Forwwward is a mobile learning app that helps students learn and understand programming from scratch. Technology in your hand.
I designed Forwwward as a competition project in February 2024, following the Design Thinking process: empathise, define, ideate, prototype and test.
Interviews with students showed why learning apps lose them: unrewarding lessons, no clear starting point, and no feedback.
I started with in-depth interviews over Discord with around five students from the Institute of Technology & Business STIKOM Bali, to learn how they really use learning apps. Alongside that, I compared SoloLearn, Mimo, Enki, Duolingo and DataCamp on subscriptions, AI mentoring, progress tracking and community, to understand the market and find openings for a new app.
The interviews surfaced a clear set of pain points. The material didn’t always match the school curriculum. Finishing a lesson didn’t feel rewarding: you work hard, and at the end you only get a “congratulations”. Motivation dropped right after onboarding, and with no personalisation at sign-up, students didn’t know where to start. Answering questions felt one-way, with no feedback after submitting. Screens were cluttered, unstable internet made learning on a phone frustrating, and free trials didn’t explain how to cancel. Students also wanted interactive material, stats on their progress, and someone to learn with.
Every pain point became a feature: a personalised path, daily rewards, a community, and an AI mentor that gives feedback.
I turned each pain point into a “How might we” question. The answers became Forwwward’s core: a curriculum verified by professionals, gamification with daily rewards and a heat streak, a sign-up survey that builds a personalised learning path, a community for discussion and collaboration, and an AI mentor that gives feedback every time a learner submits an answer.
The Personalized Path asks a few questions during onboarding, like which skills you want to learn, and recommends classes to match, so nobody starts out confused. The Community gives learners a place to ask questions, share ideas and solve problems together. And Eva, the AI mentor, explains concepts, answers follow-up questions and gives instant feedback on every exercise.
For the brand, the Forwwward symbol stands for the app’s commitment to helping people reach their goals; its dynamic shape reflects the belief that everyone can learn and grow. The interface uses DM Sans with a bright green as its main colour.
Testers missed two things, their progress and the AI mentor, so both moved to the home screen.
I ran usability tests over Discord with STIKOM students using the prototype. Two issues stood out: progress lived only on the profile page, and people didn’t notice the AI mentor at all.
So the heat streak moved to the home screen, where learners see their progress every time they open the app, and a “Meet your AI Mentor” card now introduces Eva right on the home page.
The final prototype was presented to the judges, followed by a Q&A on the app and the process.
Based in Bali, Indonesia.