Designing a Safer, More Empowering Learning Platform for Generation Z

When I joined the New School project, the mission was already inspiring: to break the cycle of poverty by giving Gen Z from peripheral communities access to education that truly speaks their language. But we faced a big challenge in how to make the platform not only educational and engaging, but also secure, trustworthy, and aligned with Brazil’s General Data Protection Law (LGPD).

From the very beginning, I worked alongside researchers, UX/UI designers, and developers to redesign the user experience. We wanted to ensure that young students and their guardians understood what was happening with their data, felt safe using the platform, and could easily navigate through the courses, certificates, and community features.

Understanding the Problem

Through desk research, interviews with young people and their guardians, and competitor analysis, we uncovered critical insights:

• Parents were deeply concerned about how their children’s data was being used.

• Personal documents such as CPF, ID numbers, and credit card numbers were the least acceptable to provide.

• Many minors changed their age to access restricted content.

• None of the interviewees fully trusted that the shared data was secure.

This painted a clear picture: we needed to rebuild trust while maintaining usability and engagement.

Our Design Approach

We followed a content-first approach, focusing on the story the platform needed to tell before polishing the UI.

1. Data Transparency

   • Clear explanations of what happens with collected data.

   • Informative icons to reduce confusion.

   • Options for users to download or delete their own data at any time.

2. Guardian and Minor Flows

   • If a user declared that they were under 13, they were redirected to a guardian authorization flow.

   • Guardians would provide their details, receive SMS authentication, and then approve the account creation.

3. Accessibility and Inclusivity

   • Tutorials for account creation, subtitles, and simplified consent texts.

   • Explanations of terms in accessible language, like “private information” vs. “public areas.”

4. Security Improvements

   • Highlighted risks of weak passwords and enforced better standards.

   • Created a double-validation flow to ensure authenticity.

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The Solution

The redesigned platform became much more than a learning app. It evolved into a gamified, socially responsible educational environment, where:

• Courses are culturally relevant to the reality of peripheral youth.

• A community space makes students feel welcomed and supported.

• The gamified system motivates them with medals and rewards for progress.

• The LGPD Center clearly gives guardians and students control over their information.

The Impact

The New School platform now supports:

• Safer onboarding that lets parents feel comfortable authorizing their children.

• Clear data management that allows users to control, edit, or delete their data.

• Engagement through gamification, ensuring students remain motivated.

• Measurable transformation, tracked through the BES (Subjective Well-Being Index), a scientific method that quantifies improvements in self-esteem, autonomy, and purpose

Reflection

This project reinforced my belief that design is not just about usability or aesthetics, it’s about building trust, shaping behavior, and creating meaningful impact. By combining research, storytelling, and design systems, we helped New School transform its platform into a tool for social mobility, safety, and empowerment for Brazil’s next generation.

Data Management

Good usability practices

Authorization flow for minors