Flashcard Design Rubric

Quality checklist for every card in the Sonographer In The Making series. Synthesized from Jenny's feedback across five review cycles.

Meets Standard Partial / Needs Work Missing or Wrong
1
Card Structure and Section Flow
CriterionStandard
Section order Cover → Concept → Example → Visual/Graph → In Ultrasound → Quiz → Self-Sort. No sections skipped or reordered.
Cover Shows term name + one-line plain-English summary. Cover color is #65bf9e for physics cards. Interior colors vary by topic.
Concept 2-3 short sentences max. No jargon without immediate definition.
Example Real-world analogy with a visual. Relatable to female college students, ages 18-40.
Visual / Graph Axes labeled with real numbers. No meta-annotations. Slope described "from left to right."
In Ultrasound Bridges concept to ultrasound. Prefers hands-on interactive over static graph. Term previews include structured definitions.
Quiz 1-3 questions on topic. Correct/incorrect feedback present. Incorrect answers prompt retry before advancing.
Self-Sort "I understand this" / "I need to review this" buttons present. Routes to known or review pile.
2
Audience Fit
CriterionStandard
Demographics Examples and visuals reflect female college students, ages 18-40. No generic or masculine defaults (e.g., blue boxy car).
Relatability Scenarios drawn from college life or everyday experience relevant to the audience.
Tone Clear, supportive, never condescending. Reduces cognitive load at every step.
3
Term Presentation, Color, and Definitions
CriterionStandard
Dedicated term color Every key term has one assigned color used everywhere that term appears across all cards. Tracked in a master list.
Card title styling Bold, in the term's assigned color.
In-body mentions Same color, bolded, every time the term appears.
Definition format Term Name (colored, bold) → Definition: one sentence, anchor words bolded → Example: one sentence. Definition and example are visually separated, never merged into one paragraph.
Anchor words The 1-2 words students get tested on are bolded. (e.g., "HOW MANY" for Frequency, "HOW LONG" and "ONE CYCLE" for Period.)
4
Text Emphasis and Directional Language
CriterionStandard
Core takeaway animation Each section's main point phrase is colored and animated with a subtle bounce or shake on first view. Requested 3x
Directional color coding Warm color (red) for up/increase. Cool color (blue) for down/decrease. Applied anywhere directional language appears. Separate from term colors.
Bold discipline Bold is intentional, not decorative. If bolding a single word adds no clarity, skip it.
No emdashes Emdashes do not appear anywhere in card text.
5
Interactives
CriterionStandard
Manipulation over observation Students drag, turn, push, pull. Not just watch. Strongest preference
Control hierarchy Seesaw / knob / draggable model → slider bar → static graph. Slider bars are least preferred.
Sensory feedback Sound and sensory cues where possible (e.g., pitch change with frequency, knob louder/quieter).
Graphs as supplement Graphs are acceptable as supplementary visuals but are never the primary interactive in Ultrasound sections.
6
Visual Assets
CriterionStandard
Scene-setting imagery Real illustrations or photos via <img> tags (SVG/PNG). Not canvas-drawn shapes. A programmatic trapezoid is not a coffee cup. Flagged 3x
Interactive controls Code-rendered (canvas/JS) is fine for functional UI elements the student manipulates.
Missing asset protocol When an illustration is unavailable, use a clearly marked dashed placeholder frame with a description. Never ship canvas programmer art.
Style consistency Source from illustration libraries (unDraw, Storyset, Humaaans) or custom SVGs. Match brand palette. Consistent style across all cards.
7
Pacing and Text Economy
CriterionStandard
Slow before fast Always show the slow, simple version first. Speed controls present when motion is involved. Students interact at their own pace before seeing full speed.
Text density No section shows more than 3-4 sentences at once. Secondary explanations collapsed into dropdowns.
Word economy Every visible word earns its place. If removing it loses no meaning, remove it.
Show over tell Placeholders for images/visuals are preferred over paragraphs of explanation.
8
Layout and Typography
CriterionStandard
Whitespace Tight. Illustrations not padded to square. Card interiors feel compact and purposeful.
Visual hierarchy Concept → Explanation → Example → Interactive. Clear and consistent.
Aesthetic Clean, modern, professional, engaging. Not dark or game-like.
Fonts Titles: Tomarik Brush. Subtitles: Tomarik Poster (all caps). Body: DM Sans (placeholder until Jenny confirms).
9
SPI Registry Integration
CriterionStandard
Flagging When a concept aligns with the ARDMS SPI content outline, it is visually flagged on the card.
Order Follow Jenny's chapter order, not the SPI outline order.
Tone "This is important for the registry" framing. No guarantees it appears on the exam. Guidance, not pressure.
10
Confirmed Future Features (Not in Trial Batch)
FeatureNotes
Progress trackingCompletion percentages per card and across sets.
Correct/incorrect statsPer-card performance data.
Spaced repetitionStruggling cards auto-repeat until mastery.
AudioAnimations, sound cues, Jenny's voice for explanations.
Downloadable PDFsFor note-taking alongside the cards.
Member environmentSecure, member-based access.
Note: These are confirmed wants for the full platform. Do not block trial batch delivery on these.