology and AI-driven safety guardrails provided a unique advantage.
Working closely with the engineering team, we developed a streamlined plan to rapidly deliver design assets for a Hackathon in Madrid, leading to a successful debut at FETC.
DISCOVERY
Guided by teacher insights while aligned with stakeholder objectives.
Through teacher interviews, we identified key EdTech pain points: restricted mobility, reduced engagement and increased classroom management challenges. Concerns over student response appropriateness posed a threat to adoption. Educators sought tools to assess student well-being and comprehension while supporting ESL and hard-of-hearing learners.
To better understand how Merlyn Sessions stood out from existing EdTech tools, we conducted stakeholder interviews. These conversations reinforced that integrating voice technology and AI-driven safety guardrails provided a unique advantage.
Working closely with the engineering team, we developed a streamlined plan to rapidly deliver design assets for a Hackathon in Madrid, leading to a successful debut at FETC.
INSIGHT 1
Classroom interactions while tethered to your desk are not truly interactive.
With the ability to start a Session and launch activities using voice and air mouse, teachers are free to engage with their class instead of being stuck behind a computer.
INSIGHT 1
Classroom interactions while tethered to your desk are not truly interactive.
With the ability to start a Session and launch activities using voice and air mouse, teachers are free to engage with their class instead of being stuck behind a computer.
INSIGHT 1
Classroom interactions while tethered to your desk are not truly interactive.
With the ability to start a Session and launch activities using voice and air mouse, teachers are free to engage with their class instead of being stuck behind a computer.
To streamline workflows, teachers can start a Session or specific activity with timers and labels automatically applied — all with a single intuitive voice command.
Launching Sessions and activities using voice
INSIGHT 2
The ability to check in with your class and provide individualized support is invaluable.
Students are individuals with unique and changing needs. Providing teachers with an understanding of their students’ needs, both emotionally and academically, allows for strong connections and engagement without sacrificing student privacy.
INSIGHT 2
The ability to check in with your class and provide individualized support is invaluable.
Students are individuals with unique and changing needs. Providing teachers with an understanding of their students’ needs, both emotionally and academically, allows for strong connections and engagement without sacrificing student privacy.
INSIGHT 2
The ability to check in with your class and provide individualized support is invaluable.
Students are individuals with unique and changing needs. Providing teachers with an understanding of their students’ needs, both emotionally and academically, allows for strong connections and engagement without sacrificing student privacy.
Merlyn's Mood Meter was designed to check in on our students' wellbeing in a way that is playful and fun.
Student view
Teacher view
PROTECTING STUDENT PRIVACY
Teachers have the ability to toggle on the name of the author for each response on an activity specific basis.
If students report struggling via the Mood Meter or Pulse Check, teachers can discreetly review authorship and offer support. Conversely, showing authorship within a Brainstorm Board fosters discussion and connection around common themes.
Teachers have the ability to toggle on the name of the author for each response on an activity specific basis.
If students report struggling via the Mood Meter or Pulse Check, teachers can discreetly review authorship and offer support. Conversely, showing authorship within a Brainstorm Board fosters discussion and connection around common themes.
Student view
Teacher view
Launching a Pulse Check provides teachers with the ability to quickly gauge student comprehension.
If a significant number of students report difficulty in understanding a concept, a teacher can reevaluate the lesson to deepen comprehension.
Classnotes facilitate teacher/student communication while supporting accessibility for ESL and hard-of-hearing learners through transcription and translation.
Classnotes facilitate teacher/student communication while supporting accessibility for ESL and hard-of-hearing learners through transcription and translation.
Classnotes facilitate teacher/student communication while supporting accessibility for ESL and hard-of-hearing learners through transcription and translation.
Taking and translating Classnotes
INSIGHT 3
The smallest hiccup can break the attention of the class.
Merlyn's AI Appropriateness Model reviews student submissions for disruptive content before it can be surfaced to the class.
INSIGHT 3
The smallest hiccup can break the attention of the class.
Merlyn's AI Appropriateness Model reviews student submissions for disruptive content before it can be surfaced to the class.
INSIGHT 3
The smallest hiccup can break the attention of the class.
Merlyn's AI Appropriateness Model reviews student submissions for disruptive content before it can be surfaced to the class.
Brainstorm Boards were designed to facilitate classroom collaboration with safety guardrails built in.
Student view
Teacher view
Merlyn uses it's AI Appropriateness Model to automatically review and flag content for potential appropriateness issues before it's seen by students.
Merlyn uses it's AI Appropriateness Model to automatically review and flag content for potential appropriateness issues before it's seen by students.
Merlyn uses it's AI Appropriateness Model to automatically review and flag content for potential appropriateness issues before it's seen by students.
Reviewing flagged stickies for appropriateness
Outcome
Merlyn Sessions made it's debut to over 9,000 FETC attendees. Live demos created a palpable sense of excitement with teachers, resulting in fast tracking the MVP release to all existing users.
Outcome
Merlyn Sessions made it's debut to over 9,000 FETC attendees. Live demos created a palpable sense of excitement with teachers, resulting in fast tracking the MVP release to all existing users.
Outcome
Merlyn Sessions made it's debut to over 9,000 FETC attendees. Live demos created a palpable sense of excitement with teachers, resulting in fast tracking the MVP release to all existing users.
