Gamified exam practise app

How we got 1M+ downloads and 4.8* rating across app store and Google play

Timline
Jan 2019 - May 2020
Platform
Android / iOS
Role
UX/Product Designer

Summary

Exam Lift is a mobile exam practice app designed to help teenage learners prepare for Cambridge English B1 exams through short, motivating daily practice. Instead of digitising exam papers, the product focused on skill-based, bite-sized activities that fit into busy student schedules and encouraged consistent return.

The app reached 1M+ downloads, achieved a 4.8★ rating, and was adopted globally by schools as a recommended classroom companion.

1M+

Downloads

4.8★

Apps rating

27+

Avg engaged days

Research and discovery

Jobs to be done

Customer problem. Teenage learners preparing for the B1 exam struggled to practise consistently. Existing materials were repetitive, exam-like, and time-consuming, while learners’ days were already filled with school, homework, and extracurricular activities. Motivation dropped after just a few days of practice.

Business problem. There was limited high-quality digital practice material for B1 exams. Most existing solutions reused old exam papers, offering convenience but little improvement in engagement or confidence. Adoption depended heavily on teacher trust, with no marketing budget to drive awareness.

Problems and constrains

  • Learners dropped off after the first few days of use
  • Practice felt stressful rather than confidence-building
  • Sessions needed to fit into short, unpredictable time slots
  • Under-18 users limited direct research access
  • Teachers were key decision influencers
  • Small team, new to native mobile development
  • No dedicated marketing support

Research and discovery

Approcach

  • Bite-sized learning

    Design daily practice that fits into 10–15 minutes and removes decision fatigue.

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  • Language skills, not exam format practice.

    Focus on underlying English language skills required for the exam rather than recreating exam formats.

  • Retention-first behavioural design.

    ‍Optimise for daily return and habit formation, not time spent per session

The solution

Delivering against the success criteria

Driving early adoption. The app launched as an open Android beta, relying on product quality and teacher recommendations rather than paid marketing. Early validation with teachers helped build trust and demand before full release.

Building sustained engagement. Daily content was delivered through one unlocked pack per day, each containing four short activities across different skills. This reduced cognitive load, made progress predictable, and helped learners build a routine

Improving retention through iteration. Initial analytics revealed a drop-off around days 2–3. This shifted focus from usability to behavioural reinforcement. Progress tracking, summary feedback, and lightweight challenges were introduced to support daily return.