Conker-ing quizzes with AI
I led the design of Conker, an AI-powered platform that enhances the quiz creation workflow for educators. Focusing on educational efficiency and curriculum alignment, Conker attracted over 500,000 users, resulting in more than 700,000 quizzes created.
Educators struggle to efficiently create engaging, curriculum-aligned quizzes for diverse learning needs. Conker was developed to provide a faster, more effective solution.
We started by engaging in surveys and interviews with educators. Given AI's novelty in education, we were keen to explore teachers' potential hesitations alongside identifying their primary challenges, particularly with regards to time constraints in quiz creation.
"I mean that sounds awesome. Anything that can save me time and still meet the curriculum is gonna be super helpful."
"My initial reaction is skeptical. I generally am not trustworthy of anybody trying to do my job for me."
INSIGHT
Our initial survey, involving 57 educators, revealed that they spend on average 2.5 hours preparing for and 3.5 hours marking formative assessments.
Our insights led to a week-long hackathon in Brighton, culminating in Conker's proof of concept. From research came our focus: streamline the workflow using a Google Forms integration. This would give us an interface with basic functionality that fulfilled fundamental requirements.
A (very) cold Brighton Pier
Our competitor analysis from discovery showed that no other tool at the time was doing what we were aiming to achieve. We hypothesised that if we could create an easy-to-use generative AI tool that integrates with Google Forms, we could gain a first-mover advantage to then build off.
Initial user flow diagram
Post-Brighton, we launched the product. We knew it wasn't perfect, but launching gave us a platform to test and gather real data. This feedback was instrumental in refining the UI/UX. Our mantra became 'learn quickly and iterate'
TRACKING SUCCESS
Key success metrics were tracked (Created -> Shared)
Analytics tools were used to inform decisions.
A product feedback form was placed in the product.
We invited active users for interviews based on their product interactions.
Qualitative and quantitative feedback provided the insight we needed to make quick decisions. An early pivot included alterations to how we presented the hierarchy of information on our home page. We put more emphasis on the creation of topic-based quizzes.
"I'd want to use my own topic; I don't have source material most of the time."
Through iteration, we soon ran into an unintended conundrum. Although topic-based quizzes increased our landing page → quiz generated conversion, the share rate later down the funnel was underperforming compared to source-material quizzes.
Many teachers didn't have up-front source material when first visiting Conker. So, we tweaked our UI again to make it easier for them to add their own, whilst also providing ready-to-use content as an alternative.
Customisation of user added prompt
One prominent insight that we kept hearing was that teachers sought more challenging questions, they required additional depth to match curriculum-based requirements.
We introduced more question types to ensure the questions posed could challenge students and foster critical thinking.
"The questions are kinda accurate but kinda stupid, like the first question was ‘What was the name of the professor, and the answer was professor"
INSIGHT
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is it for you to factor in meeting curriculum standards when creating quizzes?
Yeah we must meet the curriculum standards when creating quizzes, that’s kinda the main point. (10)
Alongside new question types, we developed the Conker question bank. A curated collection of complex, curriculum-aligned prompts that when triggered generated standards-aligned quiz content specific to the user's learning objective.
This became invaluable, especially for educators keen on tailoring their quizzes to specific classroom curriculum criteria. It proved another step in ensuring Conker was truly functional in real-world classroom settings.
Integrated question bank search
Integration and expanding reach
We recognised the potential of integrating with platforms already familiar to educators. A strategic choice was made early on to leverage Google Forms. It was relatively simple to implement, and meant a lot of the recipient experience was taken care of.
However, for truly wide scale adoption we required our own platform. This meant supporting share codes, quiz result scorecards and our own recipient experience.
Quiz Results Tab
Mobile adapted layouts
Final thoughts
Starting with a hackathon in Brighton and leading up to the current state of Conker, my journey has been thrilling, yet filled with complex challenges.
The success of Conker is evident not just in its growing user base but also in the 700,000 quizzes created using the platform. Additionally, the continual positive buzz on social media throughout the development highlights Conker’s broad appeal and impact.
Testing to drive mobile acquisition
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