Technologies · Year 5

Active learning ideas

User Experience (UX) Fundamentals

Active learning helps students grasp User Experience (UX) principles by doing, not just listening. Year 5 students need concrete examples to understand abstract concepts like usability and satisfaction, making hands-on sorting, mapping, and testing ideal for this topic.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9TDI6P05

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Sorting Activity: UI vs UX Cards

Prepare cards listing features like 'bright colors' or 'quick task completion'. In pairs, students sort into UI or UX piles and explain choices. Follow with a class share-out to refine understandings.

Differentiate between User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX).

Facilitation Tip

During the Sorting Activity, circulate to listen for students’ reasoning as they categorize cards, gently guiding those who confuse visual elements with overall experience.

What to look for

Present students with two screenshots of similar apps or websites (e.g., two different weather apps). Ask them to write down two differences they observe between the User Interface (UI) and one potential difference in the User Experience (UX) for each.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 45 min · Small Groups

Storyboard Challenge: User Journey Map

Students select a task like 'borrowing a library book online'. In small groups, they draw step-by-step storyboards showing user actions, thoughts, and emotions. Groups present and suggest improvements.

Analyze how user feedback can improve a product's usability.

Facilitation Tip

For the Storyboard Challenge, remind students to focus on the user’s emotions at each step, not just the sequence of actions.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are designing a new app for ordering school lunches. What is one thing that might frustrate a student using the app, and how could you change the design to make it easier and more enjoyable?' Facilitate a class discussion where students share their ideas.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 35 min · Pairs

Usability Testing: Prototype Feedback

Pairs create paper prototypes of a simple app screen. They swap with another pair for testing: testers verbalize thoughts while navigating. Designers note feedback and iterate once.

Design a simple user journey for a common digital task.

Facilitation Tip

In Usability Testing, have students practice phrasing feedback positively, such as 'I noticed that...' instead of 'This is bad because...'.

What to look for

Have students draw a simple storyboard for a common digital task (e.g., sending a message on a messaging app). Students swap storyboards and provide feedback on: Is the task clear? Are there any confusing steps? What is one suggestion to improve the user's experience?

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Think-Pair-Share
• 30 min · Individual

Empathy Mapping: User Profiles

Individually, students build empathy maps for a user persona, noting what they say, think, do, and feel during a task. Share in small groups to discuss design implications.

Differentiate between User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX).

What to look for

Present students with two screenshots of similar apps or websites (e.g., two different weather apps). Ask them to write down two differences they observe between the User Interface (UI) and one potential difference in the User Experience (UX) for each.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach UX by modeling curiosity about users’ frustrations and joys. Avoid letting aesthetics overshadow functionality in discussions. Research shows students learn UX best when they observe real users, so prioritize activities where they interact with peers or tangible prototypes rather than abstract theory.

Successful learning looks like students accurately distinguishing UI from UX, identifying pain points in designs, and proposing thoughtful improvements. They should confidently use terms like feedback and user journey to explain their ideas.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Sorting Activity: UI vs UX Cards, watch for students grouping all visual elements under UX.

  Redirect them by asking, 'Does the color of this button alone make the app easier to use, or does how the button works affect the experience?' Have them re-sort the cards while explaining their choices.

• During Storyboard Challenge: User Journey Map, watch for students focusing only on the steps of a task without considering user emotions.

  Prompt them with, 'How might the user feel at this step if the app takes too long to load?' Have them add emotion icons or notes to their storyboards.

• During Usability Testing: Prototype Feedback, watch for students giving vague feedback like 'It’s not good.'

  Provide sentence starters on the board, such as 'I found it hard to... because...' and model how to give specific, actionable feedback using the prototype.

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share