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We are always learning. Even if at the end of the day, you think you have learned nothing; it may surprise you what novel things you discover just going about your daily life. However, for some people, learning is a way to get ahead and improve on themselves today for a better tomorrow. So, how can we use our time wisely and gain fruitful knowledge? What can we do to let people know about the many kinds of skills and topics out there that could pique their interest and set them down the path of learning?
There are many learning platforms and apps already available that provide structured courses on almost any and every topic imaginable. Not to mention, what can arguably be the best (and most importantly, FREE) learning resources that everyone is most inclined to turn to - our humble saviors, Google and Youtube. How do we design a unique and serviceable platform with competition like this?
Build a responsive website that suits the needs of casual and focused learners of all ages. With emphasis on providing discoverability to new skills based on what learners are interested in. Discovering a skill can lead to courses based on one or many skills to optimize learning on a particular path. And to add a bit of fun and engagement, learners can earn points to gain plants and flowers they can use to build gardens. Motivating learners to grow their knowledge and share with friends and a community of other learners!
The first step was to fully understand the education and learning industry and find out what skills were generally the most popular to learn. I defined skills in the broad sense, meaning anything from hard skills, soft skills, creative skills, job skills, etc.
One thing to note is the effect the COVID-19 pandemic had on learning and how it benefited these platforms because many people, stuck at home, realized it was the perfect opportunity to brush up on their passions and learn something new to relieve their boredom and/or improve their situation. (Ah yes, I remember those days of searching up every banana bread recipe to learn how to make the perfect banana bread.)
With that being said, let’s dive into the competition! I identified Skillshare, Udemy, Masterclass, and Coursera as the top learning platforms people used to learn. All offer courses through either a subscription service or a single payment for a single course. Each platform also generally caters towards a specific group. For instance, Skillshare is known for their more creative skills courses but also offer a wider variety of skills as well. And Coursera is mainly for people looking to boost their careers.
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In order to find out what people were learning and understand how they learn, I conducted five user interviews. I interviewed people of different ages ranging from about 20-50 years with different backgrounds and education levels. Including a college student, an office worker, a freelancer, and other learners. Below is a summary of what I gathered during the interviews:
Through affinity mapping I was able to better visualize the major themes and gather insights based on points of interest.
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From the research done, the final step was to create user personas. This allowed me to keep in mind who I am designing for and to think intentionally.
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After finalizing on the product idea I would be moving forward with, I generated a features list to rank desired features that could allow for a MVP (Minimum Viable Product). I concluded that account creation, browsing/searching, and a dashboard were must-haves.
Based on research and a card sorting activity, I was able to better understand the user’s mental models and created a sitemap accordingly.
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I then created user and task flows to understand the actual process of how users move about the site and what potential tasks they can accomplish. I focused on two main flows:
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I reviewed what I had learned and synthesized thus far to create project goals. It helped in reminding me what to keep in mind when designing.
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Before creating wireframes in Figma, I started doing some initial sketches of wireframes and branding design elements to get some ideas on paper and see how the product would take shape. I sketched out key screens including the homepage, discovery page, and dashboard.
When creating the low-fi wireframes I focused on the organization of content and the priority of items within certain pages.
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For branding, I first brainstormed on key brand values that would help me shape the Inspirosity brand. Because the main goal of the product is to let users discover, learn, and grow skills, I chose the color palette of blue, green, and yellow to reflect this. I also decided on two different font styles for the brand, Roboto Slab and Opens Sans. I chose Roboto Slab because it was minimal while also being slightly serif in feel to give off a friendlier and non-rigid look.
I created semi high fidelity wireframes and created a prototype to prepare for testing. For this initial mockup, it includes bright colors and lots of visual elements to create a fun atmosphere for users.
With the prototype I created, I began usability testing remotely with three participants. Over Zoom, I shared the prototype with the tester and asked them to share their screen so I could see how they navigated the site. I also asked them to speak aloud while going through each task.
After the tests, a priority revisions chart was made to prioritize revisions based on their frequency and severity.
Based on the feedback and findings received from usability testing and priority revisions chart, I was able to identify and implement the changes necessary for the product including:
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I learned quite a lot while working on this project. From the first steps to the last, researching to designing, the UX process was a handful that made me think in new and different ways. This was a project that let me see what UX design was all about and guide me to learn and grow.
My biggest takeaway is that the insights and needs of the user plays a bigger part than I realized. Each step in the UX design process is important and going through it is necessary to improve on the product that users want to see and use.
Learning is not just about discovering something new but but being able to apply and grow with it.
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