🌟 Me Plus More

A micro-learning accessibility system designed to build confidence, reduce overwhelm, and embed inclusive design into everyday workflows

Role
UX Designer & Researcher

Duration
12 weeks

Tools
Figma

WCAG 2.2 AA Guidelines

🌱 Introduction

When I first learned about Me Plus More and its mission to support students with disabilities in building independence, it immediately resonated with me.

This project became an opportunity to deepen my accessibility design practice while exploring how learning platforms can feel encouraging, empowering, and genuinely supportive—not overwhelming or transactional.

I wanted to design an experience that didn’t just teach skills, but helped users feel capable, motivated, and in control of their own progress.

🌼 Overview

Me Plus More is an online learning platform that uses gamification to help people with disabilities build life skills and independence.

For this project, I focused on reimagining the experience to better support:

  • Accessible and low-friction onboarding
  • Clear, supportive learning pathways
  • Motivation through gentle gamification
  • Personalisation of user experience
  • A sense of community and belonging

At its core, this project explores how accessibility and motivation can work together, not separately.

👀 The Problem

How might we redesign the Me Plus More platform to better support students with disabilities in building independence, through an experience that is accessible, motivating, and easy to navigate?

Many learning platforms unintentionally create barriers through:

  • Cognitive overload
  • Complex navigation
  • Overstimulating interfaces
  • One-size-fits-all learning experiences

This creates friction at the exact moment users need clarity and support.

🔭 The Process

Using the Double Diamond approach, I began by deeply understanding users—their needs, behaviours, and barriers to learning.

Research methods included:

  • Stakeholder interviews
  • Competitor analysis
  • Accessibility guideline review
  • Usability testing
  • Exploration of gamification patterns

💫 Key Insights

From research, a few patterns became clear:

  • Users benefit from clear structure and predictable progression
  • Motivation increases with small, visible rewards and progress markers
  • Overly complex interfaces create drop-off and frustration
  • Accessibility is not just visual, it includes cognitive and emotional load

Competitor analysis also highlighted useful patterns such as:

  • Daily streaks and rewards
  • Clear course structures
  • Visual and illustrated feedback
  • Integrated community features

🌿 Accessibility Insights

Designing for accessibility required simplifying and softening the experience:

  • Colour palettes that support colour blindness
  • Body text no smaller than 16px for readability
  • Reduced text density with more breathing room
  • Avoidance of pop-ups and overwhelming animations

These decisions weren’t just about compliance, they were about comfort and clarity.

👩🏻‍💻 Designing for a Real User

To ground the experience in real needs, I created a persona:

Independent Annie

“I want to be more independent in all that I do. I love learning, but most websites feel overwhelming or assume I already know everything.”

Annie became a guiding voice throughout the design process—helping me prioritise:

  • Simplicity over complexity
  • Encouragement over pressure
  • Guidance over assumption

🗺️ User Journey & Opportunities

Mapping Annie’s journey revealed key friction points:

  • Unclear onboarding
  • Feeling overwhelmed at the start
  • Lack of guidance during learning
  • Motivation drop-off over time

This created opportunities to:

  • Introduce clearer entry points
  • Break learning into manageable steps
  • Provide consistent feedback and encouragement
  • Reinforce progress through gamified elements

🎬 Storyboard & Experience Vision

I created a storyboard to visualise Annie’s end-to-end journey—showing how a more accessible, supportive platform could:

  • Gently guide her through onboarding
  • Build confidence through small wins
  • Create a sense of progress and achievement
  • Support her independence over time

✏️ Ideation & Exploration

Using the Crazy 8’s method, I explored multiple directions quickly—focusing on:

  • Navigation clarity
  • Course structure
  • Gamification elements
  • Feedback systems

From these sketches, I refined a set of concepts that balanced accessibility with motivation.

🧪 Prototyping & Iteration

I began with low-fidelity paper prototypes to test core flows:

  • Homepage
  • Course selection
  • Course modules
  • Gamification system

These were then translated into digital wireframes and interactive prototypes in Figma.

🎮 Key Experience Features

Accessible Onboarding
A simplified, step-by-step entry experience that reduces overwhelm and sets clear expectations.

Structured Learning Modules
Content is broken into manageable sections with clear progression paths.

Gentle Gamification
Daily rewards, streaks, and progress indicators encourage continued engagement without pressure.

Avatar Customisation
Users can personalise their experience, creating a sense of ownership and identity.

Supportive System Feedback
Clear, friendly feedback helps users understand what to do next—without confusion or stress.

💻 Final Design

The final interactive prototype brings together accessibility, structure, and motivation into a cohesive experience.

Key design decisions focused on:

  • Reducing cognitive load
  • Creating predictable navigation patterns
  • Supporting different learning needs
  • Encouraging consistency through positive reinforcement

🔑 Why This Project Matters

This project sits at the intersection of accessibility, education, and emotional design.

As a neurodivergent designer, I care deeply about creating experiences that don’t just function, but support.

For many users, learning platforms can feel intimidating or exclusionary.

This project reimagines what happens when we design for inclusion from the start.

⭐️ Final Thoughts

Me Plus More showed me that accessibility and motivation are deeply connected.

When users feel safe, supported, and understood, they’re far more likely to engage, learn, and grow.

Good design doesn’t just remove barriers—it builds confidence.

🌠 What’s Next?

  • Exploring how gamification can support emotional regulation and executive function
  • Designing systems that reduce decision fatigue in learning environments
  • Investigating how accessibility can be embedded into learning design systems
  • Continuing to create neurodivergent-friendly digital experiences
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