Key Mobile Screens
Apple Watch Vocab App
Mobile Screens
GREMax GRE Prep
QUICK READ ➤ GREMax was a mobile-first GRE study tool designed to provide an accessible, cost-effective alternative to traditional GRE prep courses. The app interwove lessons with practice questions, included hands-free study modes, and even extended study capabilities to the Apple Watch, making learning more flexible and convenient for students.
Project Overview
As TestMax sought to expand into a new exam vertical, we created GREMax as an experiment in the GRE prep market. Unlike TestMax’s premium-priced courses for LSAT and Bar prep, GREMax was positioned as a lower-cost subscription service aimed at high-volume adoption. The idea was to use this as a funnel to drive students into higher-value tutoring services.
One of the primary challenges was that the GRE space was far more saturated than the legal exam prep industry, making differentiation crucial. Additionally, the GRE posed unique UX and technical challenges—particularly in handling complex math notation, diagram-heavy content, and diverse question formats.
I led the branding, UX, and visual design efforts to create an experience that aligned with TestMax’s suite of products while catering specifically to GRE students. The goal was to balance an engaging user experience with the technical demands of GRE question types and study patterns.
Mobile App Design
The GREMax mobile app provided structured lessons that seamlessly integrated practice questions, allowing students to immediately apply what they learned. Users also had access to a large bank of practice questions and analytics to track their performance.
A major innovation was the hands-free mode, which enabled students to study vocabulary without needing to touch their phone. This feature allowed users to practice while driving or multitasking, making study sessions more accessible. Another UX breakthrough was the inline practice question design, ensuring that students could reinforce concepts immediately without switching contexts.
The most significant technical challenge was implementing LaTeX notation to accurately display complex mathematical equations and diagrams, an unexpected hurdle that required deep problem-solving. Despite these challenges, the app successfully provided an intuitive, high-quality learning experience.
Apple Watch App Design
Building on TestMax’s commitment to accessibility, we developed an Apple Watch extension of GREMax. The watch app primarily focused on vocabulary study, offering quick flashcard sessions and short quizzes.
The biggest challenge was adapting meaningful study interactions to such a small screen while maintaining usability. Through a simplified UI, we enabled users to quickly flip through vocab flashcards and track their performance, turning idle moments into effective study time.
This extension further reinforced TestMax’s philosophy of making test prep fit into a student’s daily life, maximizing study opportunities across different devices.
Conclusion
GREMax was a beautifully designed product that helped students study efficiently and on their own terms. It saw solid user adoption and engagement, proving that there was demand for an affordable, accessible GRE study tool. However, despite its popularity, it ultimately did not drive the tutoring conversions TestMax had hoped for, leading to a strategic decision to sunset the app.
This project highlighted the challenges of breaking into a competitive market and reinforced key insights into user behavior in GRE prep. Though the app is no longer available, it remains a testament to our ability to create innovative and engaging learning experiences tailored to student needs.