Adverse Child Experiences:

Understanding and Building

Capacity Using BrainPOP

Bradnei Avery
Building Capacity Using BrainPOP
BrainPOP:
BrainPop is an academic resource to assist with learning
and recently rolling out social and emotional resources to
help school aged children with skills and tools to cope with
ACES in a healthy and positive way, promote interest in
Preview of selected
school participation, and school related activities. polished designs.

Project duration:
August 2021- December 2021
Building Capacity Using BrainPOP

The problem: The goal:

ACE’s affect school aged children in various The overall aim of this project and study is to
aspects and often promotes low self- analyze how the adoption and frequency of
regulation, participation, and interest in school utilizing BrainPOP can improve ACE’s and
work and school related activities. school interest.
Building Capacity Using BrainPOP

My role: UX Researcher Responsibilities:

As a UX researcher I am responsible for
recruiting participants, screening, and
conducting user interviews, overseeing diary
studies, as well as conducting usability testing.
 ● User research
Understanding ● Personas

BrainPOP Users ● Problem statements

● User journey maps
Building Capacity Using BrainPOP
: User Research Summary

For this study I conducted both behavioral and attitudinal research to understand first what type of Adverse Child
Experiences (ACE’s) are students experiencing and gain a better understanding of how those ACE’S could or have
been heightened due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Going into the study, I knew ACE’s have a profound impact on
regularly processes, social, and emotional, and behavioral regulation. Aside from the pre-existing challenges of
ACE’s the COVID-19 pandemic brought on a host of challenges and main concern was school aged children could be
experiencing unprecedented mental health challenges. Based on the study it showed that more school aged
children were dealing with issues that they never experienced before and also did not how to properly cope with.
Through the utilization of BrainPOP more students were able to develop skills to process their ACE’s and become
more interested in school in a still pre/post pandemic world.
User research: Pain Points

1 2 3
Limited Resources Implementation of School Budget
Online Tools Concern
Students are struggling Online resources are Desire to hire SEL
but resources are available but there are personnel but the
stretched thin learning curves budget may or may not
allocate for this current
time
Persona: Ashley

Problem statement:
Alexis is a school aged student that is experiencing mental health issues due to the
isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 ”

Goals
● To be reconnected with
friends
● To maintain a healthy balance
of school and afterschool
activities
● To cope with the after affects
of the COVID-19 pandemic
Frustrations
● Feels often overwhelmed and
has trouble focusing
● Adjusting to not being able to
connect with friends as much
● At times feels isolated because
of trauma from virtual learning

Ashley
Ashley is a bright and youthful 8 year old from Atlanta, GA. She loves
Age: 8
to play with her friends and enjoys going to church on Sunday. Prior
Hobbies: Coloring, playing with friends
to the pandemic Ashley would see her friends every single day and
Extra Soccer, Cheerleading
hang out. Once the pandemic hit, Ashley was no longer able to
Curricular
socialize and became very sad and did not know how to express the
Activites: Mom, dad, 1 dog
frustrations that came along with the pandemic. She wants to
Family:
become more self aware and play with her friends like old times.
BrainPOP User Journey Map
The goal of this project is to implement BrainPOP SEL 3
times a week to promote positive outcomes.

Image of user
journey map
Understanding
BrainPOP ● Methods
● Low-fidelity prototype
● Usability studies
Methods:

User Interviews: UX Researcher conducted two

rounds of interviews for 50 school aged children
to understand the current social and emotional
scope

Diary Studies: Students kept a log of experiences

and emotions felt after using BrainPOP 3x
weekly.
Wireframes

Students could also be

exposed to other challenges
their peers are facing
Usability study: BrainPOP
Write a short introduction to the usability studies you conducted and your findings.
Round 1 findings
1 Students were able to see characters
were dealing with similar challenges
2 Students visualized and understood
how to cope with ACE’s
3 This was also a way to reconnect with
peers
Round 2 findings
1 Students who stuck with the plan with
fidelity yielded positive results to
manage stress, depression, and ACE’s
2 Students developed interest in other
school based activities
3
Students showed a more positive
attitude overall.
 Refining
● High-fidelity prototype
the design
High-fidelity
prototype
This module
will allow Insert first wireframe
students to example that
explore various demonstrates design
ways to
become more
thinking aligned with
Students could
aware of their also be
emotions and exposed to
how to build other
their capacity challenges
their peers are
facing
Accessibility Options BrainPOP

1 2 3
Students with disabilities Keyboard option only for Toggle Audio On/Off for
have the option for read limited mobility. Users do users who have language
alouds. not need a mouse barriers along with
captions available for
every video..
Building Capacity Using
BrainPOP
● Takeaways
● Next steps
Takeaways
Impact:
Implementing BrainPOP allowed over 86% of
users to become more aware of their personal
traumas, understand others, and return to
either their pre-pandemic state or become
better post pandemic.
What I learned:
● 60% of students based on Pre-App day experienced
depression, anxiety, or feelings of loneliness.
● Several students said they never experienced a myriad
of emotions as such with the pandemic
● Utilizing BrainPOP gave students a break from
traditional school work and gave them space to focus
on his or her wellness.
Next steps
1 2

Advocate for school Allocate funds to ensure

districts to implement proper resources are on
BrainPOP SEL Platform ground to support real
with fidelity time crises