The Challenge

Imagining that tablets would be the most common way that educators introduce screens into their classrooms, InferCabulary creators, Beth Lawrence and Deena Seifert, designed the initial IC prototype for tablets exclusively. But upon going to market, they realized that most schools still, and for the foreseeable future, are relying primarily on desktop computers.

They approached the Uplifted team to build out a responsive version of the game to include desktop and mobile, as well as to improve upon the design and user experience of the primitive prototype.

Improved Game Design

Besides just updating the look and feel of the game, a core goal was to incorporate a story to make gameplay more engaging and fun for students.

The end result is that each level is a camp on a famous mountain. Students, playing as mountain climbers, must reach the summit, avoiding snowstorms, overcoming tough terrain and earning special gear along the way.

Varying activities for a richer experience

Throughout the game, students encounter different types of activities. The variety keeps the game fresh and interesting, while also giving students the opportunity to learn and reinforce vocabulary in different ways.

Ascent

Scramble

Expedition

Basecamp

Learn in Ascent | Students are introduced to new vocabulary based on their grade level.

Practice in Expedition | Students match images that illustrate similar concepts in order to practice vocabulary that was previously presented during an ascent level.

Reinforce in Basecamp | Students can review content they’ve already encountered by ‘building’ word definitions.

Taking it to the next level with educator tools

Robust educator tools tailored toward teachers and speech-language therapists include the ability to track student progress, scale difficulty, send assignments, and share reports with parents.

Classroom Testing

Both the game and educator tools were thoroughly tested in Baltimore, MD by teachers in the classroom and speech-language therapists in their private practices.

Testing was conducted first using low-fi prototypes and later with the final developed product, in order to identify areas for improvement along the way and polish the user experience of the final app.