Re-Lay rebalances discussions
using playfulness in collaborative learning.

Design Research project

The challenge

Collaborative learning involves small group problem-solving. It's an effective approach because learners discuss concepts to create a shared understanding.
However, unbalanced discussions where students over- or undershare can hinder learning outcomes.

Taking turns

Re-Lay balances group discussions by using turn-taking mechanics. When a discussion starts, Re-Lay is placed on the tile of the person currently speaking. It suggests the next speaker as the person who has spoken the least, but the current speaker still decides who should talk next.

Oversharing

Re-Lay suggests the next speaker using the time everyone has spoken. It blinks to signal urgency when someone is talking too long. Once passed to the next speaker, the cycle of suggestions restarts.

Process

I tested the first iteration of Re-Lay with 14 secondary school students in a research setup, and found that it significantly increased participation in collaborative settings. Based on these results, I designed the next iteration of Re-Lay to include the ability for non-speaking students to flip their tile, which alerts Re-Lay that someone else wants to speak. This gives all users more control over the process of turn-taking.