Lindsey Shepherd
About
Work
SAT® Question of the Day
Product Design, College Board
Table of Contents
Overview
The Challenge
Approach
Key Features
User Experience Highlights
Impact
Overview
Question of the Day (QOTD) is a mobile-first, web-based application developed to offer students a low-pressure, gamified approach to SAT® practice. Delivered as a stand-alone experience, QOTD serves as a lightweight yet impactful daily touchpoint that builds engagement and consistency — especially for students who may feel intimidated by full-length test prep.
Through personalized content, performance tracking, and achievement rewards, QOTD meets students where they are and encourages daily interaction with official SAT® material.
The Challenge
The College Board needed a way to:
- Reduce friction for students beginning their SAT® prep journey
- Offer an accessible and repeatable experience that could complement the full My Practice platform
- Encourage daily engagement through motivating design and clear feedback
- Support a sense of progress, fun, and habit-building in a high-stakes test prep environment
Most importantly, the solution had to feel rewarding and informal, while still grounded in official SAT® content.
Approach
We designed QOTD to be an experience that felt simple and inviting — one question per day, instantly delivered and easily completed on mobile.
Key product strategies included:
- Gamification: Encourage engagement with streaks, badges, and user rankings
- Personalization: Provide subject choice and stats based on individual performance
- Flexibility: Make it functional on any device, with no need to navigate a full platform
- Fun-first framing: Reduce academic pressure by focusing on light, consistent participation
Key Features
Daily Interactive Dashboard
- One randomized SAT question per day
- Choose from Math or Reading & Writing
- Instant feedback with explanations and scoring
- Content drawn from the official SAT Question Bank
Streak Tracker + Calendar View
- Tracks daily participation — not correctness — to reinforce consistency
- Calendar heatmap visualizes progress over time
Achievement Badges
- Seven unique badge types with four tiers each (Bronze → Platinum)
- Earned for both engagement (e.g., streaks) and accuracy
- A “Recent Milestones” feed showcases latest accomplishments
Personal Stats Dashboard
- Lifetime questions answered
- Overall accuracy percentage
- Rank compared to all QOTD users
- Subject-specific accuracy in Math and Reading & Writing
- Snapshot of how today’s user base is performing overall
User Experience Highlights
- Low-friction onboarding: No app install, login optional for preview
- Micro-interactions: Progress bars, animation on badge unlocks, streak feedback
- Responsive design: Optimized for mobile-first use but equally functional on desktop
- Accessibility: Designed with screen reader compatibility and color contrast in mind
Impact
The launch of Question of the Day introduced a fresh way for students to engage with the SAT:
- Served as a gateway to deeper practice via My Practice
- Encouraged daily touchpoints with academic content
- Created a positive feedback loop through streaks, stats, and badges
- Enabled ongoing re-engagement without cognitive overload
QOTD became an effective model for how lightweight, gamified tools can support high-impact learning outcomes — especially in educational contexts where student motivation and sustained attention are critical.
Lindsey Shepherd
Admissions Viewbook
Visual Design and Marketing
Knowledge and Skills Domain
Logo Design
About
Resume
Contact
Lindsey Shepherd
About
Work
SAT® Question of the Day
Product Design, College Board
Table of Contents
Overview
The Challenge
Approach
Key Features
User Experience Highlights
Impact
Overview
Question of the Day (QOTD) is a mobile-first, web-based application developed to offer students a low-pressure, gamified approach to SAT® practice. Delivered as a stand-alone experience, QOTD serves as a lightweight yet impactful daily touchpoint that builds engagement and consistency — especially for students who may feel intimidated by full-length test prep.
Through personalized content, performance tracking, and achievement rewards, QOTD meets students where they are and encourages daily interaction with official SAT® material.
The Challenge
The College Board needed a way to:
- Reduce friction for students beginning their SAT® prep journey
- Offer an accessible and repeatable experience that could complement the full My Practice platform
- Encourage daily engagement through motivating design and clear feedback
- Support a sense of progress, fun, and habit-building in a high-stakes test prep environment
Most importantly, the solution had to feel rewarding and informal, while still grounded in official SAT® content.
Approach
We designed QOTD to be an experience that felt simple and inviting — one question per day, instantly delivered and easily completed on mobile.
Key product strategies included:
- Gamification: Encourage engagement with streaks, badges, and user rankings
- Personalization: Provide subject choice and stats based on individual performance
- Flexibility: Make it functional on any device, with no need to navigate a full platform
- Fun-first framing: Reduce academic pressure by focusing on light, consistent participation
Key Features
Daily Interactive Dashboard
- One randomized SAT question per day
- Choose from Math or Reading & Writing
- Instant feedback with explanations and scoring
- Content drawn from the official SAT Question Bank
Streak Tracker + Calendar View
- Tracks daily participation — not correctness — to reinforce consistency
- Calendar heatmap visualizes progress over time
Achievement Badges
- Seven unique badge types with four tiers each (Bronze → Platinum)
- Earned for both engagement (e.g., streaks) and accuracy
- A “Recent Milestones” feed showcases latest accomplishments
Personal Stats Dashboard
- Lifetime questions answered
- Overall accuracy percentage
- Rank compared to all QOTD users
- Subject-specific accuracy in Math and Reading & Writing
- Snapshot of how today’s user base is performing overall
User Experience Highlights
- Low-friction onboarding: No app install, login optional for preview
- Micro-interactions: Progress bars, animation on badge unlocks, streak feedback
- Responsive design: Optimized for mobile-first use but equally functional on desktop
- Accessibility: Designed with screen reader compatibility and color contrast in mind
Impact
The launch of Question of the Day introduced a fresh way for students to engage with the SAT:
- Served as a gateway to deeper practice via My Practice
- Encouraged daily touchpoints with academic content
- Created a positive feedback loop through streaks, stats, and badges
- Enabled ongoing re-engagement without cognitive overload
QOTD became an effective model for how lightweight, gamified tools can support high-impact learning outcomes — especially in educational contexts where student motivation and sustained attention are critical.
Lindsey Shepherd
About
Work
SAT® Question of the Day
Product Design, College Board
Table of Contents
Overview
The Challenge
Approach
Key Features
User Experience Highlights
Impact
Overview
Question of the Day (QOTD) is a mobile-first, web-based application developed to offer students a low-pressure, gamified approach to SAT® practice. Delivered as a stand-alone experience, QOTD serves as a lightweight yet impactful daily touchpoint that builds engagement and consistency — especially for students who may feel intimidated by full-length test prep.
Through personalized content, performance tracking, and achievement rewards, QOTD meets students where they are and encourages daily interaction with official SAT® material.
The Challenge
The College Board needed a way to:
- Reduce friction for students beginning their SAT® prep journey
- Offer an accessible and repeatable experience that could complement the full My Practice platform
- Encourage daily engagement through motivating design and clear feedback
- Support a sense of progress, fun, and habit-building in a high-stakes test prep environment
Most importantly, the solution had to feel rewarding and informal, while still grounded in official SAT® content.
Approach
We designed QOTD to be an experience that felt simple and inviting — one question per day, instantly delivered and easily completed on mobile.
Key product strategies included:
- Gamification: Encourage engagement with streaks, badges, and user rankings
- Personalization: Provide subject choice and stats based on individual performance
- Flexibility: Make it functional on any device, with no need to navigate a full platform
- Fun-first framing: Reduce academic pressure by focusing on light, consistent participation
Key Features
Daily Interactive Dashboard
- One randomized SAT question per day
- Choose from Math or Reading & Writing
- Instant feedback with explanations and scoring
- Content drawn from the official SAT Question Bank
Streak Tracker + Calendar View
- Tracks daily participation — not correctness — to reinforce consistency
- Calendar heatmap visualizes progress over time
Achievement Badges
- Seven unique badge types with four tiers each (Bronze → Platinum)
- Earned for both engagement (e.g., streaks) and accuracy
- A “Recent Milestones” feed showcases latest accomplishments
Personal Stats Dashboard
- Lifetime questions answered
- Overall accuracy percentage
- Rank compared to all QOTD users
- Subject-specific accuracy in Math and Reading & Writing
- Snapshot of how today’s user base is performing overall
User Experience Highlights
- Low-friction onboarding: No app install, login optional for preview
- Micro-interactions: Progress bars, animation on badge unlocks, streak feedback
- Responsive design: Optimized for mobile-first use but equally functional on desktop
- Accessibility: Designed with screen reader compatibility and color contrast in mind
Impact
The launch of Question of the Day introduced a fresh way for students to engage with the SAT:
- Served as a gateway to deeper practice via My Practice
- Encouraged daily touchpoints with academic content
- Created a positive feedback loop through streaks, stats, and badges
- Enabled ongoing re-engagement without cognitive overload
QOTD became an effective model for how lightweight, gamified tools can support high-impact learning outcomes — especially in educational contexts where student motivation and sustained attention are critical.