Redesigning the SAT
Over a three-year period, I directed UX design for the digital transformation of the SAT Suite of Assessments. We modernized preparation, testing, and reporting tools used by more than 8 million students and educators, moving from static, print-based processes to interactive, digital-first experiences. Students gained responsive practice tools and clear, actionable score reports, while educators received near real-time dashboards to track performance. Alongside these products, we introduced a scalable design system and modern workflows, enabling the College Board—an institution with deep legacy roots—to deliver faster, more transparent, and more accessible testing experiences.
Introduction
In late 2013, the College Board was preparing to overhaul the SAT, a test with decades of cultural weight in American education. The scope of the effort went beyond redesigning a single exam; it was a reimagining of the SAT Suite of Assessments, a connected set of tools for students, educators, and administrators. As Senior Director of User Experience Design, my role was to ensure the digital transformation matched the ambition of the new exam.
Rather than simply moving print processes online, we envisioned interactive, responsive tools capable of updating data in near real time—reducing test-day anxiety for students and giving educators clear, timely insight into performance without wading through static reports.
The Challenge
Before modernization, the SAT experience was rooted in print. Students waited weeks for static score reports delivered by mail, with little context beyond raw numbers. Educators received thick binders and PDFs of aggregated results, making it nearly impossible to surface trends quickly or tailor support to individual students. The process was slow, expensive, and left both audiences with limited insight into performance or next steps.
This reliance on print carried other challenges: millions of reports had to be physically produced and distributed on tight academic schedules, leaving little room for error. Any disruption risked delaying college applications or admissions decisions. Personalization was virtually absent, and the experience reinforced anxiety rather than reducing it.
For the College Board, a century-old institution known for stability, the challenge was clear: how to evolve from paper-based reporting to a digital ecosystem that could provide timely, actionable insights, without compromising the trust and reliability built over generations.
Key Objectives
Make Results Accessible, Fast
Replace weeks-long delays with near real-time access to scores, reducing student anxiety and enabling timely college planning.
Empower Students with Actionable Tools
Provide interactive practice and personalized insights so students could understand their performance and focus on improvement.
Equip Educators with Clear, Timely Data
Deliver dashboards and digital reports that moved beyond static PDFs, giving teachers and administrators visibility into trends and individual needs.
Support Staff and Systems at Scale
Streamline the production and distribution process, cutting costs and reducing operational risk while maintaining reliability across millions of users.
Approach
We began by mapping the entire student and educator journey to pinpoint where the SAT experience broke down; delays in reporting, lack of personalization, and an overload of static PDFs. This gave us a shared framework to prioritize opportunities and focus on the areas of greatest impact.
To move quickly, we built Axure prototypes and tested them with real users. The Daily Practice App started as a lightweight MVP but quickly evolved with features like “Scan & Score,” letting students photograph practice tests for instant feedback. In parallel, we redesigned score reporting across digital and paper formats, making results clearer, more consistent, and actionable with direct links to practice tools.
For educators, we replaced static PDF binders with dynamic dashboards that delivered real-time visibility into student performance. Supporting all of this was a scalable, atomic design system, which unified interfaces across products, reduced development costs, and ensured accessibility and consistency in every release.
Process
- 1.
Map the Journey
Documented the end-to-end student and educator experience to surface delays, pain points, and opportunities for digital transformation.
- 2.
Prototype and Test Rapidly
Built lean Axure prototypes and iterated often with students and educators, shaping tools like the Daily Practice App and “Scan & Score.”
- 3.
Lay the Foundation for Scale
Introduced an atomic design system that unified interfaces, accelerated delivery, and ensured accessibility across all SAT-related products.
Solution
The SAT transformation came to life through iterative design sprints, continuous user feedback, and deep collaboration between design, engineering, and the business. The result was a suite of connected tools that made preparation, testing, and reporting clearer, faster, and more accessible.
For students, the Daily Practice App became a breakthrough, with over eight million downloads and a “Scan & Score” feature that let them photograph practice tests for instant feedback. Paired with redesigned score reporting—both digital and paper—the experience gave students clear performance breakdowns, item-level insights, and personalized recommendations that turned results into a roadmap for improvement. For educators, the new K–12 Reporting Dashboard replaced static PDFs with near real-time data visualizations, enabling faster intervention, streamlined workflows, and reducing the administrative burden of managing student results.
All of this was supported by a unified design system, which established a shared visual and functional language across the SAT Suite of Assessments. Beyond creating consistency, it accelerated development and set a foundation for sustainable digital growth across the College Board’s broader ecosystem.
Results
The SAT digital transformation reached millions of students and educators, reducing reporting times, improving access, and making preparation more engaging. The tools we delivered modernized a century-old institution, and set a new standard for accessibility and actionable insight in large-scale assessment.
- 6M+ students engaged with digital practice tools
- 65% reduction in score reporting time
- 90% positive feedback from educators
- $20M saved through design systems within 18 months
- 25% increase in targeted prep completion rates
Reflection
Designing at the scale of the SAT showed me how much reach a single initiative can have…and how quickly that impact gets absorbed into the machinery of a giant institution. The work mattered, but it also made clear that lasting change depends on what survives beyond the launch.
Technologies
Tags
Team
65 (grew from original small UX team)