Case Study
CPS Academy
Designing a gamified learning system to close the creative problem-solving gap in design education.
The Problem
Design education teaches technique. It rarely teaches students how to think through a problem they've never seen before: how to break it apart, research it properly, generate ideas without going blank, and evaluate solutions with any rigour.
The result is a predictable pattern: students with strong execution skills but unclear creative process. They know how to make, but struggle to begin.
We built CPS Academy to address this gap, specifically for design students who need a structured, learnable approach to creative problem solving, without another course to add to their schedule.
The Process
The project followed a double-diamond structure across four phases: Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver. The focus of the early phases was understanding the problem from multiple angles (student frustrations, educator perspectives, and the competitive landscape) before any design decisions were made.
The design process: four phases, one direction
The Research
User interviews revealed a consistent pattern across students at different stages. The problems were not about skill. They were about process. Students didn't know where to start, how to evaluate their ideas, or what to do when they hit a wall. Frustration was the common thread. Empathy mapping across three distinct user archetypes confirmed this wasn't a niche problem. It was structural.
Problem identification: six voices, one pattern
Empathy mapping: three users, consistent pain points
The Gap
Competitor analysis against NeuroNation, Duolingo, and Coursera confirmed what the research suggested: existing platforms address engagement or content breadth, but none focus on creative problem-solving as a teachable skill, and none integrate real-world design problems into their methodology.
Every platform in the comparison offered gamification or progress tracking. None offered CPS-focused training. None offered real-world problem integration. That gap defined the product opportunity.
Competitor analysis: the gap none of the market leaders address
The Concept
We built the solution around three pedagogical principles: behaviour shaping through regular CPS practice with real-world contexts, constructivism through project-based reflection, and multi-disciplinary thinking through cross-field problem briefs.
We embedded AI at three points in the learning experience, not as a single general assistant but as three purpose-designed systems. The Professor evaluates student solutions against a structured rubric. The Mentor guides students through the problem-solving process in real time. The Assistant Professor simulates a design process, walking users through decisions step by step.
Teaching methodology: three learning theory pillars
AI integration: three roles, three distinct functions
The Build
We prototyped and tested each AI component with a structured evaluation method so students received clear, criteria-based feedback. The app structure mapped four core sections: Stages, Tools, Progress Tracker, and Menu, with guided paths based on performance.
The Professor AI: rubric-based evaluation in the Assistants playground
Information architecture: full app structure
The Outcome
From a clearly defined problem to a working, tested product. CPS Academy covers the full arc: field research, literature review, competitive analysis, concept development, AI integration, information architecture, and a high-fidelity interactive prototype.
The platform directly addresses a gap the existing market hasn't addressed. That's not an opinion. It's what the research showed.
Problem to solution: the complete arc