Idiotikz
Inspiring the Leaders of Tomorrow
Degree Project
06 May 2025
Idiotikz is a digital classroom platform designed to make learning about politics and the world exciting. With interactive games, virtual adventures, and collaborative challenges, it helps students and teachers explore real systems and strange histories alike.
More than just a learning tool, Idiotikz empowers young people to question, think critically, and engage meaningfully with the world around them because we believe that education should go beyond textbooks — giving young people the tools to question, think critically, and step confidently into the world they will soon inherit!
Defining the problem
Right now, young people in Northern Ireland are being left out of political life.
In 2024, fewer than half of 18 to 19-year-olds were registered to vote — compared to 95% of over-65s. In the last decade alone, the number of first-time voters has dropped by more than half.
This decline isn’t down to apathy, but exhaustion.
Climate change, rising living costs, and a lack of opportunity have left many feeling frustrated and unheard.
However, this has concerning consequences. With their voices missing from the conversation, the issues affecting this generation are too often pushed aside. This gap in engagement can’t continue and thus, an urgent mission statement was proposed:
Civic engagement is decreasing and the voices most affected by today’s decisions are often the least represented.
How can politics be made accessible & empowering for the Generations Living
with its consequences the longest?
Making an impact
With the project problem statement defined, I directed my attention to understanding which demographic a digital solution could best serve —and where it could have the greatest impact on increasing youth engagement in politics.
Initial surveys and interviews with young people aged 18 to 30 revealed that limited political education in schools had left many feeling confused about the world around them — and uncertain about their role within these power structures as adults.
Therefore, it became clear the most impactful method of increasing interest and engagement in politics would be to design a service which makes understanding about these complicated topics exciting for primary and secondary school pupils - providing future generations with a foundation of knowledge.
Matthew, a local teacher:
“I want my students
to navigate the world
with confidence,
curiosity & compassion.”
More than just users
Having defined teachers and students as the core user groups—essential for maximising the impact of the digital product—I carried out in-depth research across five local schools. This included surveys with teachers on their views of political education and their broader observations on what makes classroom learning effective.
I followed this with site visits, conducting interviews with both teachers and students to understand their thoughts on politics, common barriers to engagement, and the kinds of activities they found most (and least) enjoyable.
These insights fed directly into the creation of user personas and empathy maps, helping to define clear product requirements grounded in real needs and behaviours.
Developing a Journey
Following the user research, I began exploring both the platforms mentioned by participants—such as Roblox, Duolingo, and Google Classroom — and existing EdTech products to understand what made them engaging and effective such as exploring digital experiences in public spaces like the Irish Emigration Museum, Dublin . This helped shape the early concept for my own product, drawing inspiration from familiar tools used in both classroom and leisure settings.
From there, I developed initial storyboards and user journey maps to visualise not just how the platform would reach users, but how it would realistically fit into classroom routines. This process led to the decision to create a web-based platform and I began mapping out user flows to refine the product’s experience through components such as navigation and structure.
Building an Experience
The comprehensive foundation of research and development work conducted