Integrating Science and Literacy Education
Burst Science 2011Fellow designer Takao Umehara and I collaborated with experts at UC Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science to design a curriculum guide and instruction support for science educators in the form of an iPad app. Burst Science was an evolution of an earlier partnership called Seeds of Science, Roots of Reading that integrated reading and literacy skills with science curriculum, and was the forerunner to Amplify Science.
Based on our conversations with members of the Lawrence Hall team and our product manager, Takao and I approached the design from two perspectives; preparing for class and delivering a lesson.
My Role on Burst Science
- Interaction design
- Interface design
- Iconography
- Prototyping
Takao took the lead on the overall aesthetic for the app, including the typography and branding elements.
Navigating Science Curriculum
Takao and I translated the course, unit, and lesson structures from the Lawrence Hall team into an iPad interface.
Teaching a Lesson
I explored several means of conveying the progress of an educator through a lesson (including growing grass!), but ultimately settled on a segmented bar that serves as both navigation and an overview.
Providing Supporting Information
We wanted to provide educators with an easy way to refer to science terms and to dive deeper into their meaning while in class.