Improving Retention and Engagement by 25% through System Design
Overview
MyDojo World is a first of its kind connected planning, scheduling and game system posed to promote good habits through gamification.
I joined the team in mid 2022 as a sole designer and led the design efforts to flesh out the systems for both the tablet game and mobile applications. My role then gradually expanded more strategically once the product launched in 2023. Reach out to learn more!
Timeline
2022 - 2024
Responsibilities
Product Design, Game UI, Interaction Design, Strategy, Stakeholder Management
Collaborators
Project Management, Quality Assurance, Curran's Karate Dojo Team
Attendance and Task Management with a little bit of Fun.
MyDojo World blends crucial tasks with a touch of fun for those in or out of the dojo.
Martial arts have enjoyed the status of being an esoteric form of art that grabs the interest of many in the beginning. However, being able to commit to the form becomes increasingly difficult, especially for younger students.
Problem
Retention and engagement for martial arts has been steadily decreasing due to lack of consistent engagement, causing a decline in the business of the client.
Goal
Stay on Track
Develop a management tool that helps instructors and parents keep track of the child's in-class progression.
Goal
Fun for All
To create an interactive environment for the students built around attending classes and tackling challenges.
The MyDojo World system was designed to address this problem of engagement and retention for the martial arts business, facilitating administrative tasks while including elements of gamification to play on intrinsic motivators.
After the release of the system, we saw a..
25%
Increase in Class Retention within 4 months of product release
5+
Dojos adopted the system in the US with extended marketing for 2025
Parent Companion
Simple and Quick - Progression on your fingertips
Task Management
Progress Tracker
Habit Tracker
With just a few taps, parents can go from setting up tasks for their children to tracking their class progress with the MyDojo Companion app.
Instructor Companion
Set and Forget. A Dojo Instructor's Best Friend
Class Schedule
Class Attendance
Manage Systems
To further enhance the experience of the instructors, we also took a look at bringing a cohesive experience to the class setting. This allowed us ways to streamline complex systems as well as keep tasks organized of the instructors.
Interactive Game
Your Own Personalized Dojo - Tracking Your Game and IRL Progress
Personalization
Self Tracking
Progression
Rewards
Rounding the experience out for the students, we wanted to push the agenda of retention through positive reinforcement and internal motivations. We did this through building out a game for the students that synced with the Challenges set by parents and attendance in classes. As the students progressed in giving back and attending classes, they would be awarded with in-game rewards, incentivizing them to improve their own dojo student and decorating their personal dojos.
Reflections & Learnings
Understanding systems was the main element to this project's success. Through a consistent feedback loop with engineering, QA and the client, we were able to realize a vision that would not only engage but truly benefit all its users.
One of the biggest challenges tackling this project was establishing the inter-connectedness of each product while still maintaining their distinct identities. By synthesizing user actions and motivations, we were able to utilize design patterns to curate unique functional identities for each product while using colour to bring in as sense of visual cohesion among them.
As we celebrate the first year's success of this project, I look forward to consistently iterate on this system by testing and adding new features; blending in engagement with the arts.
