3

I'm building an education app and in an appeal to try to improve engagement I was thinking of showing the percentage of how many people selected each question option after the user answers.

Here's an example if my description wasn't clear.

Question options:

enter image description here

After answering question correctly:

enter image description here

After answering question incorrectly:

This is just a quick mockup, but I'm wondering if this would encourage or discourage users. Would it increase engagement?

If I can't find an answer I might give it a shot and A/B test it and report back, but I was curious if anyone had already gone through this.

Also if y'all know any other case studies for education quiz apps that would be awesome!!

Stay safe, y'all :-)

Improve this question
3
  • I think the use of colours would have the most impact rather than the percentage of people that answered in a particular way, since this is something that people tend to want to know (as we are curious about how we conform or don't conform to the group/norm).
    – Michael Lai ♦
    Apr 1, 2020 at 22:13
  • @MichaelLai can you elaborate?
    – Simon
    Apr 1, 2020 at 22:58
  • Looking at the design concept more closely, I am wondering if you should only indicate the 'correct' or preferred answer instead of highlighting the incorrect one as well. You should use one visual cue to show the answer that the user selected, and one for the correct answer (taking into account that they might overlap). I think that make the visual design concept cleaner and more modular. Maybe I'll need to provide an answer as well :p
    – Michael Lai ♦
    Apr 2, 2020 at 22:50

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
5

I'm sure there are a LOT of studies on standardized testing that you'd probably be able to find by searching something like Google Scholar, but my first hunch is that it may be a bit distracting and may divide the users' attention to focus on information not directly relevant to successfully completing the quiz to the best of their ability.

Users' attention is a very valuable resource. When taking a quiz, one should be very calm and focused on recollection and reasoning. Personally, being immediately presented with the answer choice distribution, I'd be much more likely to get a question wrong and move on thinking "well it's okay, most people got that one wrong" rather than focused on what's more important: "oh, that's right, there would be a huge impact..."

I'd suggest that the answer choice distribution is more appropriate at the end of the quiz with an overview of the submitted answers when the user can afford to shift their focus, rather than during the process when the user is being quizzed.

Improve this answer
2
  • Agree wholeheartedly except in one use case I can think of. There are some tests (training, simple certifications) where the goal is to get the most users to pass. In that case it would be beneficial displaying correct answers before moving on in case latter questions build on that information. Showing percentages would just be a distraction in that case though
    – It's Dylan
    Apr 1, 2020 at 19:38
  • 1
    @DylanRao Yes, I agree with you. I think the decision to show the correct answer before moving on just depends on the goals of the quiz. Showing the percentages, though, as you mention, still belong at the end when the user isn't trying to focus on the actual substance of the quiz. Sorry if my answer made that unclear, but I meant the same thing you highlighted.
    – maxathousand
    Apr 1, 2020 at 19:46

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.