Introducing eSpark’s New Avatar Customizer

Back in January, we celebrated the new year by rolling out some exciting updates to the student experience in the form of new characters and visual design elements for our older students (grades 3+). We want students to feel like eSpark is growing with them on their journey, and one of the ways we can represent that is by introducing characters that feel “older” than some of our traditional companions.

The early results have been promising—students in K-2 are continuing to rate eSpark as highly as ever, and those in 3+ have demonstrated more engagement and overall satisfaction with their time in the program since the start of the year. This is exactly what we were hoping for, and we’re excited to keep that momentum going with the next round of updates, available to your students by the end of April, 2023.

More choice, more personalization

Now, students in grades 3+ will have the opportunity to not just choose their avatar for the day, but to customize that avatar with outfits best suited to their tastes. This initial launch includes a variety of basic outfits, but we have every intention of adding more options and more fun in the months to come.

To access the customizer, students simply click on their character avatar from the Quest view. This will open up the screen pictured below, where various outfit combos can be modeled. Then, students can embark on their learning journey for the day with a little added sense of agency and fun.

An eSpark character spotlit on the right of the image, with shirt/top options for students to choose from on the left.

This is what the customizer looks like—students can get here by clicking on their character avatar.

Four eSpark characters lined up with various outfit combinations.

Some of our new basic outfits modeled by popular characters.

What’s next?

The avatar customizer represents phase two of our student experience updates around characters and personalization. Next up is a coin/token-based incentive system and eSpark shop, through which students will be able to unlock more outfits and accessories as they learn. This change will add some extrinsic motivation and personal choices to the eSpark experience. We do not have a definite timetable on this, but we feel comfortable saying it will be available at some point next school year. Enjoy a sneak preview below of some of the ideas our design team has come up with so far!

A row of eight eSpark characters modeling various fun outfits and accessories.

Spark a love of learning

Whether you’re new to eSpark or a seasoned vet, we couldn’t be more excited for the changes you’ll be seeing throughout the course of this year. Stay tuned to this blog and the monthly Sparkler newsletter for more.

If you’re just visiting and haven’t yet signed up for your free trial, you should know that eSpark continues to blend the evidence-based concepts of direct instruction and play-based learning to deliver a truly unique alternative to traditional digital learning programs. With content designed specifically for differentiation in elementary math and reading, eSpark is a great fit alongside any core curriculum or assessment platforms. Claim your account today and see for yourself how eSpark delivers engagement you can feel and results you can see.

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