Learners have trouble finding and using the hints/solutions

[seanlip]

Platform
Oppia Android

Describe the request

We have received feedback from 13 learners that they are having difficulty in finding and using the hint button.

Some illustrative feedback:

• The student didn’t really observe the hints button or knew the function.
• She had no idea of the hint button and how to navigate from there. I observed that she tried to write out the clues on the hints page before I explained the functionality to her and she was able to learn how to use it and get the questions correctly.
• The student did not use the hint but she asked me what the “yellow bulb” was for. The student was also curious to know why the hint icon changed from yellow to white while showing her how the hint worked.
• The student found the hint icon after a while, because it was not easy for him to find.
• After a student used the hint, the blue “Show Hint” call-to-action button was no longer available.
• (Related) The hint option below the multiple-choice question was making it hard for the student to answer the question, because they would click the hint button by mistake.
  

Suggestions from user researchers (you don't necessarily need to follow these, but they might give some ideas):

• The color of the hint icon should be consistent and not change.
• If the student is having trouble answering the question correctly, provide a pop-up card with the title "Hints" to inform the user of the hint function. Cards can also contain additional text explaining the hint's purpose and how it can help students, as well as a Show Hint button.
• Consider having the audio also let the students know about the hint feature. This is because most of them read up along with the audio and don’t really notice there’s a hint section just somewhere on the bottom bar.
• Consider having the hint pop-up notification be positioned at the upper part of the screen instead. It could appear at intervals, so the learner can decide whether to click on it or continue with the lessons. Use bright colors on the hint pop up notification to grab the attention of the learner.
• The “Show Hint” call to action should be consistent whether the user has used the hint before.
• Consider introducing a spotlight feature the first time a student encounters a hint/solution to interrupt their learning flow to point out the UI element & tell them what it is (thinking something like this, but maybe less intrusive). Thereafter, use some sort of animation (like a gradual glowing effect + a slide in when a hint/solution is available) so that they get a sudden & continual indication that a hint/solution is available.

Context for the request

This is an improvement to the current Hints support in the app to make it more intuitive and discoverable.

This issue should be considered in the context of #50, which tries to address the overall "student is stuck" flow in the app.

UXR success criteria

• When a hint is available, learners should notice it without prompting.
• They should be able to open the hint if they choose, or dismiss it and come back to it later.
• They should be able to reopen the hint without help, after viewing its content for the first time.

DESIGN APPROVAL CHECKLIST -- DO NOT EDIT.

• UX Design approved (Android mocks should include dark mode)
• UX Writing approved
• Design Systems Team approved
• Product approved

For a design project to be completed, it needs approval from UXD, UXW, DS and PM. Please tag the following reviewers when your project is ready (at least one reviewer for each of the 4 bullet points below):

• UXD: , N/A (for design style guide projects)
• UXW: @ccc253 / @tamiorendain
• Design systems:
• PM: @seanlip