Education App Design Trends 2024

The world isn’t static. Development moves along with it. People invent new things that help and simplify life. It also includes reforms in education. Previously, children learned the world through educational games; teenagers and young adolescents study only by printed books. Nowadays, there are a lot more opportunities. 

Children are developing from an early age with the help of mobile apps and cartoons. Schoolchildren and students, in turn, use an unlimited number of educational applications: stand-alone or created based on a book or special material. 

As a result, the learning process for all ages has become much easier and faster. E-learning apps become especially needed because of the 2020 pandemic. According to statistics, people downloaded 470 million educational apps through the Apple App Store and 466 million through Google Play. They have been an integral part of modern learning.

This article will discuss which apps can be called education apps, design challenges, essential e-learning apps, and trends in this field in 2024. Let’s start!

Because of the situation in the world, we were all adjusting to the new rhythm. We tried to apply the new approaches to continue living in conditions of total quarantine. Incidentally, active digitization of the healthcare sphere and the educational process began in 2020 and continues up to now.

Since the demand for educational applications has grown, it has become urgent to develop them. So, let’s consider what challenges can be encountered in education mobile app design.

Read also about Healthcare App Design in our blog.

User-friendly education app UI design for students

E-learning app design should be simple and easy to use. Therefore, the first thing to start with is a target audience’s research.

• Who will use the app?
• What age category?
• For what specific purposes will the app be used?

Developing an app, product design team, and UX designers must meet students’ expectations and make an impression. Do not forget that the primary users are children and teenagers.

• Don’t make confusing navigation in the app and boring design. It won’t motivate students to use the app again.
• Provide feedback in the app and allow users to track the process.
• The critical thing to involve the user in the process can be seeing progress, and material that has been learned, and the material to come.
• The app should evoke positive emotions, have a pleasant interface, and motivate the student.

Read also about Why UX Design Is Important in our blog.

Clear design for teachers

If your application is aimed at teachers, it’s worth taking care of a simple but user-friendly interface. With the rapid transition to online learning, not everyone quickly gets used to technology, preferring traditional methods and printed materials. So, we need to make the interface more similar to what everyone uses. This will make teachers’ lives easier and set them apart from the competition.

Educational app design for different ages

People of different ages can use educational apps for learning. We have four generations: baby boomers, generation X, millennials, and generation Z. Each generation has different perceptions, attitudes toward things, and values. Therein lies the difficulty. When creating an app, you either focus on one age group or try to fit everyone. It’s an exciting challenge.

Of course, when designing an educational mobile app, you have to consider the statistics, namely the 14% of students who have specific health disabilities.

Motivation and engagement

Learning engagement is one of the main challenges in educational mobile app design. The most common problems are loss of interest in learning, disinterest in the process, and constant distractions. Nowadays, we can’t imagine our life without mobile phones and the Internet. Therefore, when creating an app for learning, it’s necessary to focus on the interests and goals of the target audience. 

There is access to a vast amount of information and various apps on the expanse of the Internet. It is necessary to make apps as useful and interesting as possible to become interested in users.

Gamification can be one way to engage in the learning process. It’s built on constant interaction with the students and instant rewards, stimulating the learning process.

Social media isn’t the framework

There is no doubt that social media has a certain place in our lives. However, educational apps aren’t just for fun. It should have truthful information and educational functions. At the same time, social networks are focused only on interaction with each other.

Technology provides us with new opportunities. According to statistics, the online learning market will exceed $278 billion in 2024. As a result, teachers and students are eagerly embracing digital learning models.

Educational mobile app designing has nuances and essential features that will set you apart from the competitors. Let’s discuss them.

If you still have questions about app design, check out this article, “How to create a mobile app design” Or contact us, and our design specialists from Gapsy Studio will explain everything in detail and the services we provide.

User’s profile

A personal profile is an integral part of the educational app design. It needs to keep students’ progress, track learning progress, and save their achievements. When registering a profile, you also can enter a knowledge test. If the learning app is focused on a specific subject, creating a personal profile, users can take a test and start learning at the appropriate level. This saves time.

It’s important to remember that the main qualities of an exemplary user interface are simplicity and convenience. Don’t make registration complicated and further navigation confusing.

Integration with social media

An educational app doesn’t have to be similar to social media, but integration with them would be a good solution. Firstly, having social networks can significantly shorten the registration path. Just link the new profile in the app to your existing Instagram, Facebook, and other network pages. It allows you to share your progress with your friends.

Recorded video lectures

A great feature will be video material on the needed information for the learning process placed in the educational app. The video content can be broken down into paragraphs and topics. Thus, students will have constant access to the information they require, getting it in a convenient format.

Push notifications

Push notifications are an integral feature of all apps. They keep the user engaged by reminding them of the app’s latest news, and if the user has been away for a long time, it encourages them to log in again.

Study course navigating

The study’s success depends on the proper presentation of information, the correct distribution of it, and a clear plan of action. That’s why a level-by-level study plan, or timetable, becomes an integral part of a mobile learning app.

When a user enters the app, he sees the levels and can track their progress. In this way, they always stay involved in the learning process and understand what has already passed and is still to come.

You may also like to read: Best Tips on How to Design an Educational Website

It’s important to keep up with the latest trends if you want to be on-trend. This will allow the promotion of the product on the market and increase demand for it.

Gamification

Gamification in educational mobile app design is a great approach for both children and adults. It improves the learning process because it takes place in a non-intrusive play form. It helps to keep students’ attention during learning.

80% of users said that game-based learning is more effective than conventional learning. 67% of students said that a gamified course gives more motivation than a traditional course. Effective gamification in e-learning requires a clear understanding of the learning objectives and the target audience. It's essential to strike a balance between the game elements and the educational content, ensuring that the gamification enhances the learning experience rather than distracting from it. 

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence isn’t a substitute assistant that becomes our reality. Voice assistants allow students to quickly find the needed information and understand the topic without the teacher’s help. Artificial Intelligence also allows everyone to learn, regardless of their language and physical abilities.

Artificial Intelligence will also be a great assistant to the teacher. It’ll simplify the task of grading, it’ll happen automatically. While AI holds tremendous potential in e-learning, there are also challenges, such as the need for robust data privacy measures and ethical considerations. 

Study with the help of augmented and virtual reality

Virtual reality is a step into the future that gives more possibilities. It can be used to conduct experiments, explore hard-to-reach places, or present information that we can’t yet see in person.

Virtual reality opens up a lot of possibilities. With its help, future medics can learn by seeing and practicing things firsthand. Nowadays, such a feature would be costly but a worthwhile investment.

For instance, learners can take virtual field trips to historical sites, museums, or locations relevant to their studies. It provides a more engaging and informative experience compared to traditional textbook learning. VR offers a high level of interactivity, allowing learners to manipulate objects, perform tasks, and make decisions within the virtual environment, enhancing engagement and learning outcomes.

Microlearning

Microlearning is learning in small portions. It allows quickly and efficiently get an answer to a question. This is an excellent feature for educational app design. It allows working and busy people to develop and gain knowledge.

Microlearning is beneficial. It usually takes five to 15 minutes, several times a day, at the learner’s convenience, helps maintain learner interest, and is effective for just-in-time training or addressing specific gaps in knowledge or skills. Besides, microlearning can be used as standalone modules or integrated into larger courses, allowing for flexibility in curriculum design.

According to research, microlearning increases engagement by 50%. And 94% of learning professionals preferred microlearning because it was more effective for students.

Mobile learning

Nowadays, mobile learning is the most common trend. The availability of smartphones and the Internet makes education more accessible. Access to learning materials through a smartphone and learning anywhere and at a convenient time attracts people. It makes life easier and more comfortable. And as we know, that’s what technology is for to make life comfortable. So, mobile learning is the future of education.

Smartphones are an irreplaceable thing in our day. They become more than just a way to communicate or to access the Internet. They are the storage of information. We can use them to learn and store knowledge.

Education mobile apps completely change the way we think about education, making it accessible and convenient.

Our specialists at Gapsy Studio are always aware of trends and will help you create the perfect app. We will be with you at every step of educational app design.

Check out the finished projects on Behance. And also take a look at the mobile app design services we provide.