
Addressing Engagement Challenges for IU High School Online.
My Role
UX Writer
Timeline
2 months
Platform
Desktop Experience
Team
1 UX Writer + 2 Administrators
In this project, I developed content guidelines for IU High School Online, aimed at enhancing student engagement and accessibility. The work involved applying principles of conversational tone inspired by ideas from Universal Design for Learning. The result was a student-centered content that transformed static tone into interactive, conversational learning experience.
IU High School Course Content Framework
01
Students struggled to stay focused due to an unengaging learning experience.
A conversational tone enhances user engagement and satisfaction.
I introduced a conversational tone and content guidelines to make online learning engaging for students and replicable for teachers.
Voice & Tone — Friendly, approachable, and supportive.
The natural, relaxed tone made lessons feel like conversations, not lectures. Supportive and clear language encouraged students, helping them stay motivated and focused.
Don't
Use vague titles like “Purpose.”
Do
Use clear titles such as “What Are We Doing and Why?” to provide context.
Don't
Label steps simply as “Instructions.”
Do
Use titles like “How to Get Started” or “Steps to Complete” to make guidance more inviting.
Don't
Say “Submission Guidelines” without additional context.
Do
Use “How to Submit Your Work” to make it clear and student-friendly.
A Diverse Personality
Adding personality to the content made the learning experience more relatable and engaging, fostering trust and connection with students. It balanced warmth, clarity, and encouragement, making even challenging material approachable and supportive.
Warm
Communicates with empathy to create a sense of support.
Honest
Uses straightforward language, promoting trust and transparency.
Encouraging
Offers positive reinforcement, particularly with challenging content.
Knowledgeable but Approachable
Balances authority with friendliness, making students comfortable asking for help.
Responsive
Adjusts tone based on context, whether guiding through complex content or offering friendly check-ins.
Language & Styles
Incorporating positive language and inclusive styles enhanced clarity and inclusivity, creating a welcoming and supportive environment.
Positive Language: Emphasize what students can achieve.
Don't
Avoid missing deadlines to keep up.
Do
Stay on track by submitting on time!
Conversational Style: Use direct address (you) while maintaining professionalism.
Don't
The assignment must be completed by all students.
Do
You’ll need to complete this assignment to move on to the next lesson.
IU High School Course Content Framework
02
I sought to rewrite repeating content with a warm, friendly approach.
How can we craft a conversational experience for learners while guiding teachers with best practices for course content?
By creating a conversational tone and cohesive design, I brought clarity to both the content and the expectations among stakeholders, even before testing with students.
Interviews
With Course Designers, Teachers and Administrators.
Uncovered key challenges in creating engaging content and maintaining consistency.
Identified opportunities to bridge gaps between content creation and teaching practices.
Content Revisit
Revisited existing course materials to enhance clarity and engagement.
Rewrote repetitive content to feel warm and approachable, fostering better connection with students.
Streamlined the structure to ensure lessons flowed logically and kept students’ attention.
Content Guidelines
Developed guidelines to help teachers create consistent and engaging content.
Provided examples of conversational, positive, and inclusive language to guide tone.
Created templates to ensure uniformity in content hierarchy, visuals, and style.
IU High School Course Content Framework
03
This resulted in clarification of stakeholder goals to further improve and test the guideline system with teachers and students.
Unengaging content style across courses.
Developed a content guideline system that standardized tone, style, and structure while promoting engaging and conversational content.
Students struggled to stay focused on the material.
Rewrote repetitive content to be warm, approachable, and logically structured, ensuring lessons were concise and engaging for students.
Project revealed gaps in writing practices and testing strategies
Implemented a cohesive content framework that not only standardized writing practices but also proposed usability testing with students.
IU High School Course Content Framework
04
What did I learn?
Working closely with administrators and course designers helped uncover key challenges and create solutions that worked for everyone.
Developing clear writing guidelines can simplify the content creation process and ensure consistency across all materials.
Although untested, informed direction for content test with real users, like students, is essential to ensure it’s clear, engaging, and easy to follow.
IU High School Course Content Framework
05
More Stories



UX Research + Framework Design for Healthwise by WebMD.
Health Informatics • Experience Maps



Data Visualization with Tableau for Student Engagement Metrics.
Data Analysis • MOOCs
Last Update: 01.06.25 © Sanskriti Bhatnagar 2025
Back to Top