Create a platform to help people learn new skills and hobbies.

Users are faced with an overwhelming task of identifying a course that meets their requirements, given the vast array of subjects and platforms available for learning. My aim was to employ the design thinking process to gain a deeper understanding of the choices users make when learning skills online, to identify the problems they face, and to generate ideas that will address both the user and business objectives in order to create a viable solution.

Role: Solo Product Designer

Tools: Figma

Platform: Mobile Web

Time Frame: 3 months

Problem

Despite the convenience and accessibility of online platforms, the majority of individuals would prefer to learn in person or through their own means.

Back To Top

Process

In order to identify a solution to the issue, I implemented the double diamond model of design thinking, which enabled me to segment my processes, investigate options, and develop a solution. The goal is to identify and specify the factors that discourage users from learning online, design and develop a platform that includes features that address these factors, and conduct a usability test on a prototype that has been prepared.

Discover

Define

Design

Validate

Discover

To empathize what users do, think and feel about learning skills and hobbies online, I had to conduct user research with the objectives below in mind:

Determine how users pick new skills and hobbies to learn.
Understand how they fit learning into their schedule.
Understand what makes them motivated and disciplined.
Learn about their pain points in learning a new skills.

The method used to understand the objectives were through competitive analysis and user interview.

Discover

Competitive Analysis

Prior to conducting interviews with participants regarding their experiences in acquiring new skills and hobbies online, I sought to acquire a comprehensive comprehension of the various platforms that are available. I conducted a competitive analysis on LinkedIn Learning, Udemy, Skill Share, and Master Class in order to better comprehend the strengths and weaknesses of the various platforms available. The selection of these platforms was based on their prevalence and the extensive collection of subjects from a variety of disciplines. This evaluation assisted me in identifying prospective opportunities and gaining a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter prior to conducting interviews with participants.

Result

I identified common patterns that were shared by all four companies. The following characteristics have been identified, despite the fact that they are interchangeable and differ in terms of their strengths, shortcomings, and opportunities for improvement:

Control in pace and method of learning.
Practical application
Quality of lessons
audited and renown instructors
Affordability
Support Resources

Click image to full view image

Discover

User Interview

Interviews enabled me to collect qualitative data from participants by requiring them to self-reflect on their emotions and past experiences. They have the ability to communicate their requirements and desires regarding the acquisition of a new skill or pastime.

I recruited five participants from a variety of backgrounds, professions, and ages, spanning from the mid-20s to the late 40s, in order to conduct the interview.

Speaking with the participants brought me a good understanding of their goals, motivation, needs, wants and pain points. With an overwhelming amount of information gathered from the competitive analysis and interviews conducted, I needed to define the problem at hand.

(Click image for full view)

Define

A significant amount of information was collected through both competitive analysis and user interviews. The subsequent phase of the endeavor involved the identification of the users' issues. In order to prioritize pain points, desires, and needs, I employed affinity mapping to synthesize all information, POV/HMV statements, and Personas.

Define

Affinity Map

(Click image for full view)

With all the gathered information received from all five interviews, I needed to make sense of it all. Affinity mapping helped me manage and organize the data to summarize my findings.

Key take away

The main pain points were the following:

Cost
Lack of practical application
No communication or support options
Scheduling that fits their schedules
Certification opportunities
Motivation to complete the course

Define

POV/HMW Statements & Personas

Using point of view and how might we statements, I was able to generate ideas and solutions that would help me narrow down the issue I hope to resolve. It was my experience that this exercise is an excellent opportunity to practice ideation and developing innovative solutions that can be prioritized at a later time. Additionally, it assisted me in the development of personas that will serve as the foundation for the ideation phase's development.

POV Statements

HMW Statements

POV Statement #1

I’d like to explore different ways to provide users a choice in choosing a free program, or courses and resources behind a premium as most participants are often not willing to pay for online courses that is accessible on other free sites.

POV Statement #2

I’d like to explore ways the user can experience an online course with features that allows them to learn efficiently as most of the participants do not like learning online due to not having the same experience as in person learning.

POV Statement #3

I’d like to explore ways to motivate users based on their prefer learning style to incentivize them to complete courses from beginning to end as some participant expressed loss of motivation mid courses due to various reasons.

HMW Questions For POV #1

Q1: How might we provide cost options for both users who want to learn through a free course verse those who are willing to pay a premium?

Q2: How might we differentiate free courses from premium courses so that free courses are still worth using and learning from?

Q3: How might we inform users of the cost of materials and resources ahead of time so that they do not feel surprised and plan a head of time?

HMW Questions For POV #2

Q1: How might we provide an in person learning experience in an online course setting?

Q2: How might we provide a communication system to allow instructors to communicate with users and users communicating with one another?

Q3: How might we incentivize users to connect and learn together?

Q4: What different type of resources and features can be incorporated so that users can learn better and efficiently?

HMW Questions For POV #3

Q1: How might we motivate users to fully complete courses without losing interest mid-course?

Q2: How might we create ways for users to feel fulfillment from learning courses?

Project Goals

(Click image for full view)

Define

Solution

To help the users and achieve business goals, the objective and focus of the design and feature implementation will target cost and communication (support).