Case of “Ticket to the Future”: Making Career Aptitude Tests Interesting for Schoolchildren
We’ve developed two tests that help the "Ticket to the Future" website promote its career counselling programmes to schoolchildren and their parents.
Usually, career guidance includes tests that show students their strengths and weaknesses and recommend paying attention to some professions.
The problem is that tests are abstract, and questions are boring. An average student isn’t motivated to take them because watching YouTube or playing computer games is more entertaining. At best, their parents will convince the children, but such career counselling could hardly be worthwhile.
The "Ticket to the Future" website does things differently: it engages students into the process transforming tests into exciting games.
The problem is that tests are abstract, and questions are boring. An average student isn’t motivated to take them because watching YouTube or playing computer games is more entertaining. At best, their parents will convince the children, but such career counselling could hardly be worthwhile.
The "Ticket to the Future" website does things differently: it engages students into the process transforming tests into exciting games.
Objective: Broaden Audiences & Make Tests Engaging
The primary audience of the "Ticket to the Future" website is schoolchildren who take part in federal programmes and competitions, are members of the WorldSkills Russia union, and that’s where from they come to take career aptitude tests. We wanted to reach a wider audience. Therefore, it was crucial to make tests engaging to achieve marketing goals.
1
Improve user experience
Make tests more "friendly" and help people build their development trajectories using "Ticket to the Future" programmes.
2
Broaden the audience
Attract more schoolchildren, students, and even adults to career guidance programmes.
3
Develop brand new test format
Use gamification and narrative design to develop new tests for the website.
Solution: Two "Lead Magnet" Tests & Narrative Design
Tests can be in two extremes. One is a set of outdated situations that aren’t relevant to modern teenagers. The other are entertaining tests like "What kind of programmer are you?".
We put forward an option in the middle: repackage tests into stories the target audience will like and keep them methodologically correct and effective in terms of data.
We put forward an option in the middle: repackage tests into stories the target audience will like and keep them methodologically correct and effective in terms of data.
EduMe Methodologists’ Areas of Expertise
From the suggested topics, we selected two that we’re experienced at. It boosted the work productivity because everything was done "turnkey": expert content, methodology, narrative design, and interface.
Our second project, PRE. INC, is dedicated to youth entrepreneurship, and we work with mindfulness at the communication courses.
Our second project, PRE. INC, is dedicated to youth entrepreneurship, and we work with mindfulness at the communication courses.
Test Development Methodology
Collecting data. We discussed entrepreneurship with our experts, studied the works of Asmolov, Osterwalder, and Blank, and gathered examples and anti-examples for case questions.
For example, it turned out that teenagers confuse the concepts of a problem, a problematic situation, and circumstances. We added the question about their differentiation to the tests.
Formulating questions. The cases mentioned by different experts were included in the pool of test questions. Then we changed the wording for schoolchildren: described the context, where the content allowed it, so that the question engaged them into the situation and its story.
Testing on the target audience. We gathered several groups of schoolchildren with various experiences in entrepreneurship and a group of adults to compare the data and make sure that the complexity of the questions is right.
Finally, we calculated the Test Standards, Reliability, and Discriminability.
For example, it turned out that teenagers confuse the concepts of a problem, a problematic situation, and circumstances. We added the question about their differentiation to the tests.
Formulating questions. The cases mentioned by different experts were included in the pool of test questions. Then we changed the wording for schoolchildren: described the context, where the content allowed it, so that the question engaged them into the situation and its story.
Testing on the target audience. We gathered several groups of schoolchildren with various experiences in entrepreneurship and a group of adults to compare the data and make sure that the complexity of the questions is right.
Finally, we calculated the Test Standards, Reliability, and Discriminability.
Narrative Design
In the mindfulness test, the user helps artificial intelligence to train. For the interface to support this story, we made it in the style of usual online communication in a comment feed or a messenger chat.
We examined the interfaces of popular social networks and added familiar elements: the inscription "the user is typing…", dialogue bubbles, and adapted layout for mobile screens.
We examined the interfaces of popular social networks and added familiar elements: the inscription "the user is typing…", dialogue bubbles, and adapted layout for mobile screens.
Narrative Principle: “User Matters”
Typically, a person taking a test feels like taking an exam, and negative associations make the student want to finish it as soon as possible.
We realise the "user matters" principle in narrative design by inviting a person to become an essential part of the story and run it. For example, in the mindfulness test, the user helps to train an AI. Their mission is more significant than just answering questions.
We realise the "user matters" principle in narrative design by inviting a person to become an essential part of the story and run it. For example, in the mindfulness test, the user helps to train an AI. Their mission is more significant than just answering questions.
Interface Design
A "dialogue" approach was maintained for the test of an entrepreneur’s knowledge and skills: the user communicates with the host of the evening show and answers tricky questions as an expert.
We came up with an interface for a new type of response — matching, and made it convenient to use both on a large monitor and a smartphone.
We also visualised the "skill rose". This test had many parameters: the level of knowledge and interest in 7 areas of entrepreneurship, interpretation, and recommendations. Everything had to be displayed clearly and compactly, so we chose the "skill rose" for the overall result and drop-down explanations for details.
We came up with an interface for a new type of response — matching, and made it convenient to use both on a large monitor and a smartphone.
We also visualised the "skill rose". This test had many parameters: the level of knowledge and interest in 7 areas of entrepreneurship, interpretation, and recommendations. Everything had to be displayed clearly and compactly, so we chose the "skill rose" for the overall result and drop-down explanations for details.
Results
The "Ticket to the Future" platform uses new tests to engage more people in career guidance.
Based on the same methodology and interface, we’re developing a test builder and a narrative design guide for the customer. With this, the customer’s methodologists will be able to make high-quality and captivating tests themselves.
Based on the same methodology and interface, we’re developing a test builder and a narrative design guide for the customer. With this, the customer’s methodologists will be able to make high-quality and captivating tests themselves.
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