Conducting UX research into engagement and gamification for Neutopia, a community learning platform.
20 min read
7 weeks duration
UX Research
AI & Machine Learning
Overview
A 7-week UX research project with Neutopia, a learning and community platform, focused on understanding how to deepen user engagement through emotional design and subtle gamification. I conducted stakeholder interviews, competitor analysis, user research, and concept testing to uncover key behavioural insights and deliver strategic recommendations for increasing retention and connection.
Role
UX Researcher
Tools
Deliverables
UX research report, competitor analysis, user interviews & survey analysis, personas, journey maps, implementation strategy
Key objectives
Boost engagement
Understand how to increase meaningful
user engagement on Neutopia.
Context
Uncover motivations
Explore what motivates
users to return,
participate, and reflect.
Explore gamification
Identify how subtle
gamification and personalised
UX strategies can support
Neutopia’s vision.
Success metrics
Because this project was exploratory, success was not measured by platform data, but rather by the ability to uncover clear patterns in user needs, motivations, and emotional drivers of engagement. Success was defined as:
Identifying consistent behavioural patterns and unmet needs
Identifying consistent behavioural patterns and unmet needs
Identifying consistent behavioural patterns and unmet needs
Gauging interest in new concepts (e.g. gamification, personalisation)
Understanding emotional and social drivers of return visits
Revealing gaps in the current experience that hinder engagement
Constraints
While the research provided rich qualitative insights, several limitations shaped the scope
of findings. These constraints are important to consider when interpreting user feedback
and recommendations.
Insights were limited to interviews and surveys — no live usage data or analytics.
Small sample size (10 interviews, 15 surveys) limits generalisability.
Timeframe restricted testing to concept discussions, not interactive prototypes.
Most users were unfamiliar with Neutopia, so feedback reflects first impressions.
Competitor & comparator analysis
Platforms explored
What's working
Key Gaps
Clear onboarding and user journeys (e.g. Circle, Disco)
Habit-building features like streaks, XP, and feedback loops (e.g. Duolingo)
Strong personalisation and discovery (e.g. Spotify, Netflix)
Emotionally resonant design that makes users want to return
Lack of personalisation
Platforms often push generic content, leading to disengagement.
Overreliance on Admins
High admin effort required to keep content relevant and social features alive.
Weak social interaction
Many tools lack structure or facilitation for meaningful peer connection.
Surface-level gamification
Common gamified elements lack emotional meaning or long-term motivation.
Confusing user flow
Users often feel unsure about what to do next or how to navigate.
Passive learning design
Experiences are linear or checkbox-driven, discouraging exploration or creativity.
Opportunities
Personalised learning journeys
Users want content that reflects evolving interests, showing the value of personalisation.
Identity-based motivation
Motivators like affirmations, expression, and progress build lasting engagement.
Emotional reflection
Participants value platforms that support reflection and connection over task completion.
Content clarity & curation
Users feel overwhelmed by uncurated content; simpler discovery boosts engagement.
Safe peer-to-peer learning
Users want safe spaces to share struggles, give feedback, and learn together.
Clearer social on-ramps
Many users are unsure how to engage—guiding social interaction can build community confidence.
Concept ideation
We generated over 30 ideas, exploring everything from gamified habit loops and AI-curated playlists to social storytelling and failure-sharing spaces. While only six were refined and tested, many other creative ideas emerged that reflected different facets of user motivation and learning.
Survey results
To complement our user interviews, we collected survey responses from 17 Australian learners aged 18–40 via Google Forms. The survey explored learning habits, motivations, platform use, emotional needs, and reactions to proposed UX concepts — offering quantitative insights to support our interview findings.
For more statistics and graphs, please see page 24 of my research report.
We tested eight shortlisted concepts in user interviews. Participants shared what they liked, what could be improved, and how each idea could support engagement. The feedback below highlights key themes and preferences.
UX concept testing
User research findings
User interview insights
We conducted in-depth interviews with 18 learners to explore how Neutopia’s platform and engagement strategies resonated, uncovering key behaviours, motivations, and barriers to meaningful online learning.
Synthesis
Based on themes from interviews and survey data, we created two core personas to represent key user mindsets and behaviours. These personas help illustrate different motivations, barriers, and needs—guiding design decisions that foster both meaningful learning and human connection on Neutopia.
Journey maps
Personas
Key opportunities
Based on insights from interviews, surveys, and journey mapping, the following opportunities highlight how Neutopia can better support user needs, increase engagement, and align with its vision of meaningful, community-led learning.
Recommendations
Next steps focus on refining usability feedback, improving emotional storytelling, and expanding adoption workflows. Medium- and long-term priorities include a responsive desktop design, clearer navigation, and broader features like volunteering and campaigns.
Cost-benefit analysis
Motivation & recognition
Progress nudges, visible reflections - reinforces learning habits and return visits.
Clarity & focus
Smart filters, simplified UI - eases cognitive load, improves usability and retention.
Personalised progress
Adaptive journeys, growth maps - increases motivation and long-term platform loyalty.
Intentional community
Voice-first circles, mood-sharing, creative boards - boosts safe social engagement and emotional connection.
Implementation timeline
Key takeaways
This project gave me the opportunity to…
Lead end-to-end UX research, from stakeholder interviews to final recommendations.
Explore emotional design and gamification as engagement strategies for learning.
Turn complex insights into personas, journey maps, and design opportunities.
Strengthen my storytelling and presentation skills through client-facing delivery.
Some key challenges I faced were…
Working within a tight 7-week timeline, which limited opportunities for deeper usability testing and iteration.
Synthesising large volumes of qualitative data from interviews and surveys into clear, actionable insights.
Testing concepts without clickable prototypes, which made it harder for participants to visualise interactions.
Balancing diverse user expectations (students, alumni, educators) while maintaining Neutopia’s brand vision.
If I had more time, I would have loved to…
Prototype and test the most resonant concepts with users.
Expand research to include educators and alumni.
Co-design and pilot features with partner institutions.
Measure long-term engagement to validate insights.
