Bubbles
iOS game that taught kids multiplication through play — popping number bubbles to build fluency. PM at a NYC edtech startup.
Target Product: 42 · Pop the Factor Pair!
- Floating bubbles: [ 6 ] + [ 7 ] → POP! = 42 (+10 pts)
- Distractor bubbles: [ 8 ] [ 5 ] drift apart with gentle physics bounce
- Zero countdown panic timer — designed to feel like play, not a pop quiz
Student Mastery Matrix · Fact 7×8 Flagged
- Mastered (<1.5s recall): 3×4, 5×6, 6×6, 2×9 → interval widened to 14m
- Learning (hesitation 3.8s): 6×7, 7×8 → re-seeded in next 3 bubble waves
- Scaffold mode: splits 7×8 into (5×8=40) + (2×8=16) visual array hint
15-Minute Math Station · 38 Facts Practiced
- Accuracy: 91% across 38 bubble pops · 0 remedial worksheet drills
- Newly automatic this session: 6×7=42, 8×4=32, 9×3=27, 7×6=42
- Next session warm-up queued: 7×8 and 8×9 factor families
An iOS game designed to make multiplication practice feel like play. Kids popped bubbles with numbers to solve multiplication problems, with adaptive difficulty that met each student where they were. Built as PM at a small NYC edtech startup focused on elementary math.
The game used spaced repetition principles — facts a student struggled with appeared more frequently — wrapped in a game mechanic that felt rewarding rather than remedial. We tested with classrooms in NYC public schools.