Mission Control is enormously proud to announce the public launch of the Smart_R Mobile eLearning and Self Management App, now available on Android and iOS.
Developed in close collaboration with the brilliant team at Smart_R, this App represents over six months of intensive design, development, and iteration by our team here at Mission Control.
Smart_R is an ambitious and innovative educational platform designed to revolutionise how students engage with learning. The App delivers smart, bite-sized micro-lessons, adaptive learning journeys, real-time progress tracking, and dynamic content – all wrapped in a beautifully intuitive mobile experience.
We knew that Smart_R needed something special to appeal to GCSE students. The App needed to be fun, enticing, and more than anything, it needed users to come back – and often.
To achieve this, Mission Control began work with the Smart_R Team by holding 4 Key Workshops to brainstorm design, features, and most importantly, to understand the habits and mindset of the users. Our Design Lead, Matt, took the Smart_R Team through a serious of exercises and brainstorms to arrive at a concept that combined the best and most addictive aspects of gaming – into a competitive and thoughtful learning experience.
The Smart_R loved the features, friendly icons, and approach of Apps like Duolingo – and you will see echoes of that approach throughout the final Apps. It wasn’t enough to just look and feel enticing – the App needed to truly challenge its users to study, score higher, and retake quizzes to achieve higher positions on the dynamic leaderboard. In addition, users needed to find and challenge their friends on the platform. After all, there is no greater motivator than competing with a buddy!
Mission Control began development following the initial workshops – designing the Apps in Flutter to maximise flexibility and ensure both iOS and Android Apps were ready in time for GCSE study season. With the single codebase Flutter offers Smart_R – the Apps can continue to be tweaked and updated from a centralised codebase. Finally, Mission Control built out a full Web-based Admin system for members of the Smart_R Team to quickly and easily add new quizzes, subjects, and even features seamlessly without needed external development support.
This launch marks a major milestone in Smart_R’s mission to empower learners of all ages through mobile-first education. As the education space continues to evolve, the Smart_R app is setting a new standard for accessible, engaging, and effective digital learning tools.
In many ways, this is the most complex mobile application we’ve built to date. It brings together a wide range of advanced features — including gamified learning mechanics, competitive leaderboards, user profiles and friendship connections, and a sophisticated system of real-time alerts and notifications. The collaboration with Smart_R has been an exciting and rewarding challenge for our entire team.
