A Digital Platform for Assamese Dance Learning & Teaching

UX | UI Designer, Timeline: 10 Weeks

Assamese individuals abroad lack structured dance lessons. Festivals connect them to their roots, but learning remains challenging. Enthusiastic learners rely on scattered YouTube tutorials, while teachers struggle with virtual class management.

Luitporiya solves this by offering structured lessons, teaching tools, and a connected dance community, making Assamese dance accessible and preserving its heritage globally.

The Background:

Assamese dance lacks a structured digital platform, making learning and teaching challenging. Scattered online resources provide no guided experience, and teachers struggle with virtual class management. Without an interactive, community-driven space, second-generation learners face cultural disconnect, risking the loss of this heritage.

Luitporiya was designed to make Assamese dance accessible and engaging for all. It offers step-by-step lessons, empowers teachers with class management tools, and fosters a global dance community. By preserving cultural heritage and ensuring inclusivity, the app connects learners and teachers worldwide.

Goal:

Problem Statement:

Impact:

Luitporiya bridges the gap between learners and teachers by offering structured lessons, scheduling and feedback tools for instructors, and a dedicated platform to strengthen cultural identity. It fosters a digital dance community where users can learn, teach, and connect, ensuring Assamese dance remains accessible and celebrated worldwide.

Research:

Goals

My research focused on the challenges Assamese dance learners and teachers face, especially abroad. I explored learning barriers, teachers' struggles with virtual classes, and how technology could aid cultural preservation. Understanding user needs helped shape Luitporiya’s design, ensuring a structured, engaging, and culturally immersive platform. By bridging accessibility gaps, the app empowers learners and teachers to stay connected to their heritage.

Methodologies

To build a user-centered platform, I combined qualitative research, competitive analysis, and usability testing to refine Luitporiya effectively.

I conducted five user interviews with Assamese dance learners and teachers to understand their challenges in online learning, the role of cultural identity, and expectations from a digital platform. Since no dedicated Assamese dance app existed, I analyzed popular dance learning apps to identify strong UX patterns and gaps in interactive learning. Additionally, cultural research helped highlight key aspects of Bihu, Sattriya, and Ojapali while exploring how NRIs and second-generation learners engage with Assamese traditions.

Two rounds of usability testing—low/mid-fidelity wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes—helped validate navigation, feature relevance, and UI improvements, particularly in onboarding and class scheduling

I conducted one-on-one interviews with five participants, all of whom were either Assamese dance learners, teachers, or cultural enthusiasts. These interviews helped uncover deep, first-hand insights into how users currently learn or teach Assamese dance, the challenges they face, and their expectations from a digital platform.

Key Themes Explored in the Interviews:

  • Interest & Motivation: Why do users want to learn or teach Assamese dance?

  • Current Learning Methods: How do they currently learn or teach? What tools do they use?

  • Challenges: What difficulties do they face in accessing structured lessons, finding teachers, or organizing classes?

  • Expectations from a Dance Learning App: What features would make learning or teaching Assamese dance more accessible?

User Interviews:

"Bihu is fun, energetic, and great for fitness. Growing up in Assam, we didn’t have schools or teachers nearby for Bihu. I’ve noticed that nowadays there are some dance classes available on YouTube, but I only use them occasionally for help with choreography when I’m performing or teaching my daughter."

"Technology can greatly enhance learning and teaching Assamese dance by offering personalized lessons, interactive tools to boost engagement, and instant feedback for quick improvement."

Since there were no existing apps dedicated specifically to Assamese dance learning, I examined popular digital dance learning platforms (such as STEEZY, DancePlug, and Nrityagram) to analyze:

  • How they structure their lessons?

  • How teachers and students interact?

  • What features make digital dance learning engaging?


    The findings directly influenced Luitporiya’s structured learning modules, feedback features, and potential future enhancements like live Q&A sessions.

Competitive Analysis:

Key Research Insights & Data Points

80% of interview participants struggled to find structured online resources for Assamese dance.

All teachers interviewed found it challenging to manage virtual dance classes due to a lack of a dedicated platform.

4 out of 5 participants emphasized that preserving Assamese dance is crucial for staying connected to their heritage.

Lack of real-time feedback and unstructured learning materials were the biggest obstacles faced by learners.

Define:

After gathering valuable insights through user interviews, competitive analysis, and secondary research, the next step was to define the core structure of the app. This phase involved Affinity Mapping, refining user flows, crafting personas, and developing site maps and information architecture. By synthesizing research findings, I ensured that my design choices were user-centric, goal-driven, and culturally aligned.

Structuring the Foundation of Luitporiya

Key Findings from Affinity Mapping:

Learning Needs & Inclusivity: Users wanted structured lessons by skill level, with interactive formats for children.

Teaching Challenges: Teachers lacked platforms for managing virtual classes and providing real-time feedback.

Cultural Connection: Users abroad felt disconnected, highlighting the need for storytelling elements.

Community Engagement: A digital space for interaction, performance sharing, and group learning was essential.

Technology & Features: Users expected intuitive navigation, progress tracking, and teacher dashboards.

To ensure Luitporiya effectively serves its users, I conducted one-on-one interviews with two key groups—learners seeking structured dance lessons and teachers looking for an efficient way to share their expertise. The interviews helped uncover their challenges and expectations, guiding the app’s design.

Using insights from user interviews and affinity mapping, I developed two primary personas to ensure the app addressed real user needs.

User Persona

The next step was to map out the user experience by designing user flows for both learners and teachers. The dual-path system ensured that the onboarding experience was tailored to each user type.

User Flows

Ananya’s Story: A Cultural Journey
Ananya, eager to reconnect with her roots, downloads Luitporiya to teach her daughter Bihu. She selects "Learn Dance," completes onboarding, and chooses Bihu (Beginner). A welcome video introduces structured lessons, and she lands on the Dashboard, where step-by-step tutorials make learning easy. Inspired by the clarity, Ananya starts her first lesson, excited to pass on her cultural heritage.

The Learner

The Teacher

Arpita’s Story: Sharing Her Passion
Arpita, a dedicated dance teacher, logs into Luitporiya and navigates to her Teacher Dashboard. She schedules a live Bihu class, fills in key details, reviews her submission, and publishes it—ready to share her expertise with eager students.

The low-fidelity wireframes provided a structured foundation, shaping the user journey for both learners like Ananya and teachers like Arpita. Mapping core interactions early ensured a clear framework before transitioning to mid-fidelity wireframes.

With mid-fidelity wireframes, I conducted the first round of usability testing, which surfaced key pain points. User feedback highlighted areas for refinement, allowing me to fine-tune the experience before moving to high-fidelity designs.

Lower-Mid Fidelity Wireframes

Key Iterations from Usability Testing:

Optimized Onboarding: Added a progress indicator and skip option for the intro video, allowing users to start learning immediately.

Enhanced Teacher Scheduling: Introduced a “Repeat Class” feature and attached sample videos to help students prepare.

Improved Content Accessibility: Enabled “Save to Library” for quick access and offline practice.

Dashboard Refinements: Renamed "Review Feedback" to "Class Feedback Summary" for better clarity.

Aligned with the brand values of cultural preservation, inclusivity, and seamless learning, I developed a cohesive brand kit and named the app Luitporiya—meaning “from the banks of the River Brahmaputra.” This name reflects its mission to connect Assamese dance enthusiasts globally while preserving tradition.

The color palette, inspired by Assamese heritage, blends earthy greens, vibrant reds, and golden hues to evoke tradition and festivity. The typography balances elegance and usability, ensuring readability with cultural authenticity. The UI kit maintains a modern yet rooted aesthetic, enhancing the experience for both learners and teachers

UI Kit

Brand Values:

Cultural Connection
Inclusivity
Creativity
Simplicity
Empowerment

The final high-fidelity designs incorporated:

  • Refined UI layouts ensuring seamless user journeys.

  • Visual enhancements improving contrast, readability, and engagement

  • Key accessibility features, including clear CTAs and intuitive navigation elements.

High Fidelity Wireframes

By following a user-centered design approach, we ensured that Luitporiya was not just visually appealing but also functional, culturally immersive, and easy to navigate.

During this round of usability testing, I carefully selected five participants who had experience with both learning and teaching, even if not specifically related to dance. Some had backgrounds in education, while others had experience guiding learners in different capacities. This approach ensured that I received well-rounded feedback from individuals who could assess both the learner and teacher perspectives within the app. The primary focus of this test was to evaluate how easily users could navigate the app and complete key tasks, such as onboarding, starting a lesson, and scheduling a class.

Usability Testing Plan

Following the usability testing phase, I implemented key changes to enhance usability, clarity, and engagement within the Luitporiya Assamese Dance Learning App. The adjustments were carefully aligned with participant feedback to refine the user experience for both learners and teachers.

Final Iteration:

Onboarding

Before

After

Teachers-Dashboard

Before

After

After analyzing feedback from my final usability test with high-fidelity wireframes, I categorized recommendations into higher and lower priority to focus on key improvements. Based on this, I made the following iterations:

Refined Onboarding – Users now select their role (learner/teacher) before logging in, preventing duplication.

Improved Navigation – Added a Back button for easier onboarding flow.

Enhanced Visual Design – Bolder colors now reflect Assam’s cultural vibrancy for better engagement.

Optimized Content – Simplified text on screens 2 and 3 by removing redundancy.

Clearer UI Interactions – Redesigned save and share icons for better distinction.

Richer Learning Experience – Linked images to lesson descriptions for more visual context.

Expanded Personalization – Added multiple goal selections, including Performing in an Event.

Conclusion:

Overall Thoughts

Luitporiya seamlessly merges tradition with technology, making Assamese dance learning structured and accessible. User feedback led to key refinements—improved onboarding, smoother navigation, and richer cultural integration. Small but impactful changes transformed it into a global platform for preserving and sharing Assamese dance.

Future Enhancements

  • Live Classes: Real-time instructor-led sessions for interactive learning.

  • Performance Recognition: Badges, certifications, and progress tracking for motivation.

  • Community Engagement: Event participation and performance showcases.

  • Expanded Dance Forms: More regional variations and advanced choreography.

  • Inclusive Features: Gesture-based navigation, subtitles, and interactive feedback.

Final Reflection

This project reinforced my passion for human-centered design. Seeing users excited about Luitporiya validated the need for a structured and engaging dance learning platform. From an idea to a refined digital solution, Luitporiya has the potential to grow into a global cultural hub that preserves Assamese dance and connects learners worldwide.