Quinn KesslerYoung Dragons
A UXID approach to youth engagement in out-of-school learning: a reward system simple enough for summer camp counselors to start using on day one.
- Role
- STAR Scholar, UX Researcher
- Timeline
- June – September 2025
- Advisor
- Dr. Youngmoo Kim · Drexel University & Community Partnerships
- Methods
- Literature review, comparative analysis, design sprints, sketching, prototyping
The problem
Great framework, wrong tools
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a widely used K–12 framework that promotes positive behavior and reduces reliance on punitive discipline. Research shows it can boost student engagement, motivation and teacher-student relationships.
Digital PBIS systems are common in schools, but they’re built for a full school year. For out-of-school-time programs like after-school and summer learning, existing platforms are too complex and take too long to set up.
My research partner was the Young Dragons Summer STEAM program, a free six-week program for middle school students in West Philadelphia.
01 · Research
How faithful does PBIS need to be?
Summer programs can’t run PBIS the way a school does, so the first question was whether a lighter version still works. I compared three studies on fidelity versus adaptation.
| Study | Fidelity vs. adaptation | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| Madigan 2016 | Emphasized strict fidelity, with structured pre-implementation training and coaching. | Focused on academic outcomes. Full fidelity showed significant academic gains. |
| Nylén 2021 | Adaptation is necessary for success. Sustainability depends on ownership and fit with culture and context. | Focused on implementation: teacher knowledge, motivation, organizational readiness and cultural fit. Academic results were indirect. |
| Molloy 2013 | Full fidelity is rare in practice. Identified “active ingredients” that make partial fidelity effective. | Prioritized behavioral outcomes, linked most strongly to specific practices. |
Takeaway: a program doesn’t need the full system to see results. It needs the right few practices, adapted to its own context, and staff who feel ownership of them.
02 · Comparative analysis
What the existing tools get wrong for camp
I analyzed four PBIS platforms used in schools: Kickboard, Minga, ClassDojo and PBIS Rewards. They’re built around a full school year, which leaves gaps for a six-week program where counselors need something they can pick up immediately.
The gaps I found fed straight into a series of design sprints.
03 · Dragon Dollars
A token economy kids can hold
The system centers on Dragon Dollars, a program currency in one, five, ten and 67-dollar bills, designed during the sprints.
Aligned with PBIS principles, Dragon Dollars worked as a token economy. They reinforced clear expectations, encouraged consistent recognition, and gave the program a structured, trackable way to reward students.
04 · Sketches
Two rounds of low-fidelity flows. The first explored a class code, a roster of ten members and per-behavior points. The second added account creation, student profiles and a leaderboard.
05 · Prototype
Join with a code, start rewarding
The final prototype is a mobile-friendly, token-based platform in the program’s own purple-and-dragon identity. Counselors share a class code, students join without pre-registering, and every student has a level plus progress bars for behavior, engagement and collaboration, with tabs for points, history and rewards.
- Quick, free sign-upFacilitators sign up for free and can start a class right away.
- No pre-registrationParticipants join with a class code on the first day.
- Instant implementationAn intuitive layout that counselors can use without training.
- Simplified featuresThree behaviors, standardized across the program, instead of a full school-wide catalog.
- Built for both sidesUser-centered for facilitators and for the students earning the points.
06 · Poster
I presented the research as a poster through Drexel’s STAR Scholars program (Undergraduate Research & Enrichment Programs, Pennoni Honors College). Thank you to Maggie and the counselors at the ExCITe Center.