Revolutionizing STEM Learning with Interactive CK12 Simulations
A comprehensive initiative to develop 100+ interactive STEM simulations that simplify complex science concepts, improve engagement, and student comprehension — ultimately giving rise to Flexi, a Gen AI assistant that guides students in a fun and safe way.
UX Design
Product Strategy
Motion Design
Client
CK12 Foundation
Role
Design and Development Lead
Success goals
Real world
Scenarios
Immersive
Learning
Engaging
Simulations
Visual
Clarity
Empowered
Students
Guided
Coaching
Challenges
Concept Complexity
Students found scientific concepts overly theoretical and hard to visualize. This gap often led to memorization instead of meaningful understanding, limiting their ability to apply concepts in real-world scenarios.
Lack of Interactivity
Existing tools relied heavily on static content, making it difficult for students to engage deeply. Without the opportunity to experiment, students struggled to build confidence in applying scientific principles.
Accessibility Gaps
Limited keyboard navigation, unclear instructions, and poor visual contrast restricted access for students with disabilities. These barriers made critical learning content difficult for some students to engage with.
Impact and outcomes
NPS Boost
Net Promoter Score for CK12 content increased from 49 to 85 after the simulations were integrated. This improvement reflected increased student engagement, with learners expressing excitement about exploring scientific concepts through interactive simulations.
Adoption by schools
Schools, internationally, reported improved student engagement, with teachers integrating simulations as essential classroom resources. The free-to-use model empowered educators in under-resourced regions to provide quality science education with interactivity.
Birth of Flexi
Inspired the creation of Flexi, CK12’s Gen AI assistant, which helps students navigate educational content in an intuitive, safe and engaging way. Flexi personalizes the learning experience, encouraging students to explore content with curiosity and confidence.
Accolades from leaders
“I’d like to extend my commendations to Vallabh and his team. The simulations they’ve built are not only impressive but also serve a critical purpose in today’s world—advancing education through cutting-edge, immersive experiences. Their dedication to impactful innovation is truly commendable.”
Vinod Khosla
Founder, Sun Microsystems and Khosla Ventures
Approach
Strategy
A design and development roadmap for immersive learning is drawn out as I took a multi-pronged approach, blending engagement design and scalable development practices to ensure the simulations were both effective and sustainable.
I created a sandbox learning model where students could manipulate variables and observe real-time outcomes. Each simulation began with a curiosity-driven question, sparking curiosity before immersing students in experimentation.
To support seamless interactions across devices, we developed a custom JavaScript framework with transformational matrices that enabled precise animations and dynamic physics behaviors, ensuring scalability and performance on both web and tablet platforms.
Learn
Led interviews in collaboration with SMEs and identified that students struggles with concept complexity, while teachers lacked engaging tools to illustrate abstract ideas.
Discover
Understood the need to design and develop interactive simulations using a sandbox learning model that encouraged experimentation through curiosity-driven questions.
Testing
Conducted A/B testing with 200+ students and teachers to refine simulations. Measured an improvement of 74% in student engagement and comprehension.
Work
User research and competitive audit
Conducted over a 100 student interviews to understand engagement levels with existing learning tools and collaborated with teachers & SMEs to refine educational objectives and use cases.
Teachers found the interactive format more effective than static visual aids.
Students reported improved understanding through simulations.
Students preferred an exploratory approach over traditional lectures.
An interactive learning tool
© 2025 Vallabh Vinnakota. All rights reserved.